stand cover

Alfred Kirsten Ohg

Stand: A21(Floor plan)
Labels, films, sleeves
Metal
Packaging & branding agency
Decoration, embellishments
Made in Europe production
https://www.kirsten-art.eu

About us

The ALFRED KIRSTEN OHG founded in the late 50‘s has established itself as the leading manufacturer within the high quality product labeling industry.
All our products are “Made in Europe” at our various western European plants, while countries like France, the UK and USA are represented by our legally separate sales offices.
With our state-of-the-art machinery and technologies managed by our professionally trained team of employees, we are processing more than 20 different solid materials such as ABS, PS, PC, PE, PU, PMMA (acrylic glass), aluminium, brass, stainless steel, copper, pewter, leather, wood, cork, stone and porcelain.
More than 60 years of experience and our constant drive to improve have made our production facilities being some of the most versatile in Europe using technologies such as almost all printing processes, plastic injection moulding, hot stamping, electro-forming, embossing, punching, bending, miling, laser cutting/engraving, etching, anodizing and some more…

Products & services

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The path to GREATER Sustainability

The use of existing materials ultimately constitutes a form of recycling. Granulated oyster shells (approx. 50% content) and a plant-based polymer (approx. 50% content) are used to create an innovative composite material that can be processed using injection moulding. The size, outer shape and relief representation of logos and text are determined in an injection moulding tool. The composite material is heated until it melts and then injected into the negative mould under high pressure. The cavity of the mould is completely filled with the mass. After cooling in the mould, a sustainable object is created which can be used, for example, as a hang tag with a security seal for all kinds of items for brand identification.
 Depending on the composition of the oyster shell granulate, a number of natural colours can be achieved. The visual impression of the surfaces is reminiscent of minerals due to a certain texture. Depending on the design of the inner surfaces of the moulds, matt or glossy surfaces can be achieved.

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Printed metal signs

Printed metal signs have been one of our core competencies for decades. Brass, stainless steel and aluminium are the main materials used. Due to some important material properties and the price, pre-anodised aluminium now dominates this product group. We mainly process aluminium in thicknesses of 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm. For larger signs, 0.8 mm thick aluminium is also used. Metallic elements are usually part of the logos – either as the base colour or as the text and logo colour. The colouring is done using high-quality screen printing, which is sometimes replaced by digital printing elements. Sufficiently large details can also be embossed. With the aid of a special pneumatic system, we can bend the labels to enable application on curved surfaces such as bottles and flacons.

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Flexible aluminium labels

A few years ago, we added an approximately 0.1 mm thick variant to our range of aluminium thicknesses. An additional paper backing on the reverse side of the material improves stability while maintaining flexibility. This makes this variant particularly suitable for curved surfaces, whereby, in contrast to the thicker variants, no tools are required for the curvature of the labels. The required pre-curving with a radius as near as possible to the object to be labelled can be done quickly and easily by hand before application. This aluminium has an elegant brushed surface finish. In addition to the four basic colours (gold, silver, copper, gun metal), other colours can be achieved through flat screen printing. The brushed texture remains unchanged.

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Imitation leather

Thermosensitive imitation leather not only impresses with its silky-soft feel, but also conveys a certain three-dimensionality. A real eye-catcher on the shelf that encourages you to touch it. The details of the text are created by deep embossing using a heated embossing tool. The heat causes the imitation leather to change colour to a darker shade. Depending on the material quality selected, imitation leather or recycled leather can also be printed on and, in some cases, embossed in the traditional way.

In isolated cases, we have also produced small quantities of genuine leather-based labelling items at the special request of customers. Very high costs, a lot of waste and, last but not least, the rather difficult decoration of genuine leather surfaces are factors that tend to speak against genuine leather. The trend is towards replacing genuine leather with other materials.

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Real wood labels

Real wood veneer is another way of using natural materials in high-quality product labelling. The text and logo were burnt into the wood using a heated embossing stamp. No colours were used. To produce such labels, we use equipment from our hot stamping division, which is mainly used for plastic injection moulding. Due to the somewhat rough surface of the wood, the results are always slightly imperfect and vary in terms of perfection. It is also possible to use special metallised foils for the embossing. This allows silver or gold-coloured text to be produced, although the degree of perfection achievable again depends on the structure of the substrate. The appeal of these labels also lies in their lack of perfection – it’s all about the vintage effect. Here, too, the feel of the wood veneer label is an experience in itself.

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Cork

Cork can be used to produce labels, signs, lettering and hang tags. We source our cork from Southern Europe, offering a range of different textures. Some of our cork materials have a textile backing. The actual cork layer is relatively thin. This means that mechanically flexible solutions for curved surfaces can also be implemented here. It is attached using cords (hang tags) or self-adhesive backing. The cork variants with textile backing can also be sewn onto suitable objects. The typical beige cork colour is usually chosen. However, it is also possible to colour the base by printing. There are several options available for the actual decoration.

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Flextag

This labelling variant combines flexibility and three-dimensionality. Suitable for all non-metallic colours, this variant resembles rubber in both appearance and feel. This design is therefore sometimes mistakenly referred to as a ‘rubber logo’. In fact, it is a special PVC resin that is cast and cured in an oven. 
 FLEXTAGs can be produced in different thicknesses. Thanks to an explicitly thin material thickness at the edges, the labels can be sewn onto textiles. Typical applications for this option are clothing, sports equipment and luggage. FLEXTAGs can be equipped with self-adhesive backing. For symmetrically arranged logos, a cord can be attached through a hole so that it can be used as a product tag. FLEXTAGS require a special tool. The labels are usually produced in two colours (base colour and text/logo colour). Additional colours are possible, but different colours require minimum spacing

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3-D Chromal logos and lettering

Across cultures, three-dimensional objects and elements always appear particularly valuable and also offer haptic feedback when touched. The combination of metal foil and synthetic resin not only enables three-dimensionality, but also provides a certain degree of flexibility. This means that 3D Chromal products can also be used to mark curved surfaces. Metallic colours dominate this design – available in either a glossy or matt finish. Special colours can also be created through additional processing steps. We supply lettering composed of individual elements with a transparent mounting film that fixes the elements in place with precision. The self-adhesive backing makes application quick and easy.

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3-D Flex Logo

This technology was originally developed for the clothing and footwear industry, where logos are attached using hot glue or by sewing them directly onto the fabric. We have succeeded in equipping this 3D Flex Logo plastic composite material with a self-adhesive backing. Despite the material being relatively thick, the material is flexible enough to be applied to curved surfaces. A special embossing tool allows not only different material thicknesses, but also intricate decorative patterns. These labels are suitable for numerous applications.