LPI, New Berlin, Wisconsin, is entering a new era. Following several acquisitions and business expansions, the company has evolved beyond its roots as a trade finishing operation into a full-service packaging manufacturer. A key part of that transformation has been the installation of a Speedmaster XL 106-7+LYY-1+L with FoilStar from HEIDELBERG along with full shop integration with Prinect Production. Since the press was installed approximately one year ago, LPI has grown sales by 25% and expanded into new packaging markets.
\u201cThe Total Package\u201d
Founded in 1984, LPI spent four decades building its expertise as a trade finisher specializing in hot foil stamping, embossing, die-cutting, and complex finishing. In 2023, the company acquired Chicago-based Pulver Packaging, adding printing capabilities to its already robust manufacturing platform while strategically strengthening its presence in the Chicago market.
\u201cWe wanted more control over our future by moving beyond our role as a trade finisher,\u201d said Jeff Besnick, President and CEO of LPI. \u201cThat meant becoming part of a complete packaging solution, building stronger relationships with end customers and competing in the value-added space.\u201d
While LPI acquired legacy printing capabilities from Pulver, it needed to strengthen its ability to provide high-end packaging solutions across a broader range of substrates and applications. For LPI, HEIDELBERG was the only press manufacturer that could deliver the \u201ctotal package\u201d it needed, combining advanced press technology with the integration, automation, workflow, and support required to grow its packaging business.
\u201cThe decision was about more than buying a press,\u201d said Rob Watts, Print Production Manager at LPI. \u201cIt was about choosing a platform that could help us run smarter, improve faster, and manage performance.\u201d
The XL 106 is LPI\u2019s first new offset press purchase and is equipped with HEIDELBERG\u2019s latest technology including Push to Stop, AutoPlate Pro, Prinect Inpress Control 3, and the HEIDELBERG UX, featuring AI-powered press assistance systems.
According to Besnick, \u201cBecause we offer rigid box and converting on multiple substrates, we needed a press platform that can handle it all. And that\u2019s where HEIDELBERG really excels for us. The press\u2019s advanced technology and ability to handle a variety of substrates enable us to achieve any challenge that a customer puts in front of us.\u201d
Specialized Capabilities, New Markets<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to LPI\u2019s proficiency in finishing and high-end embellishments, dual coating capabilities, UV curing, and HEIDELBERG\u2019s FoilStar inline cold foiling were essential on its new XL 106 in order to achieve high-end effects on a variety of substrates. While already equipped with offline hot foil stamping, LPI selected FoilStar for both its design flexibility and sustainability advantages. Because FoilStar is integrated inline with the press, printing and embellishment can happen in a single pass \u2013 eliminating additional offline processing. Foil also can be selectively applied and overprinted, significantly reducing foil consumption \u2013 thanks to its indexing functionality \u2013 while giving designers greater creative freedom to incorporate foil in virtually any color or design.
These press advancements, coupled with the integrated automation and AI-powered features and Assistant systems of the XL 106, have expanded LPI\u2019s capabilities and opened the door to new markets and opportunities.
\u201cIn our environment, we have a challenging mix of work,\u201d said Watts. \u201cSome jobs are very makeready-dependent, while others are long runs where press speed and consistency matter. The XL 106\u2019s intelligent and automated features help us be good at both \u2013 reducing variability, improving repeatability, and providing transparency to enable our operators to make smart decisions.\u201d
Fully leveraging the press\u2019s automation was a key reason LPI chose to implement Prinect Production alongside the new press. As a job moves through the workflow, Prinect automatically collects the job data and begins building the presets for the press. By the time the press is ready to start makeready, those presets are loaded, and makeready has effectively started before the operator even pulls the first sheet. \u201cThat saves time, reduces manual entry, improves consistency, and gives us better data from the very beginning of the job,\u201d said Watts.
The XL 106\u2019s specialized capabilities have helped LPI differentiate itself in a crowded market and opened new opportunities in luxury segments like liquor and spirits, fragrance, make-up\/cosmetics, high-end confectionery, and other premium packaging segments.
\u201cWith the XL 106, we don\u2019t have to be as rigid with the customer profile that we\u2019re going after,\u201d said Stephen Barmore, Chief Commercial Officer at LPI.
That shift has already equated to a 25% increase in sales this year, and according to Besnick, \u201c80% of that growth is tied to the press capabilities.\u201d
Visibility and Discipline for Growth<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New to printing, LPI\u2019s success as a full-service packaging manufacturer relied heavily on comprehensive support and training from HEIDELBERG as well as developing an experienced in-house team led by Rob Watts.
\u201cFor HEIDELBERG, it wasn\u2019t just about producing a sellable sheet and moving on,\u201d said Besnick. After installation, HEIDELBERG supported LPI in both sales training and developing samples and educational materials for its customers \u2013 assisting with an open house to help LPI\u2019s customers understand its new print capabilities.
LPI also meets with an expert from HEIDELBERG\u2019s performance team for monthly performance reviews to ensure the press is producing to its fullest potential. Together, the teams review production numbers, identify points of concern, and create future goals. \u201cThese calls have been a great resource in helping us understand where we shine and where we still need to polish,\u201d said Watts. \u201cThat outside perspective is important because it keeps us honest and keeps the improvement process moving.\u201d
Between calls, LPI has access to the Insights app through the HEIDELBERG Portal, where all production data is centrally located to manage and monitor performance. \u201cThat kind of visibility changes the conversation. We\u2019re not relying on opinions or assumptions. We can look at the data, understand what\u2019s happening, and focus on the areas that will have the biggest impact,\u201d said Watts.
Through these continuous improvement efforts, LPI has increased its OEE by more than 30% since start-up and is targeting an additional 20% increase by the end of the year.
Starting from the ground up in printing may be seen as a disadvantage in today\u2019s marketplace; however, Barmore thinks LPI\u2019s history as a trade finisher helps it stand out amongst competitors.
\u201cOur team is used to the challenges of very complex work,\u201d he said. \u201cThe new press adds sophisticated printing capabilities to that expertise. We are now equipped to be a facility that can handle any project that is thrown at it.\u201d
Looking ahead, Besnick said HEIDELBERG will continue to play an important role in LPI\u2019s growth. \u201cHEIDELBERG gives us the visibility and discipline to keep improving while allowing us to chase as many markets as possible so we can be more diversified as a company.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LPI, New Berlin, Wisconsin, is entering a new era. Following several acquisitions and business expansions, the company has evolved beyond its roots as a trade finishing operation into a full-service packaging manufacturer. A key part of that transformation has been the installation of a Speedmaster XL 106-7+LYY-1+L with FoilStar from HEIDELBERG along with full shop<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[124,51],"class_list":["post-23774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-print-labelling","tag-heidelberg","tag-top-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23774"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23776,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23774\/revisions\/23776"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}