Print Innovation Asia July Issue 22

Print INNOVATION

Asia

Magazine

Serving Printing, Packaging and Publishing Industries across Asia Pacific since 1985 Issue 7 2022

Let your quality take off

2022 ASIAN PRINT AWARDS

Show print buyers that you are driven by QUALITY. WIN in this years Asian Print Awards competition Click here for the entry form

https://issuu.com/cpublish/docs/asian_print_awards_

FREE ENTRY FORM DEADLINE 5PM September 3rd 2020 The annual Asian Print Awards was founded to recognise outstanding achievement in the print and packaging industries across Asia.

With more than half the world’s population represented in this fast growing area, communication in the form of printed matter links Asia’s diverse cultures. It is imperative that such print achievements do not go unrecognised, especially among the population base that Asia enjoys.

The Awards are judged on a wholly quality-oriented set of criteria to ensure that fair play is enacted at all times.

The Independent Judging Panel comprises highly qualified personnel from within Asia and around the world. The independent judging panel has no knowledge of the actual entrants details. ALL ENTRIES ARE NUMBER-CODED. Entries must be commercially produced work.

The Asian Print Awards is the only regional print quality competition of its kind in Asia. Supported by leading industry-supply companies, any progressive quality print house should enter and prove that they are the best - by winning the Gold, Silver or Bronze award. Proving pride in quality awareness is what customers love to see. It’s not just empty words, you can prove it.

Categories 1-8 : Offset Printing Only

20. Digital Labels

1. Calendars – any format

21 Digital - Outdoor Billboard

2. Sheetfed Magazines

Categories 22-26 : Specialty Categories

3. Book printing – less than 4 colours

22. Multi–Piece Productions and Campaigns Any substrate or print process: Multi–piece Production must be 3 or more items such as folder, leaflets, ring binders, inserts, envelopes including their contents.

Campaigns must be 3 or more items with a consistent theme produced during the year by the same printer for the same client.

4. Book printing – 4 or more colours 5. Limited Editions & Artwork Reproductions (under 1000 print run) 6. Web Offset – Coated stock 70gsm and above 7. Web Offset –LWC (light weight coated) 65gsm or less 8. Offset Packaging products

Categories 9 - 21 : Digital Printing Only 9. Book Printing 10. Calendars 11. Personalised photo books – any format.

12. Posters 13. Showcards & Point-of-Sale material 14. Digital Magazines 15. Gold, Silver and Special colours

23. Embellishment Any substrate – any combination - for example: embossing – diecutting – foil stamping –laminating coating.

24. Innovation / Specialty Printing The entry must exhibit any innovative and/ special application of machinery, process, substrate or finishing.

A short description must be provided for the judges, detailing reasons for entry into this category.

25. Company Self Promotion Any item printed to promote a product or company involved in the graphic arts industry. Self promotion cannot be entered into any other Category.

26. Judges Special Award (A job that catches all the Judges’ attention)

Send your entries to: 9 Wildwood Place, Mulgrave,3170 Victoria, Australia

16. Restaurant Menus 17. Limited Editions & Artwork reproductions (under 500 print run) 18. Digital Proofing (must supply the digital proof and the prinnted product) 19. Digital Packaging

INNOVATION PRINT AWARDS The Thai Printing Association

FREE ENTRY FORM ASIAN PRINT AWARDS 2020

Deadline for Entries Submission: 3rd September 2022, 5pm Remember to submit 2 copies of each job! Why? - Just in case one is damaged.

2022 ASIAN

PRINT AWARDS

SECTION A (This will not be shown to judges). Please fill the form in capital letters.

Entered by (company name): ______________________________________________________________________________________ Contact Person: ________________________________________________ Email______________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: __________________________________

Country________________________________

Category entered __________________________ Title of entry (ie: " Paul's Ice Cream" ): ____________________________________________________________ Printed by (Printers name): ________________________________________________________________________________________ Client name: ________________________________________________________ Designer Pre Press House: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Brand of Printing Machine used: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Stock supplied by (Merchant’s name): ______________________________________________________________________________ Ink used to produce the entry

:

____________________________________________________________________________

By signing here you accept the rules and conditions of the Asian Print Awards

Signature over printed name_____________________________ Name_____________________________________________________

SECTION B Production information to be shown to judges

( tape this securely to the back of your entries)

Category entered (Same as above): __________ Entry number (Administrative use only] ____________

Title of entry (ie: " Paul's Ice Cream" )__________________________________________Print method: _______________________

Number of ink colours (4-6-8 etc) ________

Any Embellishment (foil stamping etc) __________________________________

Quantity produced (Print run copies): ___________ Other technical details (finishing processes etc) ________________________

The Awards Dinner will be held in October on the 20th in Bangkok 7 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

17th Asian Print Awards 2022 Entries MUST arrive by 3rd September 2022 at 5pm Send all entries to APAM Pte Ltd

9 Wildwood Place, Mulgrave, 3170,Victoria, Australia Contact (+61422869728)

email:Paul@printinnovationasia.com Additional entry forms can be downloaded online at www.printinnovationasia.com All entries are non-returnable unless a prepaid self addressed courier pack can be provided

The 2020 Asian Print Awards Checklist!

1. Have you submitted your best work to be judged?

2. Have you checked the work to make sure its 1st class?

3. Check it one more time!

4. Are their 2 copies of each entry ?

5. Is it packed correctly for shipment with 2 copies of each entry ?

6. Have you left enough time for shipment 3rd September 2022 is the Deadline 7. Check the address you have written - it should be Asian Print Awards Pte Ltd 9 Wildwood Place Mulgrave, 3170 Victoria - Australia Contact (+61422869728)

Good luck and may the regions BEST Printing Companies WIN!

Asian PrintAwards 2022 th

PACKAGING EXCELLENCE AWARDS: 2022

2022

_018 022 Contents Page Asian Print Awards Entry Form 6 Three opportunities to grow profits in wide format print 8 Faster delivery and special embellishments 12 Five times faster than manual packaging 14 To further automate their workflow 16 Digital print is set to enjoy significant growth – here’s why 18 How ink manufacturers and their suppliers are working together to achieve sustainability goals 22 Malaysia’s Marathon Press reflects on successful decade with BOBST 24 Why using plastic is de-valuing your brand and what consumers really want 26 How the printing industry benefits from artificial intelligence 28 First Speedmaster of its kind in Korea 30 Maximum efficiency in A1-size small-lot productio 34 90% of all the world's banknotes are "Swiss" 36 Manroland Sheetfed's commitment to customers 38 Kirk Group automates flexo plate production with Catena+ 40 Gallus products to be carbon neutral by end of 2022 42 MPS Systems Asia hosting open house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 44 Innovation, collaboration drive growth for Impression label 48 The new era of sustainable packaging: Cartons can be recycled over 25 times!

50 Best-in-class sustainability performance 52 Indusrty news from the region & around the world

Issue 7 - 22

Print INNOVATION

Asia Magazine

Published by Asian Print Awards Management Pte Ltd 65 Chulia Street #46-23 OCBC Centre 049513 Singapore Print Innovation Asia Labels and Packaging Innovation Asia Asian Print Awards Packageing Excellence Awards Label and Packaging Conferences Publisher Paul Callaghan paul@printinnovationasia.com Editorial Elizabeth Liew elizabeth@printinnovationasia.com Editor Sha Jumari sha@printinnovationasia.com Packaging Sales Elizabeth Liew elizabeth@printinnovationasia.com

2022 ASIAN PRINT AWARDS

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

6

Three opportunities to wide format print In a mature market what are the opportunities for growth? I asked this question when I explored the maturity of the wide format market in this article I looked at how the latest system capabilities in terms of application versatility, service delivery, and sustainable performance, could help win work.

There are other opportunities, too.

Ones that can be achieved through greater optimisation and utilisation.

Here are my top three: Waste reduction Unused and wasted substrate quickly adds up which is why ganging and nesting jobs can be a gamechanger for profitability. Manually ganging and nesting jobs is a constant trade-off between labour and waste. Profitability is reduced by the minutes spent planning and impositioning print jobs while every square inch of the unused substrate costs money.

Keypoint Intelligence suggests improved planning could transform the fortunes of as many as 82% of wide format Print Services Providers (PSPs) that still gang and nest jobs manually.

The associated costs are staggering, with 59% of respondents reporting the task takes them an average of one to 10 minutes per job. Another 18% claim that the process can be between 11 minutes to four hours per job.

Nesting and tiling is something the modular and scalable workflow solution ColorGATE Productionserver can manage for large and wide format printing devices. Fast and accurate job planning is made simple to ensure maximum efficiency.

Cost savings With costs rising in all areas of print production from energy to inks, an

accurate understanding of the margins possible on each job has never been more important. This is especially so with new systems available in the market that combines flatbed and rollfed printing capabilities in an all-in-one system to deliver a hugely diverse range of applications such as indoor and outdoor signage, Point of Purchase, vehicle wraps, posters, art, event, and floor graphics, and décor such as wallpaper. Getting the costings for each and every job right is paramount to a healthy bottom line.

ColorGATE Productionserver includes optional ink saving and cost calculation tools. They allow users to have full visibility over their print costs both before and after printing and ensure their target profit margins are being achieved across multiple jobs, substrates, and devices. ColorGATE

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

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o grow profits in

Productionserver also offers integrated ICC colour management and calibration tools to help clients meet inhouse or industry colour standards or to reproduce the best results possible using the maximum colour gamut possible from a given printer, ink, and media combination. This ensures quality standards are maintained and the risk of reprints is avoided.

