Kongsberg i-XL24

Describe your company.

Metro Multimedia Technologies is one of the pioneers of indoor and outdoor signage printing. MMT installed subcontinent’s first Durst Rho UV flatbed digital printing system at it’s production facility located in Lower Parel in Mumbai. Besides this, they have an arsenal of topline solvent and digital printers at fully operational facilities in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru. The company has the capability to redefine standards of quality in the Indian OOH industry. Omkar Kapila, the founder of MMT, was the first in India to import a colour scanner. MMT houses two Esko Kongsberg i-XL24 each at its Mumbai and New Delhi facility.

 

What does the machine do? 

The Kongsberg i-XL cuts, creases or mills patterns from solid board, PVC based media, wood acrylics among others.  It is targeted at short runs of between 300-400 sheets. This makes  it perfect for products such as point-of-sale items and drop bins.

 

Why did you choose this particular machine?  

There are three main parameters which helped us decide to go with the Kongsberg after a through product evaluation. As you know, we have a large installed base of industrial UV inkjet printers from Durst. Since then, we were looking for a finishing product which can match these capacities and Kongsberg provides us with this solution. 
 

Secondly, reliability, since our first installation over four years ago we have experienced a very reliable productive platform with minor breakdown issues. And finally the precision, based on various reviews from existing customers it was very apparent that Kongsberg provided a high level of precision on high productivity speeds.  It was the deciding factor for us on our second installation of the same equipment in our New Delhi unit.

 

Did you look at any other similar machine? 

We did consider various other platforms and evaluated the same at industry trade shows but eventually decided to go with Kongsberg since it best matched our needs based on productivity parameters.

 

Why did you make the purchase? 

We have traditionally been a large-format print firm since 2001. Then in 2007, we made a shift from a traditional solvent-based print firm to UV inkjet based systems and installed our first flatbed printer.  To make this transition successful we saw the need for an automated cutting system which provided us with the precision cutting tools required to complement our flatbed system which could not only handle finishing of both traditional PVC based media but also more exotic media such as ACP panels, wood, acrylics etc.

 

What features do you particularly like?  

We particularly like the I-cut feature of this machine.  It provides us with an extremely accurate cutting function of complex printed shapes.  This is a very unique feature and in short-run provides a high degree of flexibility in proof approvals from customers and evaluating all feasibility parameters before investing in complex punches on high volume jobs.

 

Is there anything you wish it had that it doesn’t? 

The only feature we have been asking Kongsberg about is a larger 3.2 metre width platform, which this year has also been released during the SGIA trade show in the US.  We were looking at expanding into the soft signage system. Forr this, we needed a 3.2metre width cutting platform to handle our requirements.

 

How fast is it? 

The maximum speed of Kongsberg is 50m/min.

 

How easy is it to use? 

It is a very user-friendly machine and after a comprehensive training session organised by Esko during the installation our staff was very comfortable using the same.  As in any new system there is a learning curve involved but nothing complex or out of the ordinary based on the user friendly interface.

 

Has it won you any new work? 

Yes, it has expanded our skill set to handle printing and finishing of exotic media with complex shapes and contours which were not possible in our existing workflow.  It perfectly complemented our flatbed print capabilities.

 

How much time or money has it saved? 

The Kongsberg system is a long term asset investment since it is a industrial platform and constructed with materials which offer this platform over the years to a user since I have heard they have almost all machines in production since their introduction in 1984.  The productive life of this asset is a very important feature since this translates to potential savings.

 

Would you say that it offers value for money? 

When one is evaluating the Kongsberg platform you need give a big weightage to the asset life since that is one feature that has been built-in with their brand name over the years.

 

Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?  

Nothing out of the ordinary like normal wear and tear of any equipment.

What about the pre- and after-sales service?

We did experience some hiccups with after-sales service which have been now ironed out after detailed discussion with the Esko team and new systems are in place from their end.  Since our acquisition of their platform we have continued with an annual maintenance contract (AMC) and have been assured of certain level of support from Esko with new systems in place.

 

Who do you think the machine is right for? 

I feel that Esko offers finishing solutions to a broad spectrum of users right from the wide format industry to the big offset printing and corrugated packing houses.  

 

Under what circumstances would you invest in another?

Additional capacity is based on new locations planned as well as a diversification plan into new product segments such as soft signage systems is the main driving force for us to be in discussion with Esko on our third system.

Conclusion

User’s verdict Speed  5/5 Quality  5.5 Reliability  4/5 Value for money 4/5 Supplier’s Response Shrihari Rao, sales director - South Asia, Esko, said, “MMT has been early adopters of cutting-edge technology from Esko with the purchase of Kongsberg iXL series. Our association with the Kapilas have been mutually rewarding in showcasing the possibilities of our design and pre-press solutions in the sign and display market pushing the possibilities to the next level. The best practices followed continually by MMT gives them the edge to be on the latest and greatest technology offerings.” Contact Esko India Shrihari Rao +91 9845214470 shrihari.rao@esko.com www.esko.com