Techkon USA Case Studies

Case Study: Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation

"Our partnership with TECHKON has not only provided Smurfit-Stone with fast, highly accurate color measurement in the SpectroDens Premium, but also the expertise to develop a process-driven approach to achieve excellence in color quality and pressroom performance."

Russ Lawrimore, senior director of Operational Excellence Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation

PRINTING CAPABILITIES

  • Paperboard and Paper-based Packaging
  • Design, Display & Merchandising Services
  • Environmentally Sustainable Packaging

CHALLENGE

  • Improved color quality and consistency across
    an integrated network of 12 paper mills and
    more than 100 container operations. 

SOLUTION

  • Company-wide installation of the TECHKON SpectroDens Premium
  • Implementation and training on a new color best practices program
RESULTS
  • Higher color quality
  • Greater consistency in brand color, across facilities
  • Increased scheduling efficiencies through a faster makeready process
  • Ability to track press performance across the network
  • Decreased material and labor costs



STORY

Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation ("Smurfit-Stone") was looking to reduce their environmental footprint while increasing color quality and consistency across their integrated network of 12 paper mills and more than 100 container operations. As a premium packaging printer for Serving the most discerning of national brand owner customers, they looked to standardize their operations on Techkon's SpectroDens®.

TECHKON worked with Smurfit-Stone to assess needs and draw up an implementation plan that would put Smurfit-Stone on packaging's leading edge of color quality control. To speed the makeready process, brand color libraries were loaded directly onto devices so with a click, press operators were able to quickly assess “Pass/Fail” with clear recommendations on how to bring color in line quickly and efficiently.

The ability to quickly check color accuracy as well as recommended color adjustments allowed Smurfit-Stone to increase operational efficiencies across press rooms, decrease their environmental waste and footprint and recognize significant savings in time, labor and material costs.