Time savings Greater automation can reduce manual labour, increase production efficiency, and save time – particularly for simple daily processes. Cal Newport, associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, in his book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, describes this type of work as ‘shallow’ or ‘non-cognitive, logistical tasks often performed while distracted’. Managing this in an automated way allows skilled staff to

concentrate on the more profitable deep work or ‘professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit’ to ‘create new value’.

and accurately processes graphically rich PDF content from creative design and page layout applications, thereby allowing PSPs to manage and reproduce complex design files with integrity versus the original design.

Automation can also: • eliminate the need to hire additional staff, • cut overtime costs in short-staffed operations, • improve employee morale, • increase productivity by enabling staff to spend more time performing deep work through the reduction of shallow work, • allow staff to add value by undertaking simple everyday tasks.

These highly responsive systems place PSPs in a strong position to meet the growing demand for signage and other applications as highlighted by the Business Outlook Survey for WhatTheyThink’s Printing Outlook report. They enable the delivery of a wider range of applications on a broader choice of substrates, efficiently and cost effectively. They also help operations make the most of the opportunities highlighted here – opportunities that can be embraced quickly.

As well as through investment in the latest hardware solutions, automation can be enhanced with software.

ColorGATE Productionserver quickly

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

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Faster delivery and special embellishments With an upgraded dry toner press combined with the investment in a new advanced finishing line and color control software, the Polish printer can now offer shorter lead times of best quality labels A manufacturer of highly processed labels, Etilab Sp. z o.o. specializes in digital printing technology centered around a Xeikon 3300 label press. The company recently took advantage of the option to double the print speed of their Xeikon 3030, as volumes were growing fast, and more capacity was needed at the production facility in Zory. A new DC350 advanced finishing line has also been installed, giving Etilab larger scope for producing highly embellished digital labels.

Established in 2003, Etilab has invested significantly in organizational, production, and technological advances over the years to offer best-in-class self-adhesive labels to a wide range of customers, ranging from smaller local companies to global corporations from the construction, FMCG, and cosmetics industries in Poland and Germany. The company combines a personal approach and readiness to take on new technological challenges with a high degree of flexibility. Great emphasis is also placed on expanding

DC350 advanced finishing line the product offering with innovative solutions that meet current trends and market needs.

“Being a small company, we can respond dynamically to our clients’ needs and wishes,” said Sylwia Dudek, President of the Management Board. “We invest in great solutions to improve quality and productivity, while maintaining comfort and safety at work. The first Xeikon press we bought four years ago helped us enter the market with technologically advanced labels, printed

on metallized film. The additional digital white color further allowed us to achieve interesting tonal effects, such as gold or partly shimmering graphic elements.”

The Xeikon 3300 digital press offers a resolution of 1200 dpi using dry toner electrophotography to print in five colors – typically CMYK + white – however the colors are interchangeable so there is the option to print orange, green, or special colors. The press can print on standard raw materials without primer, and due to the full rotation image transfer, there is no limit on the repeat length, giving Etilab’s customers more flexibility and freedom when creating impositions and gaps between labels.

Companies that are just starting their adventure with label printing and have purchased even a basic model, have the option to increase the speed or printing width at a later stage. Etilab took full advantage of this option to double the printing speed of its first Xeikon press.

For food applications, it is important to note that Xeikon dry toners comply with the largest number of standards, including EU Reg. 1935/2004, Swiss Ordinance, and Nestlé Guidelines, and

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

10 has FDA approval in the US. They are also environmentally friendly due to the absence of odors, VOCs and solvent emissions; and lightfast.

Michal Kuczkowski, Sales Manager at Xeikon, commented, “Etilab provides its customers with products that are often small and contain tiny text elements, which can be tricky to print.

Dry toner printing using the Xeikon 3300 is perfect for this purpose and also allows the use of structured raw materials, such as those that are popular in the wine and spirits segment.”

As part of the expansion, Etilab has invested in the Xeikon Colour Services Pro 2.0 software suite to ensure color predictability and repeatability.

This Cloud-based solution delivers automatic color control on the fly by using a built-in spectrophotometer and generating reports after printing to maximize predictability, repeatability, and profitability. The XCS Pro software enables Etilab to guarantee accurate brand colors, save on waste during production, and eliminate the risk of jobs being rejected due to color variations.

Together with the original Xeikon 3030

press, Etilab also bought a MiniDCoat finishing line, but with the number of customer orders increasing for some time, the company decided to upgrade capabilities with a new very extensive DC350 finishing and embellishing line.

One of the most advanced finishing lines in operation in Poland today, the DC350 at Etilab features a hot foil unit, with register and foil saver systems, for decorations and embossing. The line is also equipped with a highly accurate flatbed screen module, which can produce value-adding tactile effects including Braille. Setups and changeovers have been optimized with

SmartSlit and SmartLoad functionalities which automatically position up to 16 slitting knives and load the die-cutting plates, to save on time and ensure precise registration.

“Our technical capabilities have increased significantly; and we now can offer state-of-the-art labels using new and interesting substrates such as silver foil, transparent foil, and structured wine materials. Thanks to the Xeikon printing press and its sophisticated software, we can also perform personalized printing – each label can be unique, and everything is done in a single run through the press,” said Sylwia Dudek.

“Our latest achievement on the DC350 line, which was delivered by Xeikon, is the application of raised varnish, which allows us to add warning triangles and Braille inline, as a single-pass production process. One of the main reasons for investing in this machine was to improve the efficiency of warning triangle application on labels, which in the past was done as a separate process using a special applicator. This was very inefficient and costly, making it difficult to respond to the time pressures from customers.”

She concluded, “We want to expand in terms of our product range, as we are not yet using all the possibilities offered by the upgraded Xeikon and the new finishing line. The wine industry is our first stop. As far as production facilities are concerned, we will modernize, streamline, and improve existing solutions to boost production efficiency and allow for even better working conditions.”

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

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Five times faster than Innovative automated solution packages a variety of small products five times faster than manual packaging and delivers up to 50% cost reduction in materials Ranpak, a global leader of environmentally sustainable, paperbased packaging solutions for e-commerce and industrial supply chains, today announced the global launch of the Flap’it!™ solution, a highly efficient machine that automates the packing of a variety of small products.

blanks to form the packages, Flap’it! eliminates the need to store multiple box sizes in inventory. Once received, packages are easy for the recipient to open, with no need for knives, scissors, or other tools. Small parcels can be delivered via traditional mail.

The Flap’it! solution automatically adapts to the height of the item and secures the product in place with inner-flaps and integrated cushioning bumpers at the corners. This ensures that products are protected during shipment, significantly reducing costs, damage and product returns. The system is run by a single operator and can easily be moved around the facility; additionally, it includes a number of safety features and has a small physical footprint.

“The global launch of Flap’it! is the latest example of how Ranpak is strategically investing in innovative automated packaging solutions to deliver cost-savings, efficiency gains and sustainability benefits to our customers,” said Omar Asali, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Ranpak.

“We are pleased to add Flap’it! to our growing portfolio of sustainable automated packaging solutions to help our customers improve their supply chain performance, lower their labor and materials costs, and reduce their environmental impact.”

Flap’it! can pack up to 540 packages per hour, nine packages per minute – five times faster than manual packing.

The machine is integrated with labeling solutions for in-line application of shipping labels and because it uses

The Flap’it! solution is ideal for e-commerce and logistics operations such as, B2C sellers of books, photobooks, personalized gifts, music, games, art and small electronics; and for B2B operations shipping smaller spare

parts. B2C sellers of some beauty and personal care products will also find this packing solution highly valuable.

Flap’it! easily fits into a typical pickthen-pack process and can package products with a maximum height of 80 mm (3.15 inches). It is easy to use, requires minimal operator training, and can deliver up to 50% cost reduction in packaging material with no corrugated waste. It also offers a higher quality unboxing experience when compared to pillow bags.

One early Flap’it! customer is CEWE, the Germany-based leading photo service in Europe, shipping more than six million photobooks per year. By implementing multiple Flap’it! units, CEWE has been able to reduce the number of temporary workers hired during peak periods and has automated 30% of its total packing operation, reducing delivery time to the end customer and improving pack quality by providing greater protection of goods shipped.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

n manual packaging

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

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To further automate their workflow Fujifilm has developed the Fujifilm Jet Press Connector app for Enfocus Switch, allowing customers to manage printing to the Jet Press directly from Enfocus Switch workflows. The app is available now as a free download from the Enfocus Appstore.

The app will allow customers that use Enfocus Switch to further automate their workflow and send print jobs directly to the Jet Press. The app is compatible with all variations of the Jet Press including the latest Jet Press 750S High Speed model, capable of printing up to 5,400 sheets per hour. Print companies receiving work from various sources, such as web to print, or their own MIS, can channel jobs through Switch to the Jet Press to maximise the throughput.

The new app allows printers to configure many of the Jet Press parameters within the Switch workflow and different sets of parameters can be set depending on the workflow or job type that is printed. The app can also dynamically set the Jet Press parameters by applying scripts within the workflow to translate non-specific job instructions (i.e. ‘B2’ size sheets) into specific parameters to use for printing. Such automation within the workflow increases productivity and reduces the potential for human error.

Fujifilm recognises that it is no longer the case that when new printing equipment is purchased, a new workflow is necessarily also required.

While Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow was developed as the primary print production workflow for the Jet Press,

many printers have developed in-house, vendor neutral workflow systems that manage print production for all their printing equipment, with all suppliers.

Enfocus Switch is often used as the base for such workflows.

John Davies, Product Management and Support Manager for Workflow Products, FUJIFILM Europe “Fujifilm first developed a link between Enfocus Switch and its Jet Press many years ago in the form of a configurator and scripts. To make these capabilities easily available to all Jet Press customers, the original functionality, and more, has been developed as the freely available Enfocus Switch App. This provides customers with easy access to further integrate the Jet Press system into their print operations” The Fujifilm Jet Press Connector app can be downloaded from the Enfocus Appstore at: https://www.enfocus. com/en/appstore/overview

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

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Connect to Grow Unleash your printing potential Connect to Grow. That is your key to stay ahead in a demanding market. By connecting with MPSConnect, you ensure the best in reliability and productivity from your printing press. You will increase competitive advantages and maximize profits.

