Sha Jumari
- Apr 8, 2022

The Rising Importance of Colour Consistency in Packaging in Southeast Asia

Print Innovation Asia catches up with Yan Wei Phin, CGS ORIS’ regional manager for Southeast Asia and discuss the company’s reach in the region and what customers can look forward to in 2022.

As logistics and supply shortages continue to create instability globally, print and packaging jobs are expected to funnel to Southeast Asia in 2022.

“We see a growth in Indonesia, Thailand and as well as upcoming Vietnam. Due to the trade war between US and China, many jobs are being sent back to Southeast Asia to print,” said Yan Wei Phin, regional manager for Southeast Asia for CGS.

“This is great for printers in this region, as they are now able to get more orders shifted from China. Previously, printers here were not able to compete due to the lower cost of production in China,” Yan continued.

“For 2022, packaging will continue to grow, and with that the need for colour consistency. As more brands take their jobs back to Southeast Asia, colour consistency will be extremely important and in-demand, especially when handling brand or spot colours,” said Yan.

While some parts of the world are moving into endemic states, some countries in Southeast Asia especially are still in lockdown.

“We expect that there will still be less chances in Southeast Asia especially to meet the customers. It was hard at the beginning of the pandemic, but our customers and us are now used to the online arrangements,” Yan commented.

“Thankfully we have long and close relationships with our CGS ORIS resellers in the region. This is why even with almost 2 years of no traveling, we are still very much connected thanks to technology like Zoom and Whatsapp that allow the business to continue almost like before,” he continued.

Packaging Proofing On the Rise

“We see the growing trend in packaging in which our customers require mockup proofing with our FLEX PACK solution. Due to the pandemic, most brand owners are not able to do site approval, therefore they require a proof to be submitted before sending it off to the printing company for production,” said Yan.

The FLEX PACK solution is one of the most colour accurate packaging proofing and prototyping system. The inkjet-based packaging solution delivers colour accuracy, spot varnish, embossing and foiling effects.

“Another solution that we are working with printer manufacturer Mutoh is a direct-to-substrate proofing solution. We are so excited and looking forward to bringing this solution to the region, since direct-to-substrate proofing is the way forward,” said Yan.

The solution consists of CGS ORIS´ packaging proofing and mock-up system FLEX PACK with the Mutoh ValueJet 628 MP, 630mm wide digital piezo inkjet printer, specially optimised for the specific requirements of the packaging industry. The end-to-end digital print product will enable companies to produce realistic mock-ups of final products.

“The solution is perfect for packaging printers that require a colour accurate packaging proof on actual substrates. FLEX PACK, combined with Mutoh ValueJet 628MP, is a real breakthrough for the industry,” Yan continued.

“In addition, I have also noticed a lot more requests for consultation from packaging printers that need our consulting on process control,” said Yan.

Yan added that more and more customers in Southeast Asia are looking to get certified: “Recently we have many printers in Southeast Asia that require certification of G7 and Fogra based on ISO 12647-2 ProcessStandard Offset. This certification has been fundamental in them being able to get packaging jobs.”

Award-Winning Cloud Tools that Work Together

Colour management and consistency will continue to be on the rise in Southeast Asia as print and packaging jobs get funnelled back to the region.

“I will continue to focus on the brand owner that need our colour expertise on how to handle the process of printing. This is going to be even more in-demand, as Pantone Color libraries are going to be removed from Adobe applications,” said Yan.

Beginning March 2022, Adobe announced that it will no longer offer Pantone Color Libraries in its Creative Cloud products, and will be removed from future software updates.

Yan explained the implications of this on the industry: “Printers will likely have the libraries on file, but since the Creative Cloud is already on a subscription basis, how many graphic designers and creative agencies would want to pick up another subscription for the Pantone library? CGS ORIS has the perfect solution to facilitate colour communication and exchange, and that is with our CXF TOOLS.”

CGS ORIS’ CXF TOOLS allow users to easily generate, manage and analyse CxF data (Colour Exchange Format). The technology from PDF that embeds the spectral data of spot colour will be the new way to help the supply chain. Along with CGS ORIS’ COLOR CLOUD, the CxF tool recently scored a European Digital Print (EDP) award as the best cloud-based workflow solution.

“Communication will be easy and clear using of CxF/X-4 in the PDF documents, based on open standard ISO 17972-4. With the solution, it is now possible to transport all characteristics of brand and spot colours,” Yan added.

Additionally, the company won at the EDP Awards in 2019 for its X GAMUT solution, which saw more and more packaging printers implementing the Extended Color Gamut (ECG) workflow by using the CMYKOGV inkset.

“The best thing about our solutions is that all of our award-winning products, including FLEX PACK and X GAMUT, seamlessly connect to COLOR CLOUD to enable a smooth and effective workflow,” said Yan.

As regional manager of the region, Yan lives and breathes colour management. When asked where this passion stemmed from: “I’m an E&E engineer, and part fanatic on speed, power and precision of the Germany Automative company, BMW! This was part of the reason why as a German company, CGS ORIS was very attractive to me.”

“CGS ORIS has the complete range of solutions for the print industry, allowing me to practise all of knowledge and ideals to the my customer! It’s great that I get to use my electronics and computer engineering background in the printing industry, where many customers lack this knowledge. With CGS ORIS you have the pinnacle of performance, agility of perfect steering and chassis balance – much like the iconic BMW E30 M3!”, Yan continued.

“At CGS ORIS I was able to apply my colour management and process control know-how to our customers, so it was a great fit. The best part is the company is that it is very flexible and transparent, especially in working with the senior management,” Yan continued.

Yan concluded: “Print is craft and print is science. To love the craftsmanship of the printer, we need to learn the relevant skills and knowledge to unleash its full capabilities. Always be open to new print technologies!”