Print Innovation Asia - April

Print INNOVATION

Asia

2022 ASIAN

PRINT AWARDS

Magazine

Serving Printing, Packaging and Publishing Industries across Asia Pacific since 1985 Issue 4 2022

How the EF next generation puts printers into Pole Position Connectivity features provide even better press performance and output.

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2022

_018 022 Contents Page 4 COVER STORY - Pole Position with the MPS EF next generation press: ‘the connected printing solution’ 8 Xeikon launches groundbreaking TITON t echnology in response to Sustainability trends in packaging 12 How disruptive technologies are driving print industry evolution 14 What’s next for Wide Format?

16 EFI Pro 32r+ UV LED Roll 2 Roll Printer at Caterpillar Signs 18 Print Makes You Healthy 22 Celebrating Revoria investment with successful open house 24 Completely eliminating the need for foil 26 New technology can eliminate 90% of manual plate layout time 28 Percetakan Tenaga Sdn Bhd, Malaysia hits home run with Heidelberg technology 30 Taiwan's first full-option double-sided, one-pass press 34 Top-of-the-line printing press prints 1.3 million flats in March 36 The Power of Color – new color measurement systems from Heidelberg boost automation 40 Building a centenary printing brand name for Xing'an 44 The Benefits of Corrugated Packaging 48 Toppan acquires Thai packaging manufacturer 50 Environmental benefits and challenges of p ackaging materials 52 Indusrty news from the region & around the world

Issue 4 - 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 4 2022

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Pole Position with the M press: ‘the connected pr For 25 years, MPS has constantly advanced their presses with innovative technologies in response to customer feedback, market demand, and industry developments.

In response to changing needs and market developments in the industry, in 2021 MPS embraced a new corporate vision and brand identity with ‘Connect to Grow’ as its new brand promise. The cornerstone of Connect to Grow is looking beyond the machine through intensive cooperation with customers to address all aspects involving their MPS presses, to help them achieve the best performance and maximum return.

Based on the successful foundation of six previous EF platform generations, including MPS innovations such as Crisp.Dot Technology, Non-stop Print Change, and the Ultraflex Rail System, MPS recently unveiled its seventh generation EF machine. This next

generation EF flexo platform provides technology enhancements and new features in connectivity, for even better press performance and output.

“By going beyond the machine in product innovation, MPS continually improves the printing process and operator experience,” said Atze Bosma, CEO of MPS Systems. “It’s in our DNA.” Taking pole position with MPSConnect New and improved features of the EF plus the collection and analysis of performance data through MPSConnect and Performance Programs drive a successful formula for profit.

MPSConnect provides ongoing performance monitoring of the printing press through sensor technology combined with the Internet of Things, for real-time data collection and valuable 24x7 fact-based insights.

From this collected data, MPS experts help customers make continuous performance improvements in waste, speed, and uptime to increase their competitive advantages and maximize their profits.

Greek narrow web printer Forlabels has two EF flexo presses that are fully connected using MPSConnect to retrieve and analyze data. As part of their Performance Program with MPS, they receive monthly reports and indepth advice about their entire printing process.

MPS EF next generation press

Print Innovation Asia Issue 4 2022

MPS EF next generation printing solution’

5

eSleeve MPS EF430

Forlabels CEO and sales director Avgerinos Chatzichrysos said: “We are convinced these steps in performance improvement are making our company even more successful. We already see better results in our printing quality and delivery times, and with a lower cost price per 1000 labels, Forlabels is even more competitive in the market.”

Another MPS customer, Bizerba UK, considered all the industries leading manufacturers before deciding the MPS EF was the press that ticked all the boxes.

The ability to add innovative expandable features such as the MPSConnect feature was another major plus. “We are looking forward to adopting MPSConnect in the near future, the benefits of the programme will allow us to further enhance and improve our performance and output,” said Morag Ash, Head of Labels at Bizerba UK.

Benefits of MPSConnect in a nutshell are: • Real-time performance insights of presses for relevant KPI's.

• Information about maintenance and service.

• Benchmark information against industry leaders.

• Identified bottlenecks, errors, and inefficiencies in the operator process.

• Trend reports on your main KPI’s over time • Operator level insights, comparisons and trends

Connectivity will transform label print production “Having a state-of-the-art printing press in your production is great.

However, this press alone doesn’t make you win the race. To be even more successful in the future, connectivity is key,” added Bosma.

With MPSConnect, printers can measure all press activities and human interference of the operator with hundreds of sensors. This information includes speed, power, events, alarm

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Slide Ink Out Drawer messaging, humidity, temperature, accurate changeover time, web tension of the infeed and outfeed, exact set-up times, waste and more. Algorithms and software converts this real-time data into an array of reports and charts.

This data and the reports give a clear vision of exactly how the printing press is performing.

Operational & management dashboards, as well as user management/personalized performance are also new features of the EF next generation press.

The operational dashboard provides the operator easy access to information such as press performance, manuals, and videos about best practices.

The management dashboard provides focused information such as press performance trends, analytics, and benchmarking. With the user management/personalized performance feature, operators can

UltraFlex Systems On Rail with different converting be logged in individually, and access default settings can be set and stored according to print management.

