Innovative Labeling Solutions (ILS) has announced what it says is the world’s first complete inline digital print production line. The inline configuration is the next step in increasing the company’s ability to meet the needs of the evolving consumer packaged goods market.
 
“ILS has a reputation for being progressive in regard to digital print production with the HP Indigo presses, and we were excited to be a part of the beta test of the In line Priming unit (ILP) for the WS6000 to see what it would do to improve operational and economic efficiencies, “ says Brian Smallwood, ILS general manager. 
 
In March, the company marked the one-year anniversary of the Delta Spectrum II finishing system (being installed) inline with one of the three WS6000’s located in the facility in Ohio. “So February was perfect time for us to begin the beta testing of the ILP unit in advance of the commercial launch of the hardware in April,” adds Smallwood.
  
“The decision to invest in the Delta Spectrum II, which offers complete flexibility because of its modular station design, as well as placing it in tandem with the press was a strategic one,” adds Smallwood, “And a direct result of the value proposition we have been delivering to the marketplace for the better part of four years now.”
 
Eric Knop, ILS director of business development, shares, “As our clients have begun to grasp the total product life cycle benefit of a digital solution, we have seen our run lengths get longer and longer because they are converting complete product lines to digital.”
 
“Many of our print runs are far above industry average, or what is commonly referred to as the “crossover” point of 15,000 ft. In fact, we run jobs from 70,000 ft to more than 450,000 ft.,” Knop adds. “Brands are starting to leverage the full benefit of the technology, including:  the highest quality graphic reproduction because of the offset like system; market responsiveness in the form of design and message flexibility because of the plate-free technology; speed-to-market because of the fast turn times; sustainability and supply chain efficiencies because of the reduction of minimum run lengths which positively impact both inventory carrying charges and obsolescence; as well as the favorable environmental footprint of the press itself and its production efficiencies.” 
 
“When we wrote the business plan for digital back in 2004, and first entered the market in 2005, we knew we were entering a new era for our organization,” says Jay Dollries, president and CEO of ILS. “When you are at the forefront of bringing a new technology to market, you have to have the vision to continually challenge the status quo and press toward what is new and emerging.”
 
“As the first converter in the world to run a Delta Spectrum II inline with the WS6000, we knew, based on the immediate impact of this configuration, that it would not be long before we would be in the hunt for additional capabilities to further reduce the steps in the production process. And the ILP unit is the next piece,” Dollries adds.
 
Tristate honors
ILS also recently received its second Tristate Success Award in honor of its growth and business success in 2011. The award is given to busninesses in the Indian, Ohio and Northern Kentucky region that contribute to the growth of the area as a thriving business center.

“This is actually our second Tristate Success Award, and we are excited to be recognized once agai,” says  Dollries. “We have been focusing on growing our business and have invested significantly in capital equipment, systems, and professional development over the last several years – even during the economic downturn, so it is very rewarding to be selected as one of the best in the region for the second year in a row.” 
 
Kathy Popovich, ILS director of marketing, adds, “The award is also meaningful to ILS  because of how it relates us to Cincinnati’s recent designation as a hub of consumer marketing by the state of Ohio. The region has always been recognized as the ‘cradle of brands,’ but creating a formal initiative will help Cincinnati attract the country’s brightest and best to make the region a global center of consumer marketing.”