Owner of Rebsons Labels, Benny Friedmann (R), with Nilpeter's representative in South Africa, Del Wiggill, at LabelExpo Americas 2012

South African Rebsons Labels, a family-owned business, has moved into digital label printing with its purchase of a Stand-Alone Nilpeter Panorama - the first of its kind in Africa.

In 1963, Rebsons Labels purchased its first printing press and started to produce labels, thereby becoming a self-adhesive label manufacturing company. The company has been a Nilpeter customer for 40 years.

'My first Nilpeter press [S-185 4-colour flexo press purchased at Drupa 1972] changed my business,' recalled Benny Friedmann, Rebsons' owner. 'Suddenly I was able to print the highest quality. I printed self-adhesive labels that were far more sophisticated, launching my business into an entirely different league.'

Along with three B-200s, Nilpeter FA-2500, FB-2500 and FB-3300S have all been part of the growth at Rebsons, and now the next step has been taken with the addition of the Panorama.

'There is a constant and ever growing demand for digitally printed labels; run-lengths are getting shorter, and customers require variable data on labels and demand shorter delivery times,' explained Mr Friedmann. 'We assessed the digital market during a two- to three-year period, and decided that the Stand-Alone Panorama was by far the best solution for us.

'An immediate benefit is our vast production of generic labels with variable data for a large super market chain customer - the Panorama allows us to reduce production time and stock holding of variants, and enables us to print on demand and improve cash flow,' he concluded.