With MPSConnect we see recurring annual cost savings

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

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Digital print is set to enjo here’s why Digital print will continue to displace offset litho in multiple applications during the next five years.

Smithers’s Future of Digital vs Offset Printing to 2027 global report predicts the digital printing industry that was valued at $122.9 billion in 2017 will reach $189.8 billion by 2027. It will enjoy a growth rate of 5.7% between now and 2027. In contrast the analogue market, valued at $734.5 billion in 2017, will fall to $721.4 billion in 2027.

Three trends encouraging this growth were identified by the report. They are:

1 Print buying moving towards shorter commissions There is greater demand for short run faster turnaround work that allows just what is required to be produced in a timely way. Reprints can then be ordered as and when needed, allowing production flexibility and versioning or changes to improve messaging. Digital print on demand supports a more sustainable production approach. It results in less waste and highly accurate

costings. There is no need to store stock and reorders can be easily placed and completed when requested.

2 Budgets revised to target higher returns Digital print can deliver greater budget flexibility. It can also produce added value applications whether that is via the wide range of stocks it handles or through Digital Print Enhancement

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

oy significant growth –

possibilities. In fact, a commissioned survey conducted by NAPCO Research found brand owners expect to pay up to 33% more for coatings and textures, 33% more for special colours, such as white, metallic, or fluorescent and 31% more for secure print such as UV or infrared ink.

3 Significant improvement in digital print quality Research and development have focused on the evolution of systems that meet the demand for offset like quality results. They make the switch from analogue to digital print production highly attractive while also expanding the application possibilities and ensuring run length agility.

For digital inkjet printing it was advertising applications that were expected to account for the highest volume increases over the forecast period according to the report.

Strong growth was also identified for commercial print and books as well as packaging.

For toner, commercial and graphics applications, including specialty products like photobooks, were expected to drive moderate growth.

The report also highlighted that while the adoption of digital technology has been led by Western Europe with North America. These trends and identified areas of predicted growth present exciting opportunities for Print Service Providers.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

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How ink manufacturers and their suppliers are working together to achieve sustainability goals In the face of the impending consequences of climate change, many industries are facing the challenges of adapting production and their use of raw materials to the corresponding conditions.

This dynamic is also being experienced by the printing industry. Raw material manufacturers in particular report that their ink customers are becoming increasingly familiar with sustainable approaches such as cradle-to-cradle product development. Companies’ efforts to operate sustainably also stem from a key customer need for sustainability.

Ambitious Goals For Sustainability Strategies According to Joon Choo, president of Shamrock Technologies, ink manufacturers are showing increasing interest in sustainable production.

“This is becoming more of a talking point as more customers calculate their percentage of recycled material, biodegradable and renewable materials, and their carbon footprint with the assistance of Shamrock’s technical team”, says Choo.

Ink manufacturers have set high goals for their companies’ sustainability strategies. It is also due to this that many of them are now asking their

suppliers for advice on raw materials.

Measures include the use of recyclable and renewable packaging and a general reduction in plastics in packaging.

Despite all the ambition, of course, the goals must also be realistic, says Dr. Juhasz, Ph.D., Global Technical Director of Sustainability at Sun Chemical. Tim-Frederic Sloot, Head of Sustainability and Innovation Performance, Coating Additives at Evonik, also reports a high demand for sustainability and regulatory requirements in the printing ink industry.

“Issues such as food safety of ink and coating formulations, the migration level of individual components and the reduction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have become the most important aspects in ink formulations,” says Sloot. There is a high interest in ink components made from renewable or recycled resources, he said. Probably one of the biggest trends, for example, is the circular economy, which actively supports circular packaging solutions.

For this reason, Evonik is a member of the CEFLEX (Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging) joint initiative.

Legal Regulations Promote Change Strict standards in the procurement of raw materials worldwide are also generating a lively interest in process transformation. In particular, the relevant rules for additives and pigments in food packaging materials such as printing inks, are really forcing companies to act. This is also confirmed by Falko Orlowski, VP of Trust Chem | NA. The company has an instrumental analysis laboratory where qualitative analyses of products and quantitative detection of impurities are carried out.

“In particular, this includes tests to identify contaminants prohibited by law, and we provide technical support for synthetic testing and internal quality control. Trust Chem is also involved in the coordination of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) assessment,”aays Orlowski.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

20 to formulate inks that improve the compostability, recyclability and bio-renewability of their various commercial and packaging product lines,”

Simon K. Foster, Industry Marketing Manager, Printing, Packaging, & Adhesives – Dispersions & Resins North America at BASF, opens another discussion point by referring to customer expectations: They are increasingly demanding sustainable products, to which companies must respond. Sustainability can mean many things, starting with sustainable raw materials, the recyclability of products, or even the long-term volatility of raw materials.

“We are actively working with many ink and coatings manufacturers, as well as other players in the value chain, to help the industry achieve our long-term goals.

Collaboration is critical to support the adoption of more sustainable products and approaches; this will be even more necessary as we move toward many of the industry’s commitments to adopt more sustainable packaging by 2025.” he concludes.

Major Sustainability Initiatives It’s not just ink manufacturers who are making the change, but also their respective suppliers. At his company, Shamrock’s R&D labs are therefore working with globally sourced materials and partners to find and develop highperformance additives that use recycled or bio-based renewable materials. The goal is to find the best-performing materials that meet customers’ needs without compromising efficacy or cost, Choo reports. Using innovative approaches, manufacturing has saved

an estimated 15 billion pounds of CO2 emissions, Choo further reports.

Trust Chem has developed a number of measures as part of its sustainability strategy, including the selection of advanced equipment and the introduction of optimized process designs, such as heat recovery and reuse technology, to improve production efficiency and reduce energy consumption, Orlowski says.

It’s also important to keep an eye on sustainability trends when developing new pigment products, reports Ruth Bauer, Global Sustainability Manager, Colors & Effects at Sun Chemical.

“Ink manufacturers are looking to raw materials and natural resources

Bauer reports. Evonik has launched another sustainability initiative with its Circular Plastics program, which focuses on closed-loop solutions for the plastics industry and Evonik products based on recycled raw materials. The products are made from renewable, non-tropical raw materials and are easily biodegradable, Sloot reports.

Efforts are being made, for example, to use carbon dioxide as a raw material for chemicals. BASF has also taken a leadership role in global initiatives that primarily advance the circular economy.

Foster summarizes: “For example, we have a growing portfolio of water-based barrier products that enable further reusability and recyclability of packaging currently destined for landfill,” he said. These products also enable the industry as a whole to switch packaging formats from plastic to paper, which can be more easily recycled within the existing infrastructure.”

He added that BASF will also address the growing demand for sustainable raw materials with an expanded portfolio of bio-based and biocompatible products that enable formulations with high biocontents and minimal performance penalties.

I N N OVAT I O N PRINT AWARDS 2022 IS NOW

Let us catalyse your creativity and extend the boundaries of print together.

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Innovation Print Award (IPA) is an annual competition organised to acknowledge and spur FUJIFILM Business Innovation’s customers creativity and innovation in print.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

22

Malaysia’s Marathon Press reflects on successful decade with BOBST Breaking into the Malaysian packaging industry is traditionally difficult. The industry remains largely fragmented, with the country’s printing and finishing resources typically focused on commercial printing or publishing. In this context, the success of the Malaysian printer Marathon Press is incredibly impressive.

(From left to right) Mr. Alvin Teoh (Operations Manager), Ms. Rachel Teoh (Executive Director), Mr. Naruj Rattanaurachai (Sales Manager Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore) the EXPERTFOLD 110 with ACCUCHECK was working well for us, so it made sense to invest in the NOVACUT 106 ER as it had perfect synergy with our existing processes to help us achieve our goals.

Founded in 1989, in Melaka (Malacca City), the company has enjoyed significant growth ever since then with a plant situated in an 80,000-square-foot site on the banks of the famous Melaka river. While its continued presence in a difficult sector was impressive, its rapid growth over the last decade is even more so.

Marathon is now turning over RM22m a year, making it one of the successful Malaysian-owned printing companies operating in the country. According to Operations Manager Alvin Teoh, their decision to partner with BOBST in 2012 is a key part of that growth.

“We knew BOBST was – and still is – reputable for being the market leader in packaging machinery,” he explains.

“They offered realistic solutions to our needs in terms of their equipment, but also in terms of training and maintenance support.”

This line of thinking led to Marathon’s investment in an AMBITION 106 folder-gluer. This machine’s ease of setting and quick changeover delivered excellent results with the quality and consistency required. “It improved our overall process lead time,” added Teoh.

Following such strong results, it was only a matter of time before the

AMBITION 106 was joined by further BOBST solutions. As Marathon’s inventory grew with the addition of a NOVACUT 106 flatbed die-cutter, an EXPERTFOLD 110 folder-gluer with the ACCUCHECK quality control system, and – most recently – a NOVACUT 106 ER flatbed diecutter, Marathon was able to expand its market offering.

“We now have the capacity to work with pharmaceutical packaging, supermarket retail boxes, offset printed paper or corrugate boxes, and more,” Teoh explains. “We can now serve more sectors than ever – mainly pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and retail, but recently we have seen a lot of demand in the rubber glove industry specifically.”

The need to serve all these sectors with greater throughput and product quality during the pandemic meant that, in 2021, Marathon required additional high-end die-cutting capability.

