Challenge: After years in development, the engineers at the Southwest’s largest egg producer, Hickman’s Family Farms, finally created a new design for egg cartons using recycled plastics. In addition to being eco-friendly, these clear cartons reduced waste created when customers broke eggs while opening cartons to examine the eggs. The clear recycled-plastic packages promised to change the egg carton forever. However, the labels inside them had to be printed out of state, resulting in supply time lag.

Solution: Hickman engineers met with ACI Print Shop managers to find ways to produce and supply the various carton labels now required. New printing equipment was procured for this specialty print job. After several months of tweaking and adjusting, and more new equipment, the ACI Print Shop began printing and die cutting Hickman’s Family Farms labels for their new carton design. This made it possible for the entire packaging process to be done locally and expeditiously. Currently, more than 30 million labels are produced annually at the ACI Print Shop at ASPC-Perryville Women’s Prison.