Industry News
WARSAW, PL–Production process optimization, cost reduction, and increased efficiency are key challenges facing label printers in response to current market trends. They were the main topics discussed at a recent meeting organized by Esko and Mark Andy.
The special Esko – Mark Andy Innovation Day, devoted to European label printers and converters, took place at the Mark Andy Technology Center on March 5th. In addition to listening to technology presentations from Esko, attendees had the opportunity to take part in live print demonstrations of Mark Andy presses. These included the flexo Evolution Series E5 and UV inkjet hybrid, and the Digital Series HD HighSpeed 1200.
Labels printed on both presses utilized advanced software solutions created by Esko, including Equinox, a tool dedicated to label and packaging production.
“The event opened a series of meetings scheduled in the Warsaw-based Technology Center for this year. Some are organized in cooperation with technology partners,” said Lena Chmielewska-Bontron, European marketing manager at Mark Andy.
“The March meeting attracted many attendees from Poland, Turkey, Croatia, Czech Republic and other countries. It was a great opportunity to showcase the new presses in Mark Andy’s portfolio, including the fastest UV inkjet hybrid press on the market dedicated to label production, Digital Series HD HighSpeed 1200.”
International guests were welcomed by Mariusz Geras, sales manager, Esko, Lukasz Chruslinski and Antony Cotton, European sales managers, Mark Andy.
Trends & Innovations
The first speaker was Jan De Roeck, marketing director, Esko, highlighted the dynamic global changes and uncertainty affecting both businesses and consumers.
He cited research results that outlined major business risks, the degree of preparedness for external crises, as well as preventative strategies implemented by companies.
He emphasized the importance of digital transformation in the label production market, addressing issues such as shorter printruns and faster delivery time pressures.
De Roeck also identified key trends and technologies including automation, AI/machine learning, and cloud computing, that will have significant impacts on the label and packaging industries.
As he underlined, Esko solutions are used in the production process of 9 out of 10 consumer packaging jobs. Some of these were presented in subsequent presentations and in context of their application in label production as demonstrated on the Mark Andy presses.
Concept to Print
Sam Coussens, application sales manager at Esko, showed a complete workflow of a sample job file, from submission to final print, based on the Esko Automation Engine server. He covered successive stages of job processing: prepress, file approval, plate making and printing. As he emphasized, more than 3,000 licenses of the Esko Automation Engine are already being used worldwide, helping companies to reduce errors by up to 80 percent, increasing efficiency and speeding workflow, achieving time and financial savings.
Coussens talked about selected workflow modules: Equinox – designed for job preflight; ArtPro+ – dedicated to variable data printing (VDP); and quality control tools. He highlighted the importance of cloud-based job approval, remotely accessed by all process participants.
Plate Making & Screening
The final Esko presentation, given by Nils Otto, solution architect for color and print, outlined solutions for flexo plate making and screening processes. He showcased optimized workflow for file preparation process, designed to bring measurable financial and environmental benefits.
Finally, he spoke about standardization and calibration processes using the Esko Print Control Wizard tool. When combined with the Equinox module, it creates a complete solution from press calibration to verification of final print. This offers cost savings while reducing the negative environmental impact of the print production process.
Press Demos
After the theory came the practical, with attendees taking part in a live demonstration of two of the narrow web printing presses installed at the Mark Andy Technology Center.
Demonstrations were led by Lukasz Chrusliński and Antony Cotton, European sales managers at Mark Andy.
The hybrid Digital Series HD HighSpeed 1200 press attracted special interest from event guests, owing to its recent global debut.
Described by Mark Andy as the world’s fastest UV inkjet narrow web press dedicated to label production, it operates at twice the speed of its predecessor, the Digital Series HD model. It addresses the current market trends and customer requirements, as indicated in Esko’s earlier presentation: reduction in printrun lengths; increasing demand for versioning/VDP; and a growing need to update or reprint previous jobs after necessary modifications.
Mark Andy is currently the market leader in sales of narrow web hybrid presses for label and package printing.
The second demo featured the Evolution Series E5 flexo press, offering production speeds up to 230 m/min. As a scalable solution, it can be expanded and upgraded as user needs grow.
Evolution Series E5 is available in 330 mm and 430 mm web widths and its application range includes labels, shrink sleeves, and IML. “This highly versatile press aligns perfectly with current market trends and flexographic applications,” said Cotton. “Its versatility is evidenced by the different types of work it produces, from specialized cosmetic tubes using unique technology to high-volume self-adhesive labels or shrink sleeves. Its range of applications can extend even further, depending on user specialization and target markets.”
Q&A Session
The event concluded with a Q&A session featuring representatives from Esko and Mark Andy.
Questions covered technical aspects of the solutions presented, as well as general topics including the current state of the market and the upcoming Labelexpo Europe trade fair, being held for the first time in Barcelona.
“We’d like to thank all customers who participated in the Esko – Mark Andy Innovation Day and hope they gained valuable theoretical and practical knowledge. Our Technology Center was designed as the place of learning, inspiration, experience exchange, competence building, and knowledge sharing. In a few weeks’ time, we will be hosting students and pupils from printing colleges and high schools, and in June we are planning an Open House for customers from all over Europe.”
“We hope that all these events, scheduled for the first half of the year, will be a great prelude to the forthcoming Labelexpo Europe in September,“ concluded Chmielewska-Bontron.
Pictured, L-R; Lukasz Kaczynski, Lukasz Chruslinski of Mark Andy; Nils Otto, Sam Coussens, and Mariusz Geras of Esko.