“Customers are demanding shorter delivery lead times and zero-fault packaging,” Teoh says, reflecting the views of many in the global packaging industry.

He was in no doubt about where to look for a solution. “We knew

“With the inline stripping and blanking system, we are able to eliminate manual stripping and improve the overall blank quality of our folding cartons. It operates at an average speed of 7,000 sheets per hour and has more advanced automation features compared to anything else on the market.

“The machine is easy to operate thanks to its simple make-ready system and HMI interface. Both new and existing operators can cope with the new machine easily. All of this has translated into a 36% increase in our productivity.”

Marathon has grown rapidly but, by virtue of its existence in the Malaysian packaging market, still has plenty of headroom to grow further. It is clear that having trusted BOBST to deliver its growth so far, the company will continue to do so in future.

“BOBST machines are precise and durable. BOBST also provides excellent training and after-sales support on all its equipment,” Teoh adds. “It is always innovating and upgrading its technology in order to stay ahead in the packaging business and this means we’re well-placed to venture into the corrugated carton industry to respond to the growing demand for sustainable packaging.”

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Why using plastic is de-valu consumers really want It’s 2022, so why are brands still using plastic? That’s the question that Robert Lockyer, Founder and Chief Client Officer of luxury global packaging provider, Delta Global is asking, particularly to luxury fashion brands.

The needs and wants of consumers continue to change and we live in a world where sustainability is not just paramount to a longer, stronger future, but is something that consumers strive for – personally and professionally.

People are now making more conscious choices in and around the home, as well as when it comes to purchases and buying decisions.

In the last 12 months, approximately 75% of consumers have recycled or composted waste whilst 64% of consumers have limited just how much single-use plastic they use. Robert says, “Data such as this is proof that

consumers’ needs and wants are changing, and it’s down to brands and businesses to ensure that these are being met.

“If a consumer is actively avoiding using single-use plastic, but a brand is continuing to ship products using exactly that, then they’re not only going to lose customers, but they are simply de-valuing their brand.”

From reducing meat consumption and travel time to actively supporting brands with better ESG initiatives and ethical practices, consumers are continuing to prioritise sustainability.

But how is plastic de-valuing your brand?

Being a brand in today’s world consists of much more than providing a product or service. Consumers are paying more and more attention to the ethics, morals and values of a brand and they are after much more than a simple commodity purchase.

Robert explains that the reputation of a brand comes down to more than just the quality of a product.

He said, “A brand could provide the very best service or the highest quality product, but if they aren’t ethical, sustainable or at least recognised as trying to be, then the quality recognised elsewhere becomes obsolete.

“Therefore, if a brand isn’t making those necessary changes to become more sustainable, or isn’t working towards a specific target, this is what it will become known for – irrespective of how popular or loved the products are.

“The entire brand perception and reputation changes, which can have a significant impact on business performance.”

Almost a quarter of UK adults would pay more for sustainable packaging and products, which Robert predicts will only increase over the course of the next 12 months and states that it is a testament to just how much the world is changing.

Brands that are leading the way With plastic - and other non-recyclable or reusable materials - clearly de-valuing

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uing your brand and what

a brand, now is the time for brands to make a change, before they lose out to competitors.

Robert is quick to praise a number of businesses that have successfully implemented ESG and sustainability initiatives, including Matches Fashions, Burberry, Gucci, Sweaty Betty and Net-A-Porter.

Burberry has already prioritised eliminating plastic lamination from its packaging and has pledged to be climate positive by 2040. Meanwhile, by the end of this year, the brand has committed to cutting operational emissions by an impressive 95%.

It isn’t just about packaging, though, as Gucci has promised to use 100%

renewable energy by the end of 2022 as well as aiming to remove all single-use plastic for retail packaging in just three short years.

And much like Louis Vuitton, luxury brands are changing the way in which they house their products, using only FSC accredited materials. Robert says, “The likes of Sweaty Betty and Net-APorter are changing their focus and are prioritising environmentally-friendly packaging that can be reused and is multifunctional – going far beyond the expectations of consumers.”

Meanwhile, Robert explains that a number of brands are not doing their bit and should speed up the process of becoming more sustainable.

“Gymshark, for example, have such a huge online presence and are dominating the athleisure industry, however in order to remain supreme, they must consider removing the likes of plastic mailing bags from deliveries.

“And if they don’t, they risk being left behind, losing valuable consumers and therefore, business.”

Sustainability is now much more than protecting the environment and world we live in – it is something that consumers actively seek when deciding which brands to support.

For more information on becoming a more sustainable brand, please visit: https://deltaglobal.co/

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How the printing industry benefits from artificial intelligence In sectors such as the printing industry, digital change is part of the daily schedule. As more and more data is generated and customers increasingly expect individuality, companies need to find suitable technologies for optimal processes even in areas where they might not expect it at first glance – for example, artificial intelligence in sales and distribution.

The development towards individualized services requires new ways of analyzing and evaluating customer data – this is also true for the printing industry. Artificial Intelligence can help out here and leverage sales to a new level. But how can print industry sales move away from mass marketing and towards personalized customer contact with Artificial Intelligence?

The oldest German-language trade journal for the printing industry, called „Deutscher Drucker“, explores this in its online edition print.de (German only). We have summarized the most important facts for you and expanded them with our own knowledge.

The Benefits of Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence can find potential prospects, generate leads, identify customer needs, and calculate purchase probabilities much faster and more accurately. With the help of predictive analytics, user preferences can be better understood. Based on these, AI can make appropriate recommendations for print products that fit the customer’s wishes. For a long time, sales staff did this time-consuming task of analysis personally.

They relied on their own experience, subjective intuitions, and prescribed corporate strategies. AI can process much more data and thus identify and utilize up- and cross-selling potentials significantly better. In addition to analyzing and identifying customer needs, constant communication between the company and its customers is also essential. AI can improve this as well.

What Task Can AI Help Salespersons With?

Of course, in all areas where Artificial Intelligence is used, there are concerns that it could replace the human workforce in the long run, and salespeople will also share this worry.

According to Michael Becker, who was interviewed for the article on print. de and is Head of the Print+Media Academy of the VDM North-West and supporter of the „BigContentData“ project for the print and media industry in North Rhine-Westphalia, this can be ruled out: „The current state of technology and optimistic forecasts for the future do not suggest that the salesperson will be replaced. The human component in B2B sales cannot be completely replaced; creativity, empathy, charisma, humor, and communicative skills can currently only be replicated to a limited extent, let alone adequately replaced, even by advanced AI tools!“ He sees AI much more as an assistant for sales staff that can optimize processes and reduce employees‘ own workloads. He has defined five areas of support to give a better idea of what AI support can look like in sales: Automation of work processes that people do not like to do Automation of work processes that humans cannot do Increasing lead quality and shortening sales processes Prediction of cross- and up-selling opportunities Predicting sales forecasts to specific customer types

Current use of AI in sales In fact, AI is already being used successfully in some areas of sales by companies in the printing industry.

As a personal assistant, AI automates administrative and error-intensive tasks.

Furthermore, chatbots or social bots are also AI that autonomously execute tasks defined on web-based on preprogrammed behavior patterns. Tasks such as flexible price adjustments, predictive lead scoring, and forecasting are also performed by AI. When it comes to dynamic pricing, AI is not guided by costs but by the price acceptance of customers and the supply and demand on the market. Predictive machine learning algorithms analyze existing customers to determine the likelihood of winning a lead as a customer and thus perform very accurate predictive lead scoring.

AI and predictive analytics increase the quality of sales forecasts and revenue projections.

Even before cross-selling, AI can create detailed shopping cart analyses and thereby calculate and predict probabilities for successful cross-

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First Speedmaster Today Art Co. Ltd., a high-quality Korea commercial printer, has equipped their new state-of-the-art factory in Paju Book City to the northwest of Seoul with a new Speedmaster XL 106-12-P from Heidelberg.

As the first Speedmaster of its kind in Korea, the Today Art press was installed in December 2021.

The Speedmaster XL 106, with 12 printing units and a perfecting device, will service the growing and popular K-Pop printing industry. There has been an enormous global growth and demand for K-Pop pro- ducts worldwide, due to the massive international success and appeal of the industry.

Today Art has been producing highend advertising and award-winning print work for the K-Pop industry

for the past several years. With over 100 employees and a reputation for innovation, the well-established printer boasts three Speedmaster XL 106-6 and XL 75-5 presses. This new press (the first in the Korean printing industry) further boosts their reputation and focus on high-end print quality and customer service.

“The first three months since the installation of the press have presented us with enormous growth poten-tial,” said Mr. Park, the owner of Today Art. “In the first few months, the machine has really lived up to our expectations, with performance exceeding five

million both-side printed sheets per month. This puts us on track to meet the increasing needs of our customers, more than doubling our capacity.”

Working round the clock, the Heidelberg Korea service team

Mr. Park - The owner of Today Art Co. Ltd

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of its kind in Korea

installed and commissioned the new Speedmaster XL 106-12-P in record time. During the process, one of the earlier presses was also moved to the new premises, while the other presses continued to run in the Seoul factory.

Special planning was undertaken to ensure that Today Art continued to operate according to their tight production deadlines. Heidelberg Korea’s customer service team came through, with dedication and ingenuity!

“For me, my decision to choose the new Heidelberg Speedmaster was not just based on its stunning aesthetics, but also the technology we opted for. Our new Speedmaster has a host of new features, including a fully automatic print job changing system, including AutoPlate XL 3, colour control with Prinect Inpress-Control 3 and Hycolor Multidrive system for easy and automated job production.

This gives us complete con-trol over our production and allows us to address our customer requirements with topquality delivery,” said Mr. Park. “With local service support from Heidelberg Korea, I have a sense of security that we have access to backup services whenever we need it, as the machine is connected to the Heidelberg Remote

Service network, offering round-theclock support.”

