Corrugated converter, Independent II, has praised Domino Printing Sciences as the ‘partner’ of choice for converters setting out on their digital printing journey. The recent installation of a Domino X630i digital corrugated press has allowed the company to offer profitable short- and medium-run market opportunities to its brand customers, facilitating new business innovation while maximizing productivity and efficiency.

“Working with Domino has made our jump to digital really easy,” says Finn MacDonald, president of Independent II. “When you’re with Domino, you’re not jumping alone; you’re with a partner.”

A privately owned and operated corrugated converter, Independent II is committed to helping its customers “experience packaging success” with high-impact corrugated packaging that protects products in transit and stands out on the shelf. This commitment prompted Independent II’s ‘jump’ into digital printing.

“Our goal was to bring digital packaging success to our market. The philosophy that drove this vision was what I term “everyday digital,” says MacDonald. “We wanted to change from a brown box manufacturer to a brand box and a digital box performer… in a way that would deliver consistent value and quality to our customers – and make it achievable for us to manage every day.”

Independent II selected Domino’s X630i digital aqueous inkjet corrugated press to facilitate this transition.

Launched in June 2020, the X630i is based on a globally proven inkjet system with over 1,000 installations globally. The press is designed for everyday corrugated production, delivering short- and medium-run printing jobs while reducing waste in set-up, downtime, and inventory – maintaining an excellent total cost of ownership. The capability of incorporating versioning as well as variable data also makes the press an attractive choice for cost-effective longer runs of customized designs.

“The X630i single pass digital press is pretty much unique to the market. It produces award-winning, aqueous-based, four-color print on uncoated and coated corrugated sheets – which our business is built on. As soon as we saw the X630i, we were certain that this would be the right investment to support Independent II through our business evolution,” MacDonald explains. “For our customers, this move has meant the ability to think about color and variation and change their message to their needs. For us, it has meant service line innovation our production team could manage with minimal experience in corrugated.”

In addition to being easy to manage with no specialist skills needed, the Domino X630i press is suitable for installation in a traditional converting facility with no complex environmental adjustments required. “You don’t need a clean room. You don’t need a lot of special air filtration. You don’t need a lot of special concrete build-up floor placement,” MacDonald explains. “You’ve got arguably the most compact press on the market, so it’s going to get a whole lot done in a very small footprint. So as far as single pass aqueous-based, there aren’t any players who have a machine like this press available.”

Since installing the Domino X630i press, Independent II has been recognized for its innovation in transitioning from analog to digital in the industry-leading 2023 Digital Labels & Packaging Awards for its Jeptha Creed Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey RSC corrugated box solution. “Independent and Domino share a vision to deliver ‘everyday digital’ impact to markets where the pop and flexibility of single-pass digital create bolder business opportunities,” said MacDonald on winning the award.

“Domino is delighted that Independent II has successfully achieved packaging diversification and business innovation with its ‘everyday digital’ philosophy,” says Peter van Riel, European Commercial Director, Domino Printing Sciences. “This is an industry-leading example of what can be achieved with today’s digital inkjet solutions, and we are proud that our technology has facilitated such success.”

Domino is a strong partner for converters, with a dedicated global network of local service resources at hand to help converters develop new opportunities and maximise their investment. Cost-effective leasing options are available to assist customers starting out on their digital journey.