Pride In Print Supreme award puts Fonterra Canpac at the frontline

A baby food can earned Fonterra Canpac the highest honour in this year’s Pride In Print awards.

The 30-year-old Hamilton-based company suffered a blow last month when one of its machines exploded, resulting in the company not being able to print while the damage was repaired.

Winning the most coveted Supreme Award at last week’s Pride In Print was a welcome boost to the spirits for all employees, according to print plant manager, Greg Wardrop (pictured).

“This win will help us rebuild that department and come back stronger,” he said. “We have has a tough year, but this will make us more determined to come back.”

Wardrop told Print21 that printing the Nutricia Gold Plus 1 can was “particularly challenging.”

“We have a two-colour press [a Crabtree Marquess] and the design was 10 colours in total,” he said. “It required five passes through the press and each time you run it there is the risk of errors occurring again.”

Senior judge and chairman, Scott Porter, praised Fonterra Canpac for their skilled printing.

“This can represents wonderful colours and density. Technically, they had to print three whites to achieve that density, which has succeeded in impressing the client,” he said.

“I know just how hard that was to achieve. These guys have demonstrated outstanding skill and technique. They are a credit to the industry.”

Winning the award was a highlight for Wardrop. “It’s the pinnacle of the New Zealand printing awards,” he said. “There are a lot of people here who are very happy to have achieved this level of recognition.”

Category winners below:
APN Print Manukau – Publications Category and Web Process
Fonterra Canpac – Pride In Print 2010 Supreme Award Winner and Packaging Category Winner
Digital River Limited – Display Print Category and Digital Process
GEON Christchurch – Innovation Award
GEON Highbrook – Sheetfed Process Winner
GEON Napier – Environmental Award
Kinetic 121 – Promotional Print Category
Octane Digital – Finishing Process Winner
Panprint – Labels Category
Permark Industries – Business Print Category and Screen Process
Screen Printing Solutions – Specialty Products Category
Sealed Air New Zealand – Flexible Process Winner
Spicers Paper – Special Commendation for Promoting the Print Industry