Shrink sleeves have been providing steady growth for brands recently, and Omet is supporting converters with printing options for high-quality, sustainable shrink sleeves. Arca Etichette Group entered this market with its newly formed subsidiary, Arca Sleeves, which was formed in 2015.

Arca Sleeves wanted to bring all of its shrink sleeve production phases – prepress, press and post-press operations – under one roof. Arca Sleeves recognizes the value behind shrink sleeves, which includes greater coverage of the product’s surface; wider space available for texts and graphics, especially for irregular shapes; and marketing. Shrink sleeves also provide added security features. Whether the sleeves are printed or neutral, covering the whole product or just the cap, shrink sleeves prevent the content from tampering and raise the safety image of the product.

“Our focus, and the core business of Arca Sleeves, is the exclusive production of shrink sleeves. We manage hundreds of new projects every year and we stand out for the speed and the expertise in the design phase, which is the most important phase for the success of any industrial supply of sleeves,” the company states. “In a matter of a few days, we can bring to our customers’ desks fully finished industrial samples, printed in digital, hence reducing the time to market for any new product idea or innovation.”

Arca Sleeves purchased a 10-color Omet XFlex X6 UV LED press in 2019 to provide the latest in automated printing. According to Omet, Arca Sleeves was the first company in Italy to invest in ink drying technology with LED in the shrink sleeves sector. Arca Sleeves specializes in the wine and beverage, and future targets include the cosmetic, chemical and detergency/hygiene sectors.

“Our evaluation and choice of the machine has been very thoughtful considering a lot of key parameters such as machine innovations, wastage parameters, build quality and most important, supplier reliability,” management says. “We have already seen improvements both in terms of production and waste reduction, since the time we have installed the new Omet machine.”

To accommodate this growing segment, Arca Sleeves has invested in doubling its factory floor space, added technical and commercial resources and also instilled a new management system.