Heidelberg is delighted to partner with Today Art in their aim to deliver service, design, and technology innovation in

the advertising and commercial print segment, globally. With the strong partnership bet-ween Today Art and Heidelberg, there are exciting times ahead!

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Maximum efficiency in A1-size small-lot production Shoei Printing Co. is a global company with offices in Vietnam and China in addition to its headquarters in Niigata and offices in Tokyo and Osaka.

Originally focused on publication printing, the company has entered the mail-order printing field and is rapidly expanding its business. Now they have introduced the 8-color Lithrone G37P A1-size convertible perfecting press for the purpose of consolidating small-lot mail-order printing jobs.

We asked President & Representative Director Masayuki Sakai, Managing Director Masashi Watanabe, Deputy Factory Manager Yuki Narita, and Production Department 1 Manager Yuji Kobayashi about realizing high profitability in the mail-order printing business and shop floorled improvements after the Lithrone perfector installation.

Introduction of 37-inch perfector for maximum production efficiency In response to changes in the printing industry environment, Shoei Printing President & Representative Director Sakai says, "The printing industry is shrinking every year due to digitalization and paperless issues. Amid this, we have a mail-order printing division that we must strengthen."

The company already owns an 8-color, 40-inch perfector which can handle a variety of printing needs, such as double-sided one-pass printing and multicolor single-sided printing.

For their most recent investment, the company introduced an 8-color

“We are creating an environment on the shop floor that is conducive to a one-man operator for both printing and processing.” — Masayuki Sakai, President and Representative Director left and Managing Director Masashi Watanabe Lithrone G37P 37-inch perfector to strengthen its mail-order printing business. Sakai says, "We chose this machine because we needed equipment that could provide high printing quality even though we specialize in mail-order printing."

One of the key points in selecting the machine was its profitability in smalllot mail-order printing work. Sakai says, "The Lithrone G37P offers high

production efficiency for small-lot jobs due to the fast job changeover realized by simultaneous automatic platechanging and cleaning. In addition, the 37-inch size, which is just right for A1-size jobs such as catalogs and booklets, has a smaller plate size than the 40-inch size press, resulting in a 20 percent cost reduction. The cost savings are very significant because we use 4,000 to 5,000 plates per month."

Besides the printing presses, the company is also working to automate and improve the efficiency of its postpress equipment and has already introduced the Apressia CTX132 programmable hydraulic clamp cutting system. Sakai says, "Both the Lithrone G37P and the Apressia CTX132 are limited to A1-size work, and by Lithrone G37P and the mainly young members in charge of production.

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

32 patterning the process, automation has improved, resulting in maximum production efficiency.

"Deputy Factory Manager Narita says, "The Lithrone G37P presets air settings for each paper type, while the Apressia CTX132 calls up the cutting order and position information for each imposition pattern and presets these automatically. This automation prevents human error and dramatically increases productivity."

Sakai, who emphasizes the importance of making the factory a place where young people are motivated to work, says, "We selected this machine in response to feedback from the shop floor that this printing machine, which specializes in automation and labor saving, would enable us to train a young employee to become a printing chief within one year."

Makeready is important for us because we are always concerned about cutting times — by even one minute. The time between the end of the previous job and the start of the next job has been reduced by about 60 percent compared to previous presses without parallel makeready style controls. As a result, the number of jobs per hour has increased, and production efficiency has greatly improved."

Kobayashi explains, "Pre-inking is set for each paper type, such as coated, matte, and wood-free paper.

Furthermore, the control system is updated and optimized daily by the self-learning function, so colors close to the standards are produced on the first test printing. We are able to start production printing after one or two test printings of around 70 sheets."

In addition, the excellent delivery performance that enables high-speed

Example of KP-Connect's average monthly production performance. The monthly average job start-up time is 7.8 minutes, and the volume of trial print paper is 72.3 sheets, indicating extremely high production efficiency for small lots.

Since its introduction, work is efficiently shared, with the Lithrone G37P, which is staffed by young operators, handling small-lot, mail-order printing jobs while the 40-inch perfector prints other work, steadily generating profits.

Aiming for production efficiency with 6 to 8 jobs per hour The press features Parallel Makeready, which reduces changeover time by performing automatic blanket washing, plate changing, and pre-inking at the same time. Mr. Narita says, "Parallel

printing with stable quality in oilbased double-sided printing supports productivity. Narita says, "Printing speed is also important to ensure the productivity we aim for. Komori's unique delivery for oil-based doublesided printing, which combines the transfer cylinder transport with belt transport at the same speed as the printing speed, eliminates paper fluttering and smearing even at high speeds of 15,000 sph."

The ability to control color tone and inspect quality on both sides using a camera during production printing has reduced the operator workload in checking quality and is improving work efficiency.

These effects have actually resulted in the completion of 111 jobs in 24 hours of operation. Sakai says, "It depends on the lot size, but we are aiming for 6 to 8 jobs per hour."

Shop floor-led improvements and use of KP-Connect Kobayashi says, "KP-Connect not only provides operating information on the entire press, but also the work performance of each operator, so we can immediately see each issue in numbers. This is why we conduct improvement activities not on a monthly basis but on a daily basis. By sharing information on improvements with everyone and repeating the PDCA cycle, I feel that our operators are able to grow and feel a sense of fulfillment in their work."

The company's case may be a successful example of how shop floor-led improvements using KP-Connect are driving improvements in production efficiency and profitability.

Making the factory a rewarding workplace for young workers President & Representative Director Sakai's vision for the future: "I want to build a factory where young people want to work and enjoy working, and where they are rewarded for their efforts. I want to use people to perform work that can only be done by humans, and automation and robots in areas that can be done by machine. If we build such a factory, I think young people will find it rewarding to work there. I imagine making this a printing company where young people would love to work."

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90% of all the world's b • Specialised high security printing machines, banknote design software, pre-press solutions, security features, all are developed in Lausanne by Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions for the banknote industry worldwide

• The number of banknotes in circulation is increasing every year around the world thanks to its unique characteristics - security, privacy, accessibility for all and free of charge for the user • In order to fight counterfeiting, the combination of security features and the creation of new and unique processes are crucial, such as the SPARK® technology made possible by SICPA inks and the unique Screen printing machine of Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions • Banknote technology is evolving and adapting to the needs of users. Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions provides the first answers to this change The vast majority of the world's banknotes is produced using Swiss technology. Just like the special inks produced by SICPA, the sophisticated presses and all the related solutions (printing plate production, design, quality control, etc.) are developed in Lausanne by Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions (K&B Banknote Solutions) and then made available to Central Banks and private printers for the production of their banknotes.

This year, the company is celebrating 70 years of existence and presence in Lausanne.

The production of a banknote requires at least four printing processes, eight for the most secure denominations.

The aim is obviously to make the banknote counterfeit-proof or very complicated to reproduce, while at the same time being easy to print thanks to these machines.

8 steps and much more For a banknote such as the Swiss franc, eight printing stages punctuate the production process. A first Offset print gives the colour thanks to the only machine in the world capable of printing simultaneously on the front

and the back (Simultan Offset). This is followed by Screen printing of the desired motifs, then the application of foil and a micro-perforation process, all adding security.

The fifth step is to produce the relief of the banknote, which is also a security feature (Intaglio), the sixth step numbers the banknotes while the seventh step aims to apply a varnish.

Finally, the last stage cuts and packages the finished bundles.

However, before all these processes, the design of the banknote must be worked out and the plates without which the presses could not print anything must be produced. In addition, during or after each process, the sheets are inspected to ensure the highest quality at the end of the line.

Security first It is obvious that the security of a banknote depends on the elements, visible or not, that it contains. From the watermark to the security thread, from the quality of the paper to the quality of the ink, from hidden elements to those that can only be seen from a certain angle, the many possibilities combined offer an almost infinite range of ways to personalise the currency.

In cooperation with SICPA, K&B Banknote Solutions has even developed a printing process and magnetic inks, known as SPARK®, which are now widely used throughout the world and which fight counterfeiting with unique processes and consumables.

Security is also achieved through

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banknotes are "Swiss" software developed specifically for the company by AGFA and K&B Banknote Solutions. It manages the engraving, the origination, i.e. the design of the banknotes is composed of lines only, and prepares the files for the production of the printing plates.

Everything is done in Europe Lausanne is at the heart of K&B Banknote Solutions' business. The company building houses, among other things, sales, product development and management, banknote design and printing plate production as well as logistics and marketing. In Germany, the buildings in Würzburg and Bielefeld are responsible for engineering and services. Machine assembly is carried out in Mödling, Austria.

Not all countries in the world have their own machines and some outsource to private partners. But all the presses in the world today require training, maintenance and possible upgrades by the specialists at K&B Banknote Solutions.

The banknote is alive and well To the surprise of many and despite the digitalisation of bank accounts and other internet transactions, the banknote is still alive and well in the world. Every year, production increases by 2 to 3%. There are many reasons for this. Banknotes offer the greatest

independence and freedom to their users. 1.6 billion people in the world do not have bank accounts. Cash also offers unparalleled security in terms of the protection of data collected by digital actors, and their sometimes questionable use. Moreover, the banknote does not involve any charges.

Worldwide, 75% of person-to-person payments are made in cash. https:// www.cashmatters.org/blog?types=keyfacts But also K&B Banknote Solutions is the world's leading banknote printer, but the company belongs to the Koenig & Bauer Group, the leading packaging printer, which has the most diverse product range, including special

printing. Printing on glass or metal, encoding of identification such as expiry dates are an integral part of the Group's solutions.

