Duralam takes flexographic quality to new highs.

In the process of taking products to market, oftentimes packaging can be the biggest unknown. It's an equation that contains a host of factors -- including adding shelf impact, extending shelf life, short production runs and long production runs, wide- or narrow-web press runs, line art or complex

The ability to adeptly handle all of these variables is what sets Duralam Inc. apart as an award-winning printer and manufacturer of flexible packaging. Based in Appleton, Wisconsin, Duralam has become a leading packaging converter that prides itself on working closely with its customers to understand their challenges, and then responds with effective solutions.

Setting new standards

Whether it means a quick turnaround on an order or managing a complex multi-SKU program, Duralam has built a solid reputation for delivering quality on time by not losing sight of the fact that each customer's needs are unique and may require a solution that's outside the ordinary.

Duralam is known for consistently delivering award-winning flexographic work, and in the process has become one of the finest flexible packaging converters in the country.

This year marks the seventh consecutive year the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) has honored Duralam for producing outstanding work in film-line and film-screen printing.

This recognition firmly establishes a reputation for excellence and points to Duralam's commitment to quality.

Brand packaging

Sweet Candy Company is a general-line candy manufacturer that needed to get more out of a limited marketing budget. Sweet Candy decided to use a brand packaging strategy to create broader awareness of its Chocolate Covered Orange Jelly Sticks by promoting the product on the back panel of its flagship product, Salt Water Taffy. The project also included updating the line-art format of the Sweet Candy Company logo.

To make the brand-packaging effort work, Duralam had to overcome the challenge of getting the Chocolate Covered Orange Jelly Sticks to look real, using only three process colors -- cyan, yellow and magenta.

The end result is a vivid miniature version of the actual Orange Jelly Sticks box and sales that are ahead of projections.

Market flexibility

Bloomer Candy manufactures chocolate products under its own name and is a wholesale distributor and a private labeler. Its strategic position is simple -- have the resources to respond to market influences that require quick but cost-effective solutions.

In order to make this strategy a reality, Bloomer Candy needed to find a converter that provided dependable quality and was committed to working together.

Duralam's approach in developing a partnership with Bloomer Candy was simple -- find the best way to produce a package that meets all customer expectations for graphics presentation and structure performance.

Duralam's partnership with Bloomer Candy has included producing 31 different SKUs for a regional discount chain, pushing the visual impact of wide-web eight-color line printing for pouches, and supplying laminated unprinted films for product repackaging. In every instance, Duralam works hand-in-hand with Bloomer Candy to cost-effectively meet its customers' demands.

Working closely with its customers is a Duralam hallmark, as is its commitment to quality. All of this makes it possible for companies like Bloomer Candy to improve their positioning by having the ability to more completely meet customer needs.

The package deal

At Duralam, customer service provides an essential link between customers, field sales staff and production. It enables the company to expedite orders quickly and correctly, managing projects and deadlines to strike the delicate balance between quality flexographic work and on-time delivery.

There's an inherent value in knowing and understanding each customer's business, even as it grows and changes. This commitment enables customers to depend on Duralam for the kind of knowledge and experience that builds confidence and great relationships. Customers demand high standards, superior materials and consistent performance, all at a competitive price. It's how you define quality in the packaging industry. And that's what Duralam is all about.

Looking to the future

When you talk about Duralam as one of the finest flexible packaging converters in the country, you have to look at both ends of the production equation -- technology on one end and craftsmanship on the other. Duralam is equally committed to both.

Its continued success and growth depends on the skills of its people and the equipment they have at their disposal. These tools, and how they are used, truly set Duralam apart.

Technologies that are helping Duralam raise the bar in flexographic quality and competitiveness include:

133-line screen -- The finer dot reproduction delivers greater detail, control of color range and brighter highlights. This capability is significant for packagers seeking to reproduce challenging product photography, detailed illustrations or complex logos.

Digital review and prepping -- In-house graphic specialists review and adjust design files to account for dot gain, trapping and continuous tone process.

Microdot mounting -- A sophisticated optical alignment system uses digital mounting and video monitoring on press to assure exact registration.

Sleeve technology -- Sleeves mounted on design rolls allow continuous printing with no breaks, which is especially suited to step-and-repeat or patterned graphics.

Next-generation photopolymer plates -- Photopolymer plates are extremely stable on press and lock in registration without warping. New advances in photopolymer achieve greater control of dot gain and finer reproduction.

Film extrusion -- In-house production of low-density and linear low-density film for sealant web substrates gives Duralam the ability to meet tight production schedules, as well as provide consistent control of supply and overall material quality.

Extrusion laminator -- The ability to offer customers alternative structures, such as adhesive and extrusion lamination, enables Duralam to provide a full complement of services. This greatly enhances its flexibility to deliver the best possible structure for the best possible results.

Narrow-web printing -- One key to Duralam's ability to deliver packaging quickly and cost-effectively is a state-of-the-art, eight-color narrow-web Vision press. This compact flexographic press, designed especially for short packaging runs, delivers process and line-color printing that rivals wide-web flexo or rotogravure. Changeover time is quick and easy, even on eight-color jobs, a significant advantage for orders requiring numerous plate changes for multiple SKUs or store brand identities. The fast changeover allows more tightly managed print runs, resulting in minimum overruns for optimum inventory and cost control.

Wide-web printing -- Robotic wide-web flexographic printing technology has increased Duralam's ability to deliver more quickly and cost-effectively. The eight-color PCMC Pro Vision press makes this possible by greatly reducing make-ready time over traditional wide-web presses.

This press is particularly effective for flexible packaging orders between 50,000 and 250,000 linear feet and complements Duralam's narrow-web short-run and high-volume wide-web capabilities. The cylinders are compatible with the wide-web presses, assuring an interchangeable production capability.

Key to the press's quick-change ability is robotic roll-handling technology and an automated ink cleanup system that slashes make-ready time on a typical eight-color job by more than 50 percent. The automated ink cleanup system transforms a formerly time-intensive manual function to a process requiring less than 30 minutes. The dramatic jump in productivity creates more available on-press capacity.

From private label to branded products, packaging can be one of the biggest unknowns in taking a product to market. But partnering with Duralam gives a competitive edge that's defined by quality and responsiveness.

Duralam has created an environment that fosters customer and employee partnerships, with long-term relationships built on mutual commitment to quality and success. People are more than just a voice on the phone. They get involved and are prepared to act on a customer's behalf. They're informed -- ready with the right answers.