54 | Regulars / Q&AThe Amberley Labels teamthey want to do a special run, a bit like we did a few years ago – we “With the addition of Coveris’ site did Share-a-Coke but we also did ‘Bru’s your clan’ for Irn-Bru, then there is not an easy way to only run a few hundred thousand or in Boston to the Amberley brand, a few million specials with variable data, competition info etc. So the drive from my side would be to focus on those areas where the we work across the two sites technology can support the initial start-up and link in with either existing larger-use customers within the group, or get customers into and the integration has been the Amberley portfolio by offering more of a digital experience where fantastic. It’s a complement to previously they were used to wide format, litho or gravure printing. the business and helps us be a L&L: When you talk about the digital experience, does that extend to the workfow processes in the company and one-stop shop to our customers”customer ordering, for example? How will that evolve with increased digitalization and automation?where the decisions on Capex for the future are: a joint discussion. DR: Yes, absolutely. It was fortunate timing, but just a couple of For example, we might pick up a project tomorrow where silkscreen months into the pandemic we installed Siteline from Label Traxx. is dominant, and we don’t have silkscreen on site here. But Amberley It allows customers to not only place orders from their iPhone or Boston has silkscreen. We don’t have RFID inlays; Amberley Boston iPad, wherever they are in the world, but also to upload fles and does. Digital foil – Amberley Boston doesn’t have it; Amberley create new products. That then goes through the Automation Engine Blandford does. It’s a dream come true, really. From a salesperson’s workfow and – with some intervention – into our digital presses. point of view, you have no reason to say no. They are seeing a web visual of our own MIS. Some of our customers Being so heavily in the digital arena, every new technology I are wowed by it, some think: yes of course we going to be able to think about has a digital link to it. I don’t think about investment in order our labels online. But we’ve gone to the next level with Siteline. conventional technology unless it is for special fnishing equipment. They can see all their products, all their specifcations. That might be something like the ability to produce pouches or sleeves, and be able to fnish them onsite. But of course, within the L&L: In a recent Q&A with Cristian Reyes of Mexican group we have businesses that do that kind of work already. We have converter Mayapack, he said he sees this as an alternative to a plant that does in-mold labeling and shrink and stretch. Other setting up an operation abroad because you can take orders sites can do folding carton and fexibles. It’s such a huge group, so through the Cloud and supply labels abroad as if they were it’s about understanding where the technology can be brought in to being printed locally.maybe fll that gap between the big users of some of these products. DR: I completely agree. Many consumers who upload their photos For example, if our Films and Flexibles divisions are printing to Photobox or Vistaprint for personalized t-shirts or mouse mats, hundreds of millions of labels for a soft drink company and tomorrow for example, have no idea that they are being printed somewhere in labelsandlabeling.com