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44 tobaccoasia / Issue 5, 2016 November / December Embossed hardpack blank with holographic logo vignette by VE Packaging Laser-printed hard- pack blank enhanced with metallic surface effects and holograph- ic elements by VE Packaging Technology one of the areas of expertise of another Chinese company, VE Packaging Technology Co. Ltd., lo- cated in Jiangsu province. Only founded in 2010, it is a relatively newcomer to the scene but in this short time has nevertheless already built a solid customer base at home and abroad thanks to its inventive design capabilities and impressive pro- duction quality. "We have our own professional design groups which besides incredible creativity boast rich expe- rience in production technology and thus can turn even the flimsiest customer idea into a design that takes into account the respective brand culture," said Yana Chen, the company's sales director. To No. of Equipment Name Model Purpose Country of Units Manufacture 2 KBA7+1 UV Offset Press RAP105 Color Printing Germany 1 KBA6+1 UV Offset Press RAP104 Color Printing Germany 1 Heidelberg5+1 Offset Press CD102 Color Printing Germany 5 Gravure Press CMR-30001 Color Printing Italy YA1YA1 China 2 Silk Screen Printing Machine WPG780 Color Printing China 4 Pressure Creasing Machine PYQ401 Embossing China 5 MK Hot-Stamping & SBL050S Postpressing China Die-Cutting Machine 10 SWD Program-Controlled QZK1300 Label Postpressing China Paper Cutter 1 Film Lamination Machine SF-1020A Postpressing China 1 Dragongate Laminating Machine QFHT-1000 Foil Paper Laminating China 1 Slitting Machine TXF-1000/D Foil Paper Slitting China 1 Slitting Machine QFBF-1000 Cardboard Slitting China Current Manufacturing Equipment at VE Packaging Technology Co. Ltd.* *Incomplete; laser printing equipment and other machinery undisclosed due to confidentiality reasons. her, packaging is not simply a piece of printed pa- per or cardboard but indeed "it must feel like a work of art" and clearly and unmistakably reflect the brand identity. High-tech effects for product appeal To carry out the often very complex and color- rich designs particularly in high demand by Chi- nese and Asian tobacco companies, VE Packag- ing has invested in a host of the latest machinery (see table 3), including equipment for laser printing, which produces hologram-like effects on laminat- ed papers and foils alike. Another specialty of the company are metal- lic looking packaging paper surfaces that exude an alluring iridescence, while it also excels at a pro- cess called pearl-lustring, which lends surfaces a smooth-touch, silky, mother of pearl-like sheen. Chen also gave herself particularly proud about her company's expertise of even producing tip- ping paper with aluminum bands on which, for example, the cigarette brand can be laser-printed to give it a hologram-like appearance. "It makes that kind of cigarettes very hard to counterfeit," she said. Another outstanding product that might po- tentially appeal to overseas customers are VE Packaging's ingenious bi-colored (usually gold/ silver but other colors are also possible) inner lin- ers and inner frames. An array of state-of-the-art testing equipment to check products on param- eters like abrasion resistance, whiteness, stiffness, tension strength, interlamination peeling strength and others ensures that every batch manufactured meets the client's standard requirements in every point. VE Packaging cited a current annual pro- duction capacity of up to 3 million cases for pack- aging blank and 4,000 tons for inner liner paper. Seeking and keeping a foothold abroad With China's domestic market having almost reached saturation point, competition among Chi- nese paper and packaging manufacturers has been heating up abroad, where those companies are scrambling to establish and keep their footholds. It is arguably only through continued innovation and product development as described in this article that individual manufacturers will be able to suc- ceed. But while packaging shimmering in all colors of the rainbow or filters featuring holographic sil- ver bands may not be to the liking of the majority of cigarette manufacturers outside of China, stick- ing with it is by no means compulsory. Even plain- er cigarette or packaging components still demand a high level of production standards. And this is where China's paper and packaging producers cer- tainly have garnered more than enough expertise and technological capability. Photo Thomas Schmid Photo Thomas Schmid