Top tips for the conquest of labels: Jeff Feltz, Alan Barretto, Bibiana Rodriguez and Amitabh Luthra

Jeff Feltz, Mark Andy
Director
Our aim is to bring the most productive, and easy to use technology in the market to our customers. The Performance series has delivered in this area. Converters are seeing waste reductions of 50% or greater and set-up time reductions of 60% or greater.

We introduced the P7 at Labelexpo 2009, and the P5 at Labelexpo 2010. This year, we are unveiling the P3, an economic version of the Performance Series platform, targeted to customers who need a significant boost in productivity and waste reduction, but are restricted from buying the high-end presses due to capital restrictions. We understand that there are customers who cannot afford most of the high-end products. The printers are struggling to maintain their profit margins due to the rising material costs. That is the focus area for the P3.

Mark Andy has the largest worldwide share on a unit basis in the narrow web flexo space. We have more units installed in India than any other importer. We have a market share in China and Australia, and key placements in South East Asia.

Our focus is to provide customers with technology that meets their needs and addresses their challenges. Customers have expressed concerns about rising material costs, difficulty in keeping and retaining good press operators, increasing quality demands, and shorter run lengths. So, our focus has been to meet these challenges head on.

Our new equipment has been designed around simplicity, repeatability, waste reduction, and faster changeovers. This is in-line with our customer’s needs. These achievements have allowed us to provide a flexo solution that is now competitive with digital in the short run space.

With the advancements in changeover time and waste reduction, the break-even point between digital and flexo has been shifted to smaller lot sizes. Run lengths as short as 250 metres cannot be produced economically on flexo.

Digital, still has a place in the ultra short, personalised label space, but we have found that our Performance series platform can address many of the short run needs that could previously only be addressed by digital.

The state of the global economy is still in flux. Just as it seems the economy is improving, another debt crisis threatens to slow growth. Globally, we have seen that most converters are not investing in equipment for capacity reasons. Instead, converters who are buying equipment are trying to achieve one of two goals. One: reduced costs or two: increased capability for new markets/business. Both of these goals have driven purchases of the Performance series platform.

Many large converters have begun replacing older flexo equipment with more productive newer flexo presses. One such customer has just purchased their ninth Performance series press. Several others have purchased multiples. Since the Performance series meets the aforementioned goals better than any other solution available, we expect our market share to continue to grow, as it has over the past two years.

We have seen an increase in print quality demands, as well as increased decoration, such as rotary screen and foiling. From a press manufacturer’s standpoint, our goal is to make it as easy as possible to meet the end customer’s requirements. All newer flexo presses can print good quality labels. The difference is how much effort and time does it take to reach that quality level.

We believe customers must be able to achieve the desired customer requirement with as little waste and time possible. One of the key issues is variation between operators. Most converters have a few highly skilled operators who can achieve good quality on the oldest flexo press.

However, this takes a significant amount of skill and time. With a shortfall of skilled operators, and increasing quality demands, this puts the converter in a tough spot. Our presses have simplified the set-up process, and have made certain that adjustments for impression and settings are recordable and repeatable.

We have a dominant share of all importers. We have more than 150 presses in India.

We have important customers in India like Barcom Industries Limited, Gopsons Paper Limited, Jain Transfer Products, Kwality Offset, Rachana Overseas, Sel Jegat Printers, Universal Print Systems, Vinayak Printers, Webtech Industries, Zircon Technology and Astron Packaging.

Recently, Barcom Industries and Astron Packaging have both invested in the Performance Series P5 model.




Alan Barretto, Nilpeter India
Managing director
Nilpeter’s aim at Labelexpo is to promote its wide product range of flexo, UV-flexo, offset, gravure and digital inkjet as well as all the possible combinations. The theme of the show is ‘We show you how’. This theme reflects that we have technology centres in Europe and US, where our partners can develop their business together with our specialists. We are show-casing the MO-4, Caslon on FA-3 and the FB-Line.

On the FB-Line, we will present the new Revolver die-system as well as the new clean inking system. The Revolver enables automatic single minute exchange of die and the new inking system that provides clean and lean job change without tooling and less operations. The stand-alone Revolver and an unwinder from the FA-6 will be displayed.

The trend has been value-addition and combination printing - but our aim is to be as close to customers as possible in terms of sales, service and support.

We are expecting increasing market share both in India and globally, but the global financial situation makes forecasting a job for gamblers - I would love to have a crystal-ball.

Top brands are focused on brand protection and shelf appeal. And both cases require high-end combination printing - where as many printing principles are in use - makes the most impressing and protecting impression.

The Indian label industry has welcomed the Nilpeter product line with open arms. We have had good success within the first two years after the formation of Nilpeter India. So much so, we felt that this was the right time to choose India as one of our manufacturing facilities. We went ahead with the plan and did not have to look back.

