Gualapack: radical standardisation and digitalisation to compete in high-performance flexible packaging. Interview with Nicola Zancan, Global Technology Director
In a high-performance flexible packaging market undergoing structural changes – reduced print runs, pressure on margins and growing international competition – industrial optimisation is no longer an incremental exercise. It is a strategic choice.
Gualapack, an international group specialising in high-performance flexible packaging, has launched a structured project based on three pillars: colour digitalisation, extensive process standardisation and technological homogeneity on a global scale, with a strengthening of the internal supply chain to ensure replicability and quality stability. We discuss this with Nicola Zancan, Global Technology Director at Gualapack.
In Europe, Gualapack has historically been a rotogravure player. How have you dealt with the structural reduction in print runs?
In recent years, the market has seen a progressive contraction in print runs, with a direct impact on production models historically oriented towards large volumes. For a company with a significant installed base in rotogravure, this means rethinking the industrial balance.
Our approach has been twofold: on the one hand, the renewal of plant engineering with more agile and efficiency-oriented technologies; on the other, extensive standardisation of the entire production process to reduce job changeover times, variability and complexity.
What has been the main lever for optimisation?
The main lever has been the introduction of Extended Colour Gamut (ECG) printing. Colour matching has historically been one of the main sources of inefficiency in rotogravure processes: it requires time, material and progressive stabilisation.
By adopting a standardised approach to colour separation and keeping the position of individual colours fixed in the machine, it is possible to drastically reduce the variables involved, ensure high quality standards and, at the same time, improve productivity. However, it should be clarified that ECG is not just a pre-press choice: it requires a consistent system. That is why we have defined a disciplined model, with standardised procedures and process parameters, so that the extended gamut generates real and replicable benefits.
Is in-house cylinder production an integral part of this strategy?
Yes, because if the goal is to maintain colour stability and print consistency, controlling the cylinder production process becomes a critical factor. Gualapack has strengthened its internal capacity in this area by investing in technologies and processes geared towards repeatability.
Vertical control reduces variability and ensures production continuity, aligning the standardisation model on which the entire strategy is based.
In the comparison between rotogravure and flexo, where does competitiveness come into play today?
Competitiveness today is mainly based on the overall efficiency of the process and the ability to manage job changes quickly and stably. By acting on key elements such as format change and colour matching, the gap between rotogravure and flexo can be significantly reduced thanks to solid standardisation, both in pre-press and in production organisation. Structural differences remain, for example in the origination process and in the mechanical complexity of the printing units.
On the other hand, a rotogravure machine managed with fixed colour sequences and controlled parameters allows you to get very close to the levels of efficiency required by the market, without compromising quality, which remains one of its distinctive strengths.
Gualapack has chosen to equip its various European plants with the same systems. Why?
It is a strategic choice: adopting a homogeneous plant model offers very concrete advantages. We are talking about the transferability of production between sites, process homogeneity, quality stability and reduced management complexity. In a global group, technological homogeneity becomes an advanced form of industrial optimisation.
And how do you manage the alignment between different technologies in different countries?
It is a significant challenge, because our global presence includes plants with different technologies, and international customers require colour consistency regardless of the printing process. We use advanced colour management tools, together with structured fingerprinting and validation procedures. However, the foundation always remains the same: standardisation upstream and discipline in process management. With a solid model, alignment between rotogravure and flexo is technically achievable in most cases.
What role does digital play in the world of high-performance flexible packaging?
Digital is a rapidly evolving technology, and we are monitoring it very closely. It is already delivering interesting results in some specific applications. As far as high-performance laminates are concerned, it is not yet an industrially optimal solution for our production model, but we are constantly monitoring developments because the growth potential is evident. At the same time, we are already using digital printing at our Gualapack Pharma plant in Acqui Terme for printing on aluminium for blister packs, where this technology is particularly effective in terms of flexibility and dedicated batch management.
How much does pressure from Asian competitors influence your choices?
It has a significant impact. International competition has intensified even in hightech segments, with very challenging price levels. This scenario makes industrial efficiency a necessary condition: optimisation is no longer an option, it’s a competitive requirement. And yet another key factor is at play: the ability to guarantee speed and reliability in deliveries, in addition to the technical performance of the product.
Looking ahead, what will be the final balance between rotogravure and flexo?
We don’t see the future as a linear substitution of technologies. The trajectory of the sector is rather a redefinition of industrial models, to create sustainable competitive advantages. Our goal is not to “defend” a technology, but to transform it: rotogravure, if managed with rigor and standardization, can achieve very high levels of competitiveness.
Within a global multi-technological strategy, each process finds its space based on applications and markets. Ultimately, it will be the capacity for industrial transformation – rather than the technology itself – that will determine the future of European flexible converting.
