Phil Baldwin of Mark Andy UK gives a demo of the Performance Series P5
Press manufacturer Mark Andy recently invited customers, distributors and the press to see the results of the refurbishment of its UK showroom in Macclesfield, in Cheshire. A reinvigorated team demonstrated both running presses and finishing equipment to the visitors. By Neel Madsen.
Running over four days at the end of April, Mark Andy UK held a successful open house event that saw over 200 visitors attend equipment demonstrations and talks from product managers and partner companies from both the press manufacturer and its Rotoflex finishing brand. A truly international affair, it drew visitors from as far away as India, Russia, Turkey and Lebanon, as well as from 10 of the European Union countries.
The UK showroom and demo centre, which celebrates 21 years on the same site, has had a complete makeover and been optimised using the lean principles of cutting waste in all areas of the operation. As well as being used as a demo facility for existing and new customers, it will also be used for training courses for press operators.
The newly promoted European sales director, Tom Cavalco, said, ‘Our open house was an outstanding success. We have taken orders worth more than $3.2 million this week, including sales of three Performance Series presses and a Rotoflex inspection/rewinder. Most importantly, they were all from companies new to Mark Andy. We see this as a sign that the company is continuing to be considered a technology leader, with a range of innovations to suit all types of narrow web applications. And, with the expanded facilities here in the UK, and the addition of experienced print, sales and technical support, I am very optimistic about our future in Europe.’
Daily demos
Repeated each of the four days, the daily programme saw demonstrations of the 430 mm Performance Series P5 press, fitted with the Quick Change Die Cut (QCDC) system running high end combination printing jobs. This was in the form of a UV flexo, UV screen and inline hot foiling combination, an offering often demanded from the luxury end of the wine & spirits and health & beauty care sectors of the market.
The press was fitted with the QCDC technology launched at Labelexpo Americas last September. The technology has just been awarded the 2013 Technical Innovation Award by the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) in the US.
The P5 ran a seven colour job including die-cutting, rotary screen and foil at speeds in excess of 85 m/min. The screen unit was then removed and the die was changed in the QCDC unit using the cassette and cart combination, a process that took less than one minute. Two additional jobs were then shown accurately stripping matrix at higher speeds (161 m/min). All three jobs were run on pressure sensitive polypropylene. Later in the day, the P5 demonstrated a 28 micron OPP running in excess of 200 m/min.
Digital complement
Also introduced at Labelexpo Americas last year, the SRL 4.0 digital label printer had its European debut at the event. This is the company’s low cost option for printers who want to dip their toe in the digital printing market without heavy investments, whilst still offering high quality.
Business development director, Jeff Feltz, demonstrated its capabilities running labels and also introduced the new converting unit, the SRC (Short Run Converting). Designed to process digitally printed labels, the SRC can handle web widths up to 330 mm, and has semi-rotary die-cutting and a self-wind laminating facility. It re-registers to an eye-mark, has razor slitting for multi streams, edge trimming and a waste matrix rewind.
Mr Feltz said, ‘Nearly all our customers have some short run needs. We are seeing a real demand for our digital label printer, particularly from flexo printers who uses it as a complementary technology to their conventional presses.’
Fitted with a Harlequin RIP, the four colour toner-based print unit can print images up to 320 mm wide on a 327 mm wide web at speeds up to 9 m/min. It can handle a 305 mm diameter roll, for roll-to-roll production, or work from sheet to sheet. Stock does not require pre-coating, and jobs can be re-registered to print pre-die cut labels.
For finishing
Sales manager Kevin Gourlay presented two machines from the company’s Rotoflex line of finishing equipment, the VSI and the VLI. Mark Andy acquired Rotoflex four years ago and has recently set up a new office in Toronto.
The recently revamped/redesigned URC 2.0 control system allows both machines to handle virtually all types of substrate tensions and web management at high speed. The VLI line has multiple slitting, multi lane counting, dual rewind, multiple web guiding and missing label or matrix detection. The VSI is a high-speed machine with the latest integrated web transport that includes eDrive, web inspection and finishing technology designed to improve machine performance and enhance product quality.
New cure
Together with its partners, Flint Group and Phoseon Technology, Mark Andy concluded each day with a demonstration of the technology that is predicted to change the face of curing. Greg Palm, vice president of new business development, explained that the new ProLED system offers substantial cost savings with its reduced power requirement, and all round lower production costs because of its simplicity and associated reliability, and the durability and performance of its lamps. Shown fitted to a six-colour Performance Series P3 press, the system uses medium wave rays that produce neither ozone nor heat, and are available as both an OEM and retrofit option.
Greg Palm, vice president of new business development, with Niklas Olsson, Flint Group, demonstrated the ProLED system
ProLED does require specially formulated inks, coatings and adhesives, which have been developed and implemented by Flint Group. The company’s EkoCure solution is a commercially viable ink system extensively tested and successfully passing standard adhesion and abrasion resistance tests.
The main advantages of the system, which is available on any Mark Andy press, are that it offers more press uptime with fewer equipment failures, a faster and deeper cure for higher productivity, and is more energy efficient with longer life bulbs and lower maintenance requirements. Furthermore, the lamps can be moved from one print station to another as needed. The company reported that first installation has been running 24/7 since October 2012 with no downtime for system or bulb failure, and that although it is a costly investment, ROI is predicted to be less than 12 months.
Conclusion
After a busy four days, Steve Schulte, vice president sales and marketing, said, ‘With more than 200 people in attendance from 60 different companies, this is one of the biggest customer events we have ever done. It is part of our renewed vision and strategy which sees Mark Andy revitalised and increasing its global approach.’
International sales director Mike Russell, commented, ‘The success we have enjoyed this week will provide a powerful springboard for Mark Andy’s European sales and service team. We have demonstrated that we are at the forefront of commercial technology in our industry, and are leading the way to providing the right technology and solutions for any business situation, whether it be flexo or digital. We are now in a great position to grow our business in Europe and the global market, and are looking forward to doing so at Labelexpo Europe later in the year.’