In addition to the manufacture of machines, the Lausanne-based company is also developing new security and even entertainment applications. One of them allows you to check the authenticity of a banknote with your smartphone in less than a second, while another allows you to read a digital message on a banknote by the person holding it. K&B Banknote Solutions is thus a driving force in the evolution of the banknote, adding new functionalities to it and meeting the new needs of users.

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Manroland Sheetfed's commitment to customers As a demonstration of its commitment to continued customer success, Manroland China has invested in its first Print Technology Centre, set to open this month in Shenzhen.

As ‘centres of competence’ for the print industry, Manroland Print Technology Centres (PTC) in Europe and the Americas have been adding considerable value to the print industry, bringing companies and organisations together to network, share best practice, view demonstrations of complete printing lines for commercial, folding carton and label printing.

Individual print companies are encouraged to bring their own print jobs to the PTC and experience at first hand how Manroland’s green solutions can enhance the success and sustainability of their own businesses.

Demonstrations and training courses can be open-house events for specific groups of printers, or set up on an individual basis to meet a particular customer’s needs.

Another major benefit of Manroland PTCs is to provide the potential customer the confidence and security they need before making a significant investment in new technology.

Commenting on the new opening, Mr Raphael Penuela, global CEO of Manroland Sheetfed, said:“Over 40 subsidiaries and centres of excellence in Europe, the Americas and Asia are

testament to the importance we place on supporting our customers and the print industry generally, as it moves inexorably forward to meet new challenges with confidence.

“I congratulate our Manroland China team, and I am sure the new Print Technology Centre will play a key role in the future growth of the print industry in this region.”

Manroland Sheetfed GmbH is a leading German producer of sheetfed offset litho printing presses. Founded in 1871, the company is one of the oldest producers of printing presses in the world. Today the company has its own subsidiaries in over 40 countries and is a global watchword for supreme quality and reliability. Manroland Sheetfed GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of the privately owned UK engineering group, Langley Holdings plc.

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Kirk Group automa production with Ca A ThermoFlexX imager combined with a full Catena+ platemaking line has boosted overall equipment efficiency (OEE) for the Australian prepress specialist. The new system offers fully automated and completely touch-free production of flexo plates, with a reduction in waste for greater sustainability in the process.

Over the five decades since its inception in 1972 when Graeme Kirk first set up his business to produce gravure cylinders, Kirk Group has grown to become a packaging industry leader.

The company is today the largest supplier of artwork services and image carrier solutions across Australia and New Zealand, counting global brands and major printing companies as its customers.

Headquartered in Minto, in Sydney, Kirk Group also has manufacturing sites in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Auckland, with a total of 120 staff, along with sales offices in Christchurch, and more recently in Mumbai, India.

As Managing Director, Graeme is still very much involved in the business.

His large contribution to the industry was acknowledged in 2018, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Flexible Packaging and Label Manufacturers Association (FPLMA).

General Manager John Kapiniaris joined in 2015, bringing with him a strong background in flexible packaging and an entrepreneurial drive to innovate.

He says, “We work with leading brands and printers across ANZ and into Asia, offering a proven systematic approach to print management. We launched the Flite On-demand e-commerce

platform to automate daily tasks, boost productivity and help our customers win the race to shelf.”

To support this type of innovation, Kirk Group decided to implement a fully automatic platemaking line from XSYS, consisting of a ThermoFlexX imager combined with a Catena-E LED exposure unit, a Catena-WDLS washer, dryer and light-finisher and a Catena-R for rotating the plates between the exposure and wash-out units. This modular system, known as Catena+, is an end-to-end automated solution that removes operator intervention and greatly reduces waste. It became commercially available in October 2020 and Kirk Group is among the first companies to leverage the benefits.

Increasing efficiency and reducing costs The new Catena+ platemaking line was installed to increase capacity, productivity, and quality consistency at Kirk Group. It features dual head imaging allowing an imaging speed of up to 12sqm/hr and standard resolution up to 5080 dpi, plus an ultrahigh-resolution option, which Kirk Group is leveraging for its clients in the security printing.

John continues, “We saw the opportunity to centralize and rationalize our production by increasing efficiencies and productivity. With the new system, we can maintain a lower cost base by consolidating production and removing manual steps throughout the process. This reduces the human touch and opportunities for errors, so we end up with a superior product.”

The choice to invest with XSYS was made after a very rigorous review process that evaluated all the options currently available in the market. The team was especially convinced by the build quality of the modules and the fact that they are all produced by the same manufacturer. “The equipment really stood out from the competition and the integration is second to none,” says John, “plus the reliability of the output means that we can manage our core business and offer our customers a higher-quality finished product and achieve improved print results across our industry.”

The purchase was partly carried out through the XSYS partnership with local distributor GMS Pacific, which facilitated the ThermoFlexX component of the system. This highly automated imager is completely plate agnostic and excels by the excellence

Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022

ates flexo plate atena+

of its optical system. When integrated with the Catena modules, platemaking is fully automated, with each part fully enclosed creating its own controlled environment. At the start, the plate is simply placed on the tray of the ThermoFlexX unit and will then automatically travel through imaging, exposure, washing, drying and final light exposure, before being stacked ready at the end.

Meeting demands with latest innovation Two of the main drivers in packaging production today are speed to market and sustainability. By automating and

optimizing flexo plate production with the Catena+ processing system, Kirk Group can respond to brand owners’ requirements for faster delivery, top quality, and reproducible results by using more environmentally friendly manufacturing methods that produce less plate waste.

“The Catena+ platemaking line is perfect automation in action, and we are excited that an industry leader like Kirk Group has recognized the benefits that this innovation will bring to their business,” says Roy Schoettle, VP, XSYS Asia Pacific. “Catena is the Italian word for ‘chain’, and this is

exactly what XSYS has introduced into flexo platemaking – a ‘chain reaction’ that needs no intervention by the operator. This is Smart Manufacturing at its best.”

Kirks Chief Operating Officer Robert Selvaggio concludes: “We see ourselves as industry leaders and innovators, and our continued investment in the latest technology and automation means that we can satisfy our customer’s requests for the highest quality print outcomes, maximum consistency, and fastest time to market, all whilst maintaining lowest costs and minimizing waste.”

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Gallus products to be carbon neutral by end of 2022 Gallus announced a landmark pledge to make its products carbon neutral by the end of 2022 – which once certified, is likely to see it become one of the first narrow web press manufacturer to meet this important milestone. agenda. It’s critical that we address our environmental impact with the same expertise, dedication, meticulousness, and speed that we do our print solutions.

What’s more, we must ensure that we provide our customers and wider brands with the same confidence in our sustainability credentials as we do for every other aspect of our service.

In addition to strengthening its focus on economic, social and environmental responsibility – which includes actively working to reduce harmful carbon emissions, company-wide – Gallus has partnered with climate solutions specialist, Forliance, to offset the remaining emissions from its production process and help achieve its target within an ambitious timeline.

Gallus’s comprehensive sustainability program is already ISO 14001 certified, the international standard for environmental management systems, which ensures that organizations meet their legal obligations, adopting environmentally sound processes and taking a responsible approach to environmental management. Michael Sahm, Director Climate Change Strategy, Forliance, comments: “Climate change is increasingly becoming a stress test for print manufacturers and their business models – and for some, it’s one of their biggest challenges they face.

But a well-planned corporate climate solution can turn climate change related risks and headaches into tangible opportunities. For Gallus, we’re confident that we have the right strategy in place to meet its objectives by following the Kyoto protocol gold standard. This will ensure a meaningful

environmental change for the business, its customers, and lay the foundations for future aspirations.”

With production facilities in Switzerland and Germany, Gallus manufacturers a wide portfolio of conventional and digital narrow-web, reel-fed presses designed for the label and packaging business. The company employs around 300 people worldwide, with over 1,250 customers and more than 3,800 presses in the field. With such a dynamic business and diverse portfolio, the first project objective is to explore the way in which these presses are manufactured and calculate the related carbon emissions – assessing each step in the production process, from design and material selection to energy consumption and packaging.

The plan is then to compensate for the resulting CO2 emissions, adhering to the gold standard offsetting program.

At the same time, a team is driving the company's decarbonization through increased energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Dario Urbinati, Chief Sales & Service Officer, Gallus Group, comments: “As a business, we recognize that there really is no time to waste in bringing sustainability to the top of the

“Over the last 10 months we’ve worked in alignment with Heidelberg’s corporate environmental program.

This has been built into the business at a practical level, enabling us to make conscious, informed decisions as to resourcing, management of facilities and to how we design and manufacture our presses. But we need to do more.

So, while we are still at the start of this journey, ensuring that our products are carbon neutral in the future will be an important step in demonstrating our ambitions,” continues Urbinati.

In 2023, Gallus celebrates its 100th year in operation. In addition to its sustainability program, the business has a number of other transformative projects lined up to not only realize a new vision for its future, but to cement its next century of successful business and to effect positive change in the wider industry.

Dr. Frank Schaum, CEO Gallus Group, concludes: “As we move forward into this new evolutionary phase of our business, our focus is on doing everything we can to build a more positive, sustainable future for the print and packaging market. The approach of the company’s centenary year has provided the ideal opportunity to reevaluate our processes and realign our priorities so that we are now making conscious, purposeful strides towards bringing this vision into reality.”

DIGITAL PRINTING SOLUTIONS LIKE NO OTHER Ready for the next turn.

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As truly direct and dedicated printing technology specialists, we believe you should deal with your challenges in your very own way. That is why we offer a wider range of digital technologies for a wide range of applications. From wine labels to wall decoration; from toner to inkjet – how can we help you to make your business ready for the next turn? www.xeikon.com

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MPS Systems Asia hosting open house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Featured will be live demonstrations of pouch and shrink sleeve printing with the MPS EF-530 next generation flexo press MPS Systems Asia is opening its doors to greet customers on September 6, 2022 at its office and showroom in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The open house will include presentations covering the latest industry trends and feature a live demonstration of the MPS EF-530 seventh-generation flexo press with eight colour flexo units and one EXLp packaging station. Focus of the open house will be on shrink sleeves and flexible packaging, as well as the benefits of connectivity and performance optimization.