“Through our MPSConnect connectivity platform we provide customers with the information and tools required to follow best practices and use their machines in the most efficient, standardized, and simple fashion. Sustainable labelling solutions is especially important in this challenging market with recent global supply chain issues of reduced raw material availability and staggering cost increases,” concluded Bosma.

Start now with MPSConnect To stay competitive in the industry, it’s important for every label printer to get insights into press activities to identify opportunities for production improvements—and the time to start is now.

Operation Dashboard

With connectivity through MPSConnect you gain: • Increased machine capacity by 10-20%.

• Reduced waste by 3-5%.

• Recurring and increasing annual cost savings of €50.000 - €100.000, thanks to more efficient workflow, time management and waste reduction.

These benefits are typical performance improvements MPSConnect customers realize. As a result, your net capacity will increase to run more customer jobs, lead times will be shorter, and you will maximize and maintain healthy profits.

With your MPS press and MPSConnect, we put you in Pole Position.

More information: www.mps-printing.com

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

To improve productivity and profitability,

of €50,000 - €100,000 and even

it’s critical to increase the understanding

more thanks to a more efficient

of your overall label print operation. With

workflow, time management and

MPSConnect, you get real-time insights in the

waste reduction.

operator activities. You dive into the printing press and see exactly what’s happening.

mps-printing.com/connect-to-grow

mps-printing.com

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Xeikon launches groundbr in response to Sustainabil To meet industry needs for sustainable printing methods and environmentally friendly packaging production, Xeikon announces TITON technology, a new toner formulation offering all the benefits of UV inks without the disadvantages “The flexible packaging market is moving towards more sustainable paper-based solutions in response to strong consumer demand for plastic-free alternatives,” says Frank Jacobs, Market Intel & Senior Product Manager. “With the new TITON technology, Xeikon is offering a sustainable solution for an unexplored and wider variety of applications to fully support brand owners, designers and printers wishing to increase their use of paper-based packaging for food products.”

Food-safe and odorless TITON builds on the core value of Xeikon dry toner technology which, due to the absence of any liquid (mobile) components, is the most food-safe technology in the digital landscape, even with only paper as the main functional barrier. As it is also

completely odor- and tasteless, it will not affect the customer experience when the product is consumed. These key characteristics make TITON toner suitable for a broad range of applications with indirect and direct food contact.

TITON toner also impresses by the excellent resistance to scuffing and scratching, water, sunlight, high temperatures and a large set of liquid chemicals, without any type of protective layers such as varnishing or lamination. A substantial feature is the ability to withstand heat sealing temperatures of up to 220-260°C (428500°F), which is crucial to maintaining the pack’s integrity and protecting the product.

As brand owners continue to convert film-based packaging to paper, TITON

can be employed to print many types of flexible packaging for food products. It can be used for papers that are coated on one side for bags, pouches and sachets, or on both sides for wrappers such as baked goods, confectionery, sugar, flour, herbs and spices, and coffee and tea.

Allowing brand owners to move to recyclable paper-based packaging puts TITON technology in a groundbreaking position in the digital printing landscape, and it gives printers the opportunity to expand their capabilities into applications that could not previously be addressed with digital, complementing their conventional flexo presses.

“With the migration towards paperbased packaging printing, the demand on the print technology has become

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reaking TITON technology lity trends in packaging

more stringent in terms of being food safe without a plastic functional barrier or plastic lamination to protect the print itself,” states Jacobs.

Improving OEE Being able to print directly on paper substrates without varnishing or lamination, either inline or offline, has a significant impact on the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) of the digital printing operation.

Varnishing and lamination require additional setup time and create more waste in the process. Furthermore, water-based varnishes used to achieve food safety require a significant amount of maintenance, which eats into productive uptime. Lamination can also negatively affect the recyclability of the packaging. TITON toner is the only digital solution that can address this market without the time and cost implications of further surface processes, thereby improving speed to market, profitability, and productivity.

The first digital press model to run TITON technology will be the Xeikon CX500t, a new member of the CHEETAH series. Adding extra capabilities to the successful 508mm (20 inches) wide machine, with the new toner technology, allows converters to broaden their reach and enter new market segments.

“Once again, Xeikon is paving the way

for converters to future-proof their business by developing solutions that help them stay ahead of the curve and respond to market needs for high quality, sustainable and cost-effective solutions. It reaffirms our dedication to the labels and packaging market and is the perfect illustration that applicationtuned products are key to driving growth.”

“The ground-breaking TITON toner brings new market opportunities for digital print that no other digital technology can offer, and it will set a new standard in flexible packaging production,” concludes Jacobs.

Visitors to the Xeikon Café in Lier, Belgium, on April 26–28 can experience TITON technology in action during the live press demos.

Xeikon’s “Do More with Less” program responds to printers’ current challenges In the current market situation, printers are looking to redesign their production processes. They look for ways to reduce material waste, production time, ink/toner and electricity consumption while delivering the best quality.

To address these concerns, Xeikon launches its inspiring “Do More with Less” program, which provides customers with tangible ideas on how to tackle those challenges.

