Continuing its evolution as one of Israel's top corrugated display and packaging innovators, Caesarea-based Carmel Frenkel (a subsidiary of Hadera Paper headquartered in Hadera, Israel) has purchased an EFI Nozomi C18000 single-pass, ultra-high-speed LED inkjet corrugated packaging press from Electronics for Imaging (Fremont, Calif., USA). Carmel Frenkel will be one of the first companies worldwide to have the complete EFI ecosystem for corrugated production with the Nozomi press, the EFI Fiery® NZ-1000 digital front end (DFE), the EFI Corrugated Packaging Suite manufacturing execution system (MES) business, and production management workflow and EFI Escada corrugator control software.

Carmel Frenkel chose the EFI Nozomi press - the first to be installed in the Middle East - after the company closely examined digital production systems on the market. It was a decision that reflects Carmel Frenkel's firm stance on delivering the most effective and efficient digital high-end corrugated production solutions to its customers.

"We are committed to staying on the leading edge of packaging technology," says Guy Frenkel, CEO of Carmel Frenkel. "That is the main reason why we went for the Nozomi press. We have invested considerable time and effort in evaluating the most-advanced digital corrugated technologies and, with this press, we know EFI is delivering an innovative technology that will be able to handle a variety of print jobs with faster throughput and high output quality."

Scheduled for installation in the fourth quarter of this year, the Nozomi press, an award-winning, ultra-high-speed production system, provides high-quality output thanks to an innovative single-pass, piezo grayscale inkjet writing system that delivers accurate, high-fidelity color, including consistent reproduction on solid areas. The press delivers fast operating speeds up to 246 linear feet (75 linear meters) per minute, or up to 10,000 35x35-inch (89x89-centimeter) boards per hour.

Camel Frenkel is the leader in innovative solutions for the corrugated market and for display and shelf stands. The company offers a range of solutions and products from design to printing to delivery at the customer's site. With EFI's digital printing technologies, Carmel Frenkel can reduce turnaround times for new projects from weeks or months to just days and produce smaller quantities or versions of jobs - something that is too costly to achieve using analogue production methods. The complete EFI ecosystem of corrugated production options and products offers the critical capabilities Carmel Frenkel can use to provide its customers faster response time and superior quality.

The 71-inch (1.8 meter) wide LED Nozomi press comes equipped with the advanced EFI Fiery NZ-1000 DFE print server and production system, which provides blazing performance, outstanding color quality, advanced production tools, efficient job management, and the ability to produce versioned/multi-SKU work or even personalized packaging at full speed. The Corrugated Packaging Suite MES workflow that Carmel Frenkel is also installing facilitates plant-wide management and integration of digital production for a full, end-to-end business and production framework to handle the company's digital, analog flexo, litho-lam and litho label operations.

"It is clear that the corrugated packaging market is evolving at a rapid pace and having the complete EFI ecosystem will definitely give Carmel Frenkel an innovative edge to continue to stay ahead of the market by delivering greater value to its clients," said José Luis Ramón Moreno, vice president and general manager of Industrial Printing at EFI.