ACTEGA Metal Print GmbH has announced that Germark, one of Spain’s leading high-quality label printers, has installed an EcoLeaf metallization unit at its Barcelona facility. As part of the EcoLeaf beta program, Germark will utilize the technology to produce sustainable metalized decorative effect labels, for the first time, at a price point to attract the European spirit market – an industry looking for new ways to achieve product differentiation and reduce its carbon footprint.

Despite the pandemic, the EcoLeaf unit was safely and successfully installed on an existing Omet 410mm width flexo press – expected to deliver additional opportunities to bolster the company’s service offering. These include the ability to provide new silver metallized labels for the cosmetics market, as well as over print capabilities that leverage an extensive range of metallic colors, including gold, for a host of other markets, amongst them beverage and FMCG.

Iban Cid, president of Germark, comments: “March and April saw us enjoy record months insofar as supporting supermarkets to meet demand, but the pandemic has since put a huge pressure on the local Spanish economy and our internal sales. However, thanks to its unique and cutting edge capabilities, EcoLeaf will be a key tool in enabling us to meet this challenge and increase our export business in new and previously out-of-reach markets.”

“More widely, ‘innovation and export’ underpin our wider company vision and strategic roadmap, and EcoLeaf is a great fit for both,” continues Iban. “In terms of innovation, EcoLeaf now allows us to produce sustainable high-quality labels, something that all brands are looking for to support their environmental objectives, and one that will significantly reduce or potentially remove hot and cold foil from our production process in the future.”

Currently, 50% of Germark’s label production is for the health and beauty industry and 50% for the beverage. Typical applications include shampoo labels printed flexo onto film, perfume labels produced using a mix of silkscreen and flexo techniques, and a wide range of labels printed using digital presses.

Iban continues: “I often describe our products as being the essential oil in our customers’ engines. We work hard to ensure that our customer labels best represent them and increase sales, which in turn drives loyalty and lasting relationships.”

Jan Franz Allerkamp, Managing Director, ACTEGA Metal Print comments: “Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our partners in Spain who were able to safely install EcoLeaf in the midst of a huge crisis with significant travel barriers.

“Secondly, it must be said that Germark is a great business with innovation running through its core – this makes them an ideal beta candidate for us. We anticipate EcoLeaf to be a transformative technology for them and we look forward to working closely with Iban and his team over the coming weeks and months.”  

Established in 1958, the €14 million turnover Germark employs over 110 people across three main business units – label production, label systems sales and coding. Label production accounts for over three quarters of turnover, with high quality printed labels supplied to the health and beauty markets in Spain, as well as for export to 24 countries.