Described as Eastern Canada’s largest packaging company, Master Packaging of Prince Edward Island is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its new 7-colour, 56-inch KBA Rapida 142 press. 

First installed in May 2009, through distributor KBR Graphics Ltd., the Rapida 142 is being used within Master Packaging's corrugate and folding-carton divisions. The press also includes a coater, automatic plate changing and non-stop facility at the feeder.

“Our new Rapida press will allow our company to open up new markets with its new automated technology so we can do shorter runs," stated Mary Jean Irving, President and CEO of Master Packaging, in a press release.  

The company has won several printing awards, since its founding in 1996, including a recent Gold Award from the Flexographic Technology Association for “Technical Achievement Exemplifying the Finest Capabilities of Flexographic Printing.” 

After expanding its corrugate plant by 33,000 square feet in 2000, Master Packaging in 2002 reached a production milestone by exceeding 1-billion square feet of output annually. The corrugate plant was then expanded by a further 60,000 square feet. A year later, the company's Borden plant began a 68,000-square-foot, folding-carton expansion. 

Today, Master Packaging employs over 340 people in two PEI plants, Borden and Charlottetown, as well as third plant in Dieppe, New Brunswick.