“We are pleased to bring together our Asia-Pacific agent network and customers in Kuala Lumpur to provide an informative presentation agenda and demonstrate the EF-530 next generation flexo press,” said Tim Klappe, Managing Director Asia Pacific at MPS. “This beautiful, state-of-theart press will feature powerful flexible packaging capabilities such as pouches, wrap around, and shrink sleeve labels, which is a lucrative growth market here in Asia.”

Also taking place on September 7, 2022 is a table top exhibition at MPS Systems Asia where customers will have the opportunity to interact and ask questions directly with industry partners.

Launched earlier this year, the latest MPS EF fully automated multi-substrate flexo machine is equipped with the slideout ink drawer as standard, E-Sleeves, improved Job Memory functionality and two automation levels to ensure the highest quality printing with the fastest changeover time between jobs, and connectivity and performance improvements with MPSConnect.

The EF next generation press to be featured in the MPS Asia showroom during the open house was purchased by a customer in Malaysia who specializes in shrink sleeve label production.

Asia debut of the MPS EF next generation flexo press

Open house program On September 6, 2022 Tim Klappe

will welcome visitors to the open house and provide the introduction and demonstration of the EF-530 next generation flexo press.

Presentation topics and guest speakers are: ‘The MPS Vision and the power of connectivity’ by Atze Bosma, CEO MPS Systems; ‘The challenges of the transition from gravure to flexo’

by Steve Smith, Principal Consultant at Miraclon Corporation; ‘Ink & lamination adhesives for flexible packaging - Narrow web’ by David Robins, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager, Flexo Ink Business, AP Region; and ‘Experiences of flexible packaging and shrink sleeve printing on an MPS narrow web press’ by Frank ten Broek, Manager of the Technology & Excellence Centre MPS Systems.

The open house will conclude with networking and open discussion.

Label printers and converters who wish to attend the MPS Asia open house on September 6 and/or table top exhibition held September 7 can register https://insights.mps-printing. com/mps-systems-asia-open-house

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Innovation, collaboration drive growth for Impression label Early in 2022 a new name — Impression Label — appeared on the label manufacturing scene in Denver, Colorado (US).

The rebranding followed the merger of two long-established Denver label manufacturers, Blair Labeling and Buckley Graphics, which, says Chief Financial Officer Marco De La Vega, “created a single company with over 350 years’ combined experience, committed to providing Colorado manufacturers with truly innovative solutions in product design, printing and packaging.”

In their latest major development, Impression Label has now upgraded its complete prepress set-up with KODAK FLEXCEL NX Central, the new automated plate layout software from Miraclon. The investment comes after extensive beta-testing of the technology, during which Impression achieved significant time, material and cost savings, including eliminating up to an hour per day on time spent manually preparing plate layouts, and significantly boosting plate utilization.

Surprising beginnings Marco and his brother Christian, Impression’s Chief Operating Officer, vividly remember their entry into the pressure-sensitive label business.

“After all these years, it seems like yesterday when my mother called us and said she’d bought a label printing business,” he says with a smile. “As her background was in biochemistry and she and our stepfather were newly retired, this was a slight surprise.”

The year was 2008, at the height of global financial crisis, and the brothers’ mother, Lourdes Solis, was seeking a relatively safe investment in manufacturing. Recalls Marco: “Along with my stepfather, Spencer Brown, they looked at around 180 businesses before settling on Blair Labeling, taking the view that labeling was growing and appeared to be pretty recession-proof.”

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The acquisition made the company one of the largest 100% minority- and women-owned businesses in the US and signaled the start of a period of strong investment and growth under the leadership of Lourdes, Spencer, Marco and Christian. Today, Impression Label offers design-to-delivery production of a wide range of high-quality pressure-sensitive prime, promotional, and industrial labels, including decals, tamper-evident constructions, thermals, patterns, tags, hangers and card products. The company’s principal markets are chemical agriculture, food supply and nutraceuticals.

One thing that makes Impression Label different from similar businesses is the strong cooperative, collaborative culture that’s apparent among the 33 employees. “We have a very flat structure,” explains Marco. “It isn’t based on a rigid hierarchy, but on a ‘How can we get this done?’ approach to every job. Whatever needs doing, we show up and get it done. There are three things we aim to deliver — competitive pricing, high quality products and great customer service — and we like to think we’ve got them all covered.”

FLEXCEL NX — “The best technology for the business” Impression Label was an early adopter of the KODAK FLEXCEL NX System, installing the technology in 2008. “We checked out other HD flexo plates on the market,” says Christian, “but FLEXCEL NX Technology was clearly superior from both a productivity and quality perspective.

Print consistency and quality were there from the start and have been enhanced over time with DIGICAP NX Patterning and NX Advantage.

The FLEXCEL NX Plates are far more durable than competitors’, which matters to us — especially when we’re regularly running huge-footage jobs.

The technology is also very userfriendly and forgiving, something Marco and I can vouch for as relative newcomers to press operation.”

Impression Label is a 100% FLEXCEL NX Plates business, says Marco. “The technology is crucial to our highquality proposition, which is important given the growing trend for customers to want high impact labels featuring foil and metallic finishes. We run reverses, flood coats and a lot of white, with up to seven colors registered over it. The

whites we lay down look like they’ve been rotary-screened. All without any issues.”

A step-change in productivity with KODAK FLEXCEL NX Central Software As well as the time and cost savings, the software’s automated layout optimization contributes to users’ sustainability goals by creating less waste and using less energy and solvent. It seamlessly enables the

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integration of multiple advanced plate surface patterning features, designed to enhance print performance, into one automated plate layout, and increases consistency and reduces errors by minimizing customer touchpoints. It also improves productivity by enabling multiple clients to remotely manage the plate layout process.

FLEXCEL NX Central Software simplifies and automates Marco De La Vega describes the

benefits Impression Label is getting from the new software: “Previously, our art department spent a lot of time getting the best fit of jobs on the plate.

Now, with FLEXCEL NX Central Software, it’s all automated; it takes out the guesswork and optimizes plate layouts. It allows us to get the most out of our spend on plates and free up our prepress managers’ time to focus their expertise elsewhere.”

Art department manager Kate Pooch speaks from her daily experience of the improvements that the new software platform has brought to Impression Label. “FLEXCEL NX Central Software saves us both time and materials and makes the whole operation more efficient. We have two artists in the department, and they generally only used to know the specific jobs they were working on. So, you had to manually drag files over and try to figure out which would make best use of the sheet.

Now we just send the files through, and the software lays them out on the plate. It also tells me the percentage of the plate that’s used, so I know if I can keep a plate job open in case another job comes in.” She has the figures to prove the benefits, too: “I estimate we

save at least one hour every day, and we utilize around 80% of every plate instead of the previous 60%.”

Kate says an added benefit of FLEXCEL NX Central Software shows itself when the company experiences a power outage. “It used to be that when the power came back on, we had to figure out which plates we’d already made and reload everything. You could even end up making a plate twice. Now, when we boot the system back up, all the files are there. It’s a huge time saver.”

The only customer Looking back over the 14 years since he and Christian unexpectedly became label printers, Marco gives a lot of credit for the company’s success to the support provided by the Miraclon team. “Every vendor tells you that they’re there for you, but Miraclon really is. And as we’re also a supplier to them, we always aim to deliver the same high standard service. If we ever have an issue, it only takes one call to get a response. The people are easy to work with, and the level of support is unprecedented in my experience. With other large vendors, we feel we’re just a number, but Miraclon makes us feel like we’re their only customer.”

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The new era of sustainable packaging: Cartons can be recycled over 25 times!

The lifespan of a recycled carton is expected to be much shorter than it is. In fact, the latest study conducted by Graz University of Technology disproves the widely believed mythos.

The recyclability of fiber-based packaging materials, such as paper, cardboard, cartons and folding boxes does not amount to only 4 to 7 recycling cycles. On the contrary, cartons can be recycled at least 25 times without losing their material integrity. This mind-blowing finding opens new ecofriendly opportunities for the packaging industry.

The Objectives of The Carton Study The scientist Dr. Rene Eckhart from Graz university examined the recyclability of fibers for the production of white-lined folding boxes. The researcher conducted over 25 cycles to experiment to what extent the mechanical properties of the fiber material would be impacted by repeated recycling procedures.

For the production of unfinished and uncoated cartonboard, a mixture of fibers, consisting mostly of secondary fibers (only under 18% of primary fibers are used), was put under closer scrutiny whereby, for instance, grinding degree, water retention, fiber morphology and ash content being tested during each recycling cycle. With the help of the Rapid Koethen sheet machine, the sheets were formed.

The Results: All Expectations Are Exceeded!

Before carrying out the research, some predictions were made regarding the inevitable losses of the fiber material during recycling. Firstly, the high ash content (21%) was expected to be reduced during each sheet formation process which would affect the development of the fiber material properties. Secondly, due to repeated

drying of fibers also known as hornification, a decrease in the water retention capacity was expected.

However, the turning point came in the production of fines during recycling.

In other words, as the sheets were disintegrated in the laboratory beater during each cycle, they produced fines that were separated from the fiber wall.

As a result, two overlapping phenomena which are able to create a domino effect later could be observed in this case.

The negative effects of hornification were compensated by the production of fines which increased the grinding degree as well as the water retention capacity of fiber. Furthermore, the higher the percentage of fines in the recycling process, the denser and stronger the sheets become in spite of the ash content losses. This phenomenon reflects the tensile strength of the sheet as well as its increasing binding capacity.

