BP Solutions in Asheville, North Carolina, has invested in its first flexo technology – a hybrid digital/flexo Digital Pro 3 from Mark Andy. The press will facilitate the company’s growth in the labels sector, away from its traditional commercial print background.
The press was installed in October 2022, and BP Solutions president Scott Cotten said that since that time the company has seen its labels business grow consistently, including from existing carton customers who appreciate single-source supply. It is also opening new opportunities.
‘From the very first test runs we did on the DPro, we knew we could match colour with our offset presses from basic files,’ said Mr Cotten. With its capability of running a variety of substrates from paper to BOPP, PET and PP, we can easily foresee a return on investment of less than three years, which is excellent.’
The Digital Pro 3 has flexo capability both before and after the 1200dpi CMYK toner engine, with converting options including die-cutting, stripping and slitting. The second flexo unit can be used for a spot colour or varnish, laminating or cold foiling, and is fitted with an LED-UV curing unit.
BP Solutions’ $6 million business is currently split 50/50 between commercial and package print, and Mr Cotten said he hopes to increase turnover by $2 million in the next two years, with labels accounting for around 20% of that.
