Stora Enso is the first packaging board manufacturer in the world to acquire a Xeikon digital printing machine for board packaging for its research centre in Imatra, Eastern Finland. Testing of digital printing on the different grades of board was started on company's printing machine in February 2000. The digital printing machine was supplied by Stora Enso's long-term cooperation partner Xeikon N.V. of Belgium.

"With digital printing, every package can be provided with different information. The possibility to change visuals, colour, product information and language from one package to the next will have a radical impact on the marketing value of the package and will create new business opportunities for the whole packaging industry," predicts Mr Yrjö Aho, Vice President of Stora Enso Special Food Packaging Boards.
With the acquisition of the digital printing machine the company is also preparing to meet the challenges of electronic commerce. The capacity to vary packaging is becoming one of the most important means of adding value for business conducted via the Internet. The volume of e-commerce is growing rapidly in many areas important to the packaging industry. For instance, according to a study carried out by the Harvard Business School, in the food processing sector alone the value of Internet business will rise to some 85 million USD by the year 2005 (Don Tapscott, Harvard Business School).
Stora Enso's partner in developing digital printing is the printing equipment manufacturer Xeikon N.V. The DCP / 50 SP digital printing machine supplied by the company can be used for printing boards in the grammage range of 60 - 300 gsm. It prints in four colours and it can be used for reel-to-reel or reel-to-sheet printing. The print quality is eguivalent to four-colour off-set printing. The machine is located at Stora Enso's research center in Imatra.
"The digital printing technique enables quick product launching to market. This is in line with the trend towards micro-segmentation, where a product based on the same packaging concept can be printed with the names of different retail chains, and even different regional versions can be produced according to demand. This kind of order-driven printing is very well suited to e-commerce," says Klaas-Jan Stol, Business Unit Manager Packaging of Xeikon.

Caption:
The Xeikon DCP / 50 SP digital printing machine for packaging boards has been installed at Stora Enso's research centre. Stora Enso Packaging Boards has started the development of commercial packaging applications together with customers.

For further information, please contact:

Stora Enso Oyj
Yrjö Aho, Vice President
Special Food Packaging Boards
FIN-55800 Imatra
FINLAND
Tel: +358 2046 121
Fax: +358 2046 24767
E-mail: yrjo.aho@storaenso.com

Xeikon N.V.
Klaas Jan Stol, Business Unit Manager
Vredebaan 72
B-2640 Mortsel
BELGIUM
Tel: +32 3443 1309
Fax: +32 3445 1311
E-mail: KlaasJan.Stol@xeikon.com
http://www.xeikon.com

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