In the light of the above, Dr. Eckhart summarizes the research: “It can be clearly stated on the basis of this study that fiber itself allows recycling over 25 cycles without further

difficulty and that no limiting trend can be foreseen in this study.”

The Staircase to Sustainable Packaging Carton is considered to be biodegradable which is why the European paper industry is targeting raising the recycling rate of paper and carton packaging in Europe from 84.2% to 90% by 2030. Taking this aspect into consideration, the learnings of the Graz university research shed light on finding new solutions for sustainable packaging which contribute to a circular economy, as stated in the press release of ProCarton, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard Manufacturers. The general manager of ProCarton Windfried Muehling is convinced: “For our industry, it is crucial to collect, sort and recycle all fiber materials in the market. Virgin and recovered fiber are equally important for the circular economy, which is something many brands and retailers are looking to support.”

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Best-in-class sustainabili All4Labels Global Packaging Group, one of the world’s leading label and packaging companies, is ready to achieve the best-in-class sustainability performance by launching STAR, an eco-innovative portfolio of products, services, and solutions.

The STAR Portfolio will be progressively released to the market in the second half of 2022 to offer customers an exclusive range of completely recyclable, reusable, and renewable products, which, will be complemented with unique solutions and services to promote and enable recyclability. This is a key step to

support the employment of materials with recycled content, closing the loop and empowering circularity across the entire value chain.

Adrian Tippenhauer, All4Labels CEO states: “As a result of our ongoing efforts towards the delivery of sustainable products and services, we

are launching the STAR Portfolio to let our commitment in this field perfectly match with the needs of our customers and of our planet. We are a reliable partner for every organization that is looking for sustainable, innovative, and digital solutions capable of contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,

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lity performance while maintaining the highest quality standards.”

Massimiliano Martino, All4Labels CTO announces: “We continue innovating to best serve customers with the highest

level of quality, performance, and ecofriendliness, and we are committed to deliver the most positive impact when it comes to Sustainability. We are pleased and proud to launch STAR, which is the result of our extensive

investments in research, development, and modern production technologies”.

The STAR Portfolio includes Star Products and Star Services for multiple labeling and packaging applications: Star Services will support Sustainability across the entire value chain Star Products will support and enable full recyclability, while utilizing reusable and renewable materials All4Labels considers the development and launch of the STAR Portfolio a key step to take Sustainability to the next level for the entire label and packaging industry, and for its customers.

All4Labels will continue investing to continuously enhance the STAR portfolio.

Gabriela Neves Ferri, Vice President R&D and Sustainability at All4Labels, concludes: “It is essential to keep on investing in research and development to deliver the most innovative products and services, considering not only the materials, but also the footprint that the entire production process leaves on the planet. Our aim is to satisfy all the sustainability challenges of brand owners, retailers, and regulators with a wide range of top quality and environmentally friendly solutions.”

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Japanese Company Seikodo Adds CrystalCleanConnect to Boost Productivity, Sustainability Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, today reported that Seikodo Corporation Co., Ltd. is the third company worldwide to install CrystalCleanConnect.

Seikodo Corporation was formed in 1959 and is expert in helping its trade customers create artwork suited for flexographic printing and preparing it for print to achieve the best possible printed quality.

“Prior to implementing CrystalCleanConnect, we were using solvent-wash plates,” explains Mr. Kaneko Osamu, Chief Procurement and Technology Officer. “We were looking for a better solution that would improve our sustainability, contribute to our goal of carbon neutrality, and improve our work environment. We were pleased to learn about CrystalCleanConnect, which met all of those requirements and more.”

Mr. Kaneko Osamu reports that in addition to its initial goals, with CrystalCleanConnect the company was able to transition from solvent-wash plates to Asahi’s AWP™ CleanPrint water-washable plates, while at the same time improving the overall quality of the plates it was producing, introducing improved production efficiency, and reducing both cost and waste. “Moreover,” he adds, “by introducing CrystalCleanConnect, a fully automated system, we are able to find a solution to the less skilled labor market and missing young talent in our industry. CrystalCleanConnect represents, due to its level of automation, an important solution

to maintain high-quality platemaking output. All of this adds up to positioning flexography very competitively with offset and gravure for packaging printing.”

About CrystalCleanConnect As the name implies, CrystalCleanConnect is a clean and sustainable process, an industry first, with no VOC-based washout solvents due to the use of Asahi’s AWPT™ CleanPrint water-washable plates, with never-before-seen levels of automation, generating a cut plate which is ready for mounting.

CleanPrint technology ensures a significant OEE improvement, up to 40% in many cases.

And ink usage can be reduced by as much as 20% due to Crystal Screening technologies. Key to the CleanPrint technology is the fact that plates are designed to release ink, resulting in few, if any, press stops for plate cleaning, keeping a consistent print quality from beginning to end of the run. The close nesting of digital files enables precise plate cutting by the Kongsberg table and results in additional 10% plate waste reduction.

It is the only automated flexo plate production like that incorporates cutting inline.

The name CrystalCleanConnect derives from the ESKO Crystal and Asahi CleanPrint product branding with the philosophy of connecting the printing form making value chain from design to print as one integrated workflow, the first-in-industry platemaking solution that includes this level of automation in balance with the environment including imaging, exposure, washout, drying and post exposure, and plate cutting without the use of any volatile organic compound solvents in the process. .

EFI Announces Best in Ground (BIG) as New Distributor in Thailand for Display Graphics and Cubik Solutions Electronics for Imaging, Inc. has named Best In Ground (BIG) as a new inkjet distribution partner in Thailand.

The new partnership will focus on the distribution of EFITM printers for the signage and display graphics space, as well as EFI Cubik single-pass UV LED printers for the decoration of wood and other building materials.

In addition to serving as an EFI distributor, the BIG staff will be trained to provide complete servicing for customers in the region, enhancing the existing EFI services infrastructure.

Headquartered in Nonthaburi Province, BIG is a graphics service provider dedicated to offering a high level of customer satisfaction with first-rate solutions and experience. The team provides local customers in the printing and packaging industry with profound expertise and technical aftersales services.

“We are thrilled about this opportunity to partner with EFI,” said BIG

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SPEED UP YOUR PROCESSES with optical systems for UV curing and drying

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“The legacy that BIG has built in the Thailand market will help EFI to extend our customer reach even further to customers in the Asia Pacific region,” said EFI Inkjet Regional VP of Sales Rodd Harrison.

“We are excited to be partnering with BIG to grow our presence in this rising market.”

around them and provides the information. Based on this structure, individual complete solutions can be realized for every need.

savings. In addition, quality assurance is also easier to design. In addition, automated processes also reduce analogue efforts.

Previous Process Today, the procurement of secondary packaging materials is mostly carried out analogue: a manufacturer of pharmaceutical products plans sales and the resources and capacities needed for production at the beginning of a business year.

Faller Packaging provides a detailed white paper on the topic of digital supply chains (German only) here.

However, the packaging supplier is not involved in this planning from the very beginning, but only when the manufacturer places a concrete order. Of course, the supplier can not react and manufacture the ordered packaging until an order has been received.

Pharma Packaging of Tomorrow: Why Digital Supply Chains are Necessary Digital supply chains are on the rise – for good reason. The advantages are obvious: better overview, fast delivery through predictability and easier quality assurance. The pharmaceutical industry and packaging manufacturers would also benefit from this and thus make their cooperation more efficient.

The printing and packaging sector is also involved in the growing pharmaceutical industry: Due to the increasing demand for drugs and healthcare products and the pressure to bring new developments to market quickly, it is also important that packaging can be produced flexibly and in a timely manner. The solution to this might lie in a digital supply chain.

Structure of a Pharmaceutical Packaging We encounter packaging in many areas of our lives – including when we have to take medication. They protect the contents and convey important and legally required information to doctors, pharmacists and patients. Labels and package inserts also contribute to the necessary information of the purchaser. Here, too, a distinction is made between primary and secondary packaging. The primary packaging is, for example, cans or blisters that protect the medication. The secondary packaging (usually made of cardboard)is wrapped

In order to do this, he in turn has to calculate raw materials and capacities, which is becoming an increasing challenge due to the ever shorter lead times in the pharmaceutical industry. These two supply chains run completely independently of each other. An exchange only takes place at the moment of order transmission and when the ordered goods are delivered.

Advantage of Digital Supply Chains To counteract this, digital supply chains offer many advantages: by analyzing the shared data in advance, future requirements can be better predicted and thus served more quickly. Detailed information opens up new opportunities for customized products. The transparent exchange between companies, suppliers and customers makes the entire value creation process more accurate and reliable. Accordingly, a digital supply chain promotes sustainability and cost

“Digitization of the value chain is no longer a dream of the future, but already offers the pharmaceutical industry very concrete added value today.”

Nils Höpker, Head of Logistic and Demand Management Operations EU, Faller Packaging Building Digital Supply Chains Essential to digital supply chains are cloud-based platforms for data exchange and analysis. This is because, unlike the linear supply chain, it is a multidimensional network that extends far beyond site and country boundaries. This is made possible by the end-to-end networking of all people, machines, processes and goods involved via the Internet of Things, by automation and, above all, by the comprehensive collection and analysis of all data generated in the supply chain.

Collecting, sharing and analyzing information makes it possible to digitize individual work steps, implement new technologies and concepts, and thereby generate significant benefits for both pharmaceutical companies and their suppliers.

Relevant information includes: Forecast data - Historical order data - Order change data - Batch records - Inventory quantities - Actual line requirements The best way to exchange data between companies is via interfaces between the respective Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

These can be defined and created individually for each company and each system. In most cases, SAP is used as the ERP system. This speeds up the flow of information and at the same time makes it more comprehensive, secure and transparent.

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