How Linney cut 92 tons of materials to support sustainability drive

The packaging industry is facing significant changes in consumer demand patterns as brands and CPG companies adjust to new preferences in a new era of packaging. Sustainability concerns are growing, and converters are looking for new ways to reduce their environmental impact. The digitalization of cutting and creasing offers great flexibility and proves to help converters and brand owners address sustainability concerns.

The challenge

Always on the lookout for new innovations, Linney aims to provide its health, beauty, and cosmetic clients an edge over their competition.

“As the way, we do things was changing continually through the pandemic era, our 150+ design team on-site in Mansfield, UK, was facing a variety of production challenges. The cutting for prototypes or low runs was too slow, once produced, these die-cutting forms required storage – that’s thousands of large, heavy dies that needed to be stored. Or, once no longer required, then the disposal of those mixed materials dies, would most often end in landfill,” said Charles Linney, executive director. An environmentally conscious business, Linney was ready for change.

Linney is a privately owned, multichannel marketing communications company with expertise across all communications platforms. They cover the entire marketing supply chain, from insight, creative and digital to print and display production, digital signage, warehousing and fulfilment, film, and more.

The approach

Linney needed a solution to reduce waste and remove reliance on the processes that were slowing them down. They saw an opportunity to maximize the production of increasing requirements for shorter runs and investigated various options before investing in the Highcon Beam 2 digital cutting and creasing system.

Praised for its consultative and collaborative approach during an uncertain time, Highcon installed the Highcon Beam 2 digital cutting and creasing system, trained the machine operators, and worked closely with the Linney team to ensure consistently high-quality and time savings.

The introduction of Highcon digital finishing technology has eliminated reliance on the conventional die-making process, eliminated waste inventory, and increased overall production.

The Highcon workflow has been adapted to smaller sheet sizes, allowing Linney to take advantage of both digital and litho print.

The solution

The introduction of Highcon digital finishing technology has eliminated reliance on the conventional die-making process, eliminated waste inventory, and increased overall productivity. The workflow has been adapted to smaller sheet sizes allowing Linney to take advantage of both digital and litho print.

Sustainability in practice

Linney has saved 92 tons of wood, metal, and rubber by using Highcon’s digital cutting and creasing solutions as an alternative to conventional die manufacturing. In addition, Linney has saved 72 tons of carbon emissions by eliminating the need to manufacture and dispose of these dies. This is the environmental equivalent of 35 flights from London to New York and a rainforest equivalent of two and a half football pitches.

Highcon committed to sustainability

Totally committed to sustainability with dieless finishing, a non-crush process, and the facilitation of mono-material packaging, Highcon solutions take paperboard packaging to the next level reducing the environmental impact in production and through the supply chain.

The Highcon foil eliminates the wood, metal, and rubber of a physical die and its transportation and storage compared to a traditional die. The technology reduces the number of mechanical die sets required by the industry, while Highcon’s non-crush process maintains the integrity of the box to enable lightweight.

Recently, Highcon and Tilia Labs partnered to include Tilia Labs’ AI-driven imposition software in every Highcon system. This enables the ganging of multiple jobs on the same digital die, making short and medium runs more economically viable for converters, lowering set-up time, and reducing waste. 

In addition, offering lower minimum order quantities and fast turnaround, inventory reduction, improved production efficiency, and eliminating warehousing and redundant stock are valuable benefits attracting new customers.