Seeking to build on its success as a provider of packaging prototypes and mockups, Grapevine, Texas-based Virtual Packaging began to explore opportunities to expand on its capabilities. As Tara Duckett, Virtual's VP of sales and operations, explains, prototyping has its limitations, and once a customer is ready to move to production, Virtual would often be cast to the side. Seeing it as a natural extension of its business, Virtual added an all-digital packaging production workflow to its operation, bringing a Landa S10 Nanographic press on board and pairing it with the digital converting capabilities of a Highcon Beam. "In our minds, this was a natural fit for us," Duckett says. "It was progress into the next step, but it wasn't too big of a jump to where we were doing 1 million pieces." The desire to move into short- and mid-length production runs stemmed from multiple conversations with emerging brand owners. Over the course of a typical year, Duckett says representatives from Virtual Packaging attend a variety of industry trade shows, meeting with brand owners to discuss their packaging needs. A consistent theme at these recent events, Duckett says, was the rise of smaller-sized brands in need of affordable short runs, at a quality that can compete with their larger counterparts.
展开▼