The Indian label industry continues to blossom and the Indian converter is very intelligent when it comes to investing in capital equipment. This is where the Nilpeter product line with its various options comes as great advantage. Local manufacturing presence assures the customer of unmatched after-sales support. It is a winning combination.



Bibiana Rodriguez, Rotatek
Managing director
With our booth in the main hall of the exhibition and with more than 370 sq/metre stall, we’re going to exhibit three machines which are servo driven.

We will exhibit the Brava 420 offset full and semi Rotary combined machine with a new design and features like increased format 400mm, embossing system with gap master regulation and inline silkscreen printing. This machine has been successful for us in the past with many machines sold around the world.

Also, we will display the Brava 330 semi-rotary machine. This is a worldwide launch. This machine is ideal for short runs and will offer the same capabilities as the Brava 420mm.

These two machines are suitable for a range of products and can print with short job changeover and adjustment. These machines are ideal for printing wine and alcoholic labels, cosmetic labels and the products that need to combine different printing process such as offset, hot stamping, flexo, silkscreen, die-cutting and embossing. Both machines will have live demonstration.

Besides the Brava 420 and 330, we will display our full servo flexo machine. It has a  new concept and design with straight web path, different printing process on line, 330mm width and shaftless transmission which is suitable for short runs due to its flexibility.

We will exhibit an offset unit of the Universal press with interchangeable sleeves.

Our presses are designed for printing top quality labels, flexible packaging, commercial printing, mailing, security printing, stamps, cartons, tickets, films sleeves etc.

We are investing in research and development to produce high quality products. In the last two years, we are exploring the other trends such as flexible packaging. We are developing our Universal press which is a high technology machine especially for the flexible packaging.

We are working on the new sizes which will be shown at Drupa 2012. India has huge potential and is important to us. We are one of the major players and want to get stronger in this market.

Definitely our market share will change. In 2010, we had introduced the Brava press in India and this year we are installing the second Brava press. With the new launches, we will get a competitive advantage with more opportunities. Our company is positioned in the high-end of the market. Our customers are suppliers for global companies like Unilever, Danone etc. We are offering a strong brand for a strong partner.

Our customers are the top printers in India who are looking for high-end machines for high-quality results. In India, we will open opportunities for the carton and the packaging business which has the huge potential. Along with Creed Engineers, our Indian partner we would like to grow and become A global and integrated solution provider for our customers.



Amitabh Luthra, Printers Supply
Manager director
Our stand (Hall 7, Stand 7M60) is the biggest yet for Edale and this is a big push to increase brand awareness but to educate the print market of the range of machines designed and manufactured by Edale.

We will use the show as a launch platform for the brand new label, film and ticketing flexo press; the Edale FL-350. We will showcase the next generation gearless flexo print head; available in web widths up to 1,000mm aimed at the packaging market.

With agents and distributors worldwide we have a good spread of machine sales across the UK, Europe and Worldwide. With the current product range all designed since 2000, and the company launching four new machines in the last year, the spread of machine sales has increased dramatically.

In 2011, we have seen six of the Alpha compact flexo presses installed into Argentina, France and UK. We have had two Beta modular presses; one into Nigeria and the other into Russia. Five Gamma print and converting systems in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, the Indian subcontinent, the UK and Belarus – the Gamma is in fact the first servo driven press to be installed in Belarus! As well as the Lambda offline converting line in China, FDC-510 flatbed die-cutter into Nigeria, a 650mm wide latest generation flexo press into the UK, and the first FL-350 has been installed in UK.

We have not sat back on our laurels! During the tough climate that hit the UK a couple of years ago, Edale hit back at recession; not only pushing their current machine range but also working with a number of long standing customers to design and create bespoke machines with a heavy focus on minimum downtime and maximum productivity alongside a focus on minimum material wastage. As a result of these machine partnerships; the development of the FL-350, FDC-510, Alpha-Multi and the VLS-650 have been produced within the last 18 months.

Also, we  sell on a high standard of customer service, care and after-sales service. Being a UK manufacturer running everything out of our head office in Hampshire, UK from the initial R&D, design and manufacture through to sales, marketing, customer service, machine installation teams and spare parts – this ensures that we can keep a tight hold on how everything is running and ensure that should problems arrive they are nipped in the bud almost immediately.

We work with a team of distributors of whom we communicate with on a regular basis, hold compulsory training events twice yearly as well as support visits throughout the year for top-up training, any further product knowledge sessions and being visible at worldwide events.

We have a number of good leads. Recently, we  sold a Beta to Uflex, Noida  - one of the largest flexible packaging companies in India, to be followed up by a Gamma installation.