Flexographic Printers Tell All in Latest Flash Poll

In-Plant Capitalization

Addressing yet another item in the news recently, tax cuts and their impetus for prompting capital equipment expenditures, the flexographers polled rendered a split decision.

Thirty percent noted that tax savings were directed to major purchases, but 70 percent said they were not prompted to act.

To some, these moves likely hold merit, given survey findings relative to aging equipment. Sixty-four percent of those polled pinpointed the age of their plant’s oldest press at greater than 10 years. Correspondingly, 22 percent pegged it at less than 10 years old and 6 percent said it was less than 5 years old. Conversely, 29 percent boasted of having a brand new press, 29 percent noted their new machine was less than 2 years old and 31 percent said the most modern press was less than 5 years old.

Ninety-one percent of recently acquired presses are flexo, 6 percent digital and 3 percent represent hybrid derivatives, linking flexo with digital, screen, gravure or offset processes, according to compilation of Flash Poll data.

Presses continue to rank first on flexographers’ wish lists when it comes to capital equipment expenditures, FLEXO’s survey determined. Thirty-four percent want to buy, or recently purchased, an inline flexo press. Twenty-six percent are looking into finishing equipment and 23 percent are studying acquisition of a hybrid—flexo and digital—press. Further findings revealed 21 percent preferred to bring a new digital press offering into the plant, while 14 percent of poll participants desired prepress automated workflow systems, that are of course linked to press and plant productivity.

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