Vanguard Companies is among the first companies in the United States to install the new HP PageWide C550VP Digital Press, expanding its digital manufacturing operation in Kansas City, Missouri. The investment builds on the company’s existing HP PageWide C500 Digital Press, significantly increasing digital production capacity while strengthening manufacturing resilience and creating new opportunities in corrugated packaging and point-of-purchase (POP) displays.
The investment comes as brands and retailers increasingly demand shorter production runs, faster product launches, greater customization and the ability to respond to last-minute changes. These demands are challenging packaging manufacturers to move faster and provide greater flexibility without adding unnecessary cost, inventory or waste.
Expanding Vanguard Digital
The new press represents the next phase of Vanguard Digital, Vanguard Companies’ digital printing initiative. Since its launch, Vanguard Digital has evolved into a strategic growth engine for the company, creating new revenue opportunities, strengthening customer relationships and differentiating Vanguard Companies within the corrugated packaging, POP display, and digital printed sheet markets.
With the addition of the press, Vanguard Companies now has two advanced digital platforms operating side by side. This expanded capacity provides greater flexibility to manage fluctuating demand, complex production schedules and time-sensitive customer programs.
The dual-press configuration also creates greater manufacturing redundancy. Production can be shifted between platforms when needed, helping minimize downtime and maintain continuity from short-run promotional campaigns and seasonal programs to large-scale retail rollouts.
“HP provides the technology, and Vanguard Companies transforms it into retail success for our customers,” said James Beard, CEO of Vanguard Companies. “Adding a second press gives us the capacity and flexibility to take on more complex and time-sensitive programs while opening opportunities to provide digital print capacity to other corrugated converters. It strengthens our ability to move quickly, scale with our customers and pursue business that wasn’t previously within reach.”
Creating a New Digital Print Opportunity
The investment also expands the potential market for Vanguard Digital beyond Vanguard Companies’ own packaging and POP display production.
With additional digital capacity, Vanguard Companies can produce digitally printed corrugated sheets for other converters that do not have digital printing capabilities of their own. This gives converters access to high-quality digital production without requiring them to make a significant capital investment in digital printing equipment.
For Vanguard Companies, the opportunity creates an additional revenue stream while extending the reach of its digital manufacturing capabilities across the corrugated industry.
Greater Speed, Flexibility and Efficiency
HP digital print technology enables Vanguard Companies to accelerate speed-to-market, economically produce short and mid-size runs, eliminate traditional printing plate costs, reduce setup waste, and deliver high-quality graphics with exceptional flexibility.
These capabilities give customers greater freedom to launch new products faster, execute cost-effective regional and seasonal promotions, test new packaging and display concepts, customize graphics and messaging, respond quickly to changing retail requirements, and support multiple retail strategies and markets simultaneously.
The expanded digital operation also strengthens Vanguard Companies’ hybrid manufacturing model, allowing each job to be matched with the production technology best suited to its specific requirements. By balancing conventional and digital printing based on factors such as run length, turnaround time, customization, and production requirements, Vanguard Companies can optimize manufacturing capacity, improve production efficiency, and provide customers with greater flexibility while responding more quickly to changing market and retail demands.
Supporting More Sustainable Manufacturing
The investment also supports Vanguard Companies’ ongoing sustainability efforts.
Digital production eliminates the need for printing plates and minimizes excess material generated during traditional setup processes. HP’s water-based ink technology further reduces the need for washups associated with many conventional printing processes, helping decrease ink and chemical use and water consumption.
These benefits complement Vanguard Companies’ expertise in engineering efficient corrugated packaging and POP displays designed to optimize material usage, shipping cube and transportation efficiency.
Together, these capabilities help customers pursue more sustainable packaging and merchandising solutions without compromising quality, speed or retail impact.
Powered by HP PrintOS
Vanguard Companies also leverages HP PrintOS as a digital backbone for its printing operation, providing real-time visibility into machine status, production progress, job queues and key performance metrics.
This visibility helps Vanguard Companies maximize uptime, improve production planning and make faster, more informed operational decisions. HP PrintOS also provides machine analytics and predictive maintenance capabilities, enabling Vanguard Companies and HP to identify equipment issues and emerging production trends before they impact manufacturing.
“Vanguard Companies’ investment reflects a broader evolution taking place across corrugated packaging, as converters look for manufacturing models that can respond to shorter runs, greater customization and increasingly compressed timelines,” said Evandro Matteucci, Head of the HP Corrugated Business. “By combining digital and conventional production and expanding its digital capacity, Vanguard Companies is demonstrating how converters can build greater agility into their operations while creating new opportunities for growth.”
Continuing to Invest in Innovation
Vanguard Companies’ partnership with HP reflects a shared commitment to innovation, continuous improvement and helping customers respond to an increasingly dynamic retail environment.
The addition of the HP PageWide C550VP Digital Press reinforces Vanguard Companies’ strategy of investing in advanced manufacturing technologies that provide customers with greater capacity, faster speed-to-market, enhanced flexibility and more sustainable production options.
As brands and retailers continue to evolve how they launch, promote and merchandise products, Vanguard Companies will continue expanding its digital capabilities to help customers move faster, respond smarter and turn packaging and POP display programs into retail results.
