At the inauguration of the new Koenig & Bauer MetalStar 3, representatives from Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint and Independent Can Company celebrated. (Left to right) Sam Pernice, Koenig & Bauer Director of Sales & Service for the MetalPrint Division; Rick Huether, President and CEO of Independent Can Company; Ryan Huether, Chief Operating Officer of ICC; Doug Huether, Chairman Emeritus of ICC; Cathy Huether McClelland, family member and shareholder; Mac McClelland, shareholder of ICC; and Pekka Hobbeling, Managing Director of Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint.

Unique nine-colour press at its Belcamp, MD facility is the largest in the Western Hemisphere

• The new press will allow ICC to achieve the goal of doubling output per labour hour and delivering product to customers in four to five weeks from order
• ICC was named 2021 High Performance Metal Decorator of The Year by Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint
• ICC’s goal is to be the primary source for highly decorated, specialty cans in the United States

In late September 2022, Independent Can Company, a leader in the printing and manufacturing of specialty metal packaging, celebrated the official commissioning of its new Koenig & Bauer MetalStar 3 press at an open house at its Belcamp, MD facility. ICC is now the only company operating a nine-colour metal decorating printing line in the Western Hemisphere.

The new nine-colour line allows one pass work for up to nine colours. This capability will be instrumental in helping ICC to achieve the goal of doubling output per labour hour and delivering product to customers in four – five weeks from order.

“We have made historic investments to solidify our position in the market and this new press marks the latest,” says Richard Huether, President and CEO of Independent Can Company. “With the goal of being the primary source for highly decorated, specialty cans in the United States, our company has invested heavily in facility maximisation and the latest technology in can making and lithography.”

ICC is the largest user of MetalStar technology in North America. In addition to the new nine-colour line, the organisation also operates two six-colour MetalStar 2 lines and a four-colour MetalStar 2, in use at their plants in Maryland and Ohio.

For more than twenty years, ICC has been recognised for excellence in print quality by Can Maker Magazine, the International Metal Decorators & Packaging Association and most recently by Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint with the High Performance Metal Decorator of the Year 2021. This award was established to honour Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint customers who achieve outstanding, out-of-the ordinary performance in metal decorating using Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint products.

Sam Pernice, Director of Sales & Service for Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint (US) commented on the historic nature of the order. “Independent Can Company is a true American success story which dates back to 1929,” he says. “Under the leadership of the Huether family, the company has grown and flourished for decades. This success has been achieved for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is their meticulous and professional approach when it comes to choosing their business partners. Their decision to purchase a nine-colour MetalStar 3 is truly historic, as there is no other machine of this size anywhere in the Western Hemisphere, giving them unmatched single pass capabilities.” Pernice concluded: “Their selection of the MetalStar 3 is the culmination of very careful planning and due diligence. We are honoured that they have chosen to place their confidence and trust in our hands once again.”

ICC is driven to remain competitive in a global market and being a domestic solution to the supply chain challenges for major brands. The company is more committed than ever to printing and manufacturing in the United States. With the largest portfolio of specialty can options, serving a wide range of markets, ICC is also keeping more than four hundred jobs in North America. Continuous improvement and reinvestment in technology benefits all of its customers and employees.

www.metalprint.koenig-bauer.com 
www.independentcan.com