Member Article

North East firms join forces to take gold for innovation

Two print firms based in the North East of England have received a gold award for product innovation as a result of combined expertise in their particular fields.

InterFlex Group’s Sunderland operation, a subsidiary of the Global Flexible Packaging specialists, received the award during the EFIA (European Flexographic Industry Association) Print Awards in March, having been nominated in the ‘Technical Innovation – Printer’ category.

The award was given for a crisp packet design that incorporated ‘Packlinc’ – a state-of-the-art package scanning technology, and the creation of Reproflex 3, a leading Reprographics company based in Cramlington.

The technology embeds a hidden code within the graphics of the packaging, allowing the Packlinc app, once downloaded, to scan and immediately link the user to a predetermined online destination through their smart device.

In this instance, the app was used on a limited edition Pom-Bear Halloween pack, encouraging consumers to download the app and scan the packaging to find the ‘Ghostly code’.

InterFlex Group’s Andrew Jackson was extremely pleased with the result of the collaboration:

“Reproflex 3 approached InterFlex and invited us to work with them to develop their Packlinc concept into a viable proposition for Flexible Packaging.”

“We quickly recognised the potential that an ‘interactive pack’ could offer our industry and grabbed this opportunity with both hands. We are delighted to have received recognition for our work”

Reproflex 3’s Andrew Hewitson emphasised this as a triumph for the North East in the face of stiff competition from firms across Europe during the awards:

“We are delighted to receive recognition from such a prestigious organisation for our efforts. Packlinc is our latest imaging innovation and demonstrates that we have a wealth of talent and experience in the North East’s Packaging sector”

“By working together with local print partners we can deliver world-class innovation as well as a great platform for future growth and employment right here in the region.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Reproflex 3 Ltd .