Paul Salmon, Xeikon’s Global Customer Success Manager, says: “In the special times we live in, printers face increased costs and shortage of materials. Xeikon’s Customer Success Managers across the globe are evaluating and implementing new methods and processes that have a tremendous impact on costeffectiveness for Xeikon customers.”

The “Do More with Less” program offers a range of actions that improve all aspects of the print production workflow: it helps to reduce lead time, minimize the amount of material waste,

and keep ink/toner consumption and operator efforts to a minimum.

Here are some examples: - VariLane, a workflow option of the X-800 digital front-end, allows printers to add labels on different lanes alongside an existing job, with the option to have labels of different sizes.

This allows Xeikon users to optimize the usage of the substrate.

- Vectorizor, a software add-on to the X-800 digital front-end, increases productivity and efficiency for label finishing. It generates the shape of “frames” to be transferred to the die-cutting device. At the same time, barcodes are printed alongside the job, sending instructions on what shape to use.

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- Xeikon Color Services can help in many ways, e.g to reduce color setup waste by providing predictable color and by offering different quality levels, thereby reducing toner and ink consumption.

- Job Optimizer, an X-800 feature, reduces production time and substrate waste up to 30% for multi-variant jobs.

These jobs use the same die-cut but with an unlimited amount of design variations (e.g. different flavors). With Job Optimizer, printers can organize their jobs in a way that drastically reduces their costs. This is a unique feature of the Xeikon workflow.

session and at the upcoming editions of the Xeikon Café in Europe and North America. Customers can book individual meetings with Xeikon experts to discuss their specific needs.

Press operators are also invited to sit with Xeikon digital specialists and subject matter experts who will train them on how to minimize waste when setting up new, alternative substrates.

Salmon concludes: “There are many ways to ensure optimized performance of Xeikon printing equipment. Through close contact with our customers, we have gathered knowledge and shared it with our customers, but we also leverage it to further optimize our technology. Our “Do More with Less” program is the result of putting that knowledge into practice.”

- Xeikon Business Services enables users to get real-time data on performance, generated waste, etc., for their setup, with easy data collection. All the latest printing platforms launched by Xeikon are cloud-connected, featuring machine-to-machine and man-tomachine interfaces that capture the data needed to monitor performance in a worry-free manner.

Xeikon’s “Do More with Less” program will be shared with customers during a dedicated Xeikon Café TV

https://www.xeikon.com

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www.cgs-oris.com

Quality improvement Environmental resistance Faster drying Eco friendly

Ink Saving is so much more than just reducing costs: It helps optimizing the entire production process. How?

Learn more

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How disruptive technologies are driving print industry evolution Demand for greater digitisation, sustainability, productivity, and automation is driving evolution in the $760.6 billion global printing industry. It is also being reshaped by the impact of the Coronavirus. New business and buying models have emerged.

This is according to Smithers’ Ten-Year Forecast of Disruptive Technologies in Print report. It assessed the market potential for more than 20 innovations in the print industry through to 2031 and identified a number of highly influential trends.

The five that stood out 1 Market applications Smithers reported the focus will be on developing digital systems to print on packaging substrates – corrugated board, folding cartons, and flexible plastics – as well as integrated digital

finishing. Other opportunities in packaging and beyond will come from the wider use of inkjet in direct-to-pack and direct-to-object application. Some of these capabilities are already offered our broad digital press portfolio.

2 Materials and chemistry Presses will need to handle and print at high quality on a new generation of flexible paper, biopolymer, and monomaterial plastic stocks. For consumables, the emphasis will be inks sets that incorporate more natural, sustainable ingredients. We shared news of our own exciting development earlier this week.

3 Workflow innovation Wider automation, and digitisation of commercial and packaging print workflows, will present significant opportunities. As a result, there will be increased innovation in robotic handling and the installation of the first generation of cooperative workerrobotic systems, or ‘cobots’. We have been working with a number of partners such as Softbanks Robotics EMA to explore this technology in different market areas including developing cleaning systems for hotels, offices, healthcare and airports.

4 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Growth of print specific AI software

deployed by press manufacturers to automate a variety of labour intensive and time consuming tasks. Over time AI carefully measures the results of each task, noting differences in results and methods and gradually, intelligently and automatically improving the system’s overall performance.

5 Increased digitisation Digitisation will be enhanced by the wider rollout of 5G connectivity, and, by the end of the decade, 6G telephony networks. Other advances that could be levered include commercial accessibility to quantum computing power via the Cloud. Among the ways we are exploring this is our partnership with IBM to deliver our information management solutions via the versatile IBM hybrid cloud.

These trends are all in various stages of evolution.

Some are long established and already part of our everyday production landscape.

Others are being explored and are in the process of opening up greater opportunities for us and the partners with whom we work.

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Unbox faster turnarounds Make the move to digital – and unbox your business with the flexibility to accommodate fast turns, versioning requests, last minute edits, and changing buying decisions.

With the EFITM Nozomi C18000 Plus digital press for corrugated packaging and POS, you can reduce process steps from weeks and days to hours and minutes. And personalize runs from one to infinity at higher margins and with lower costs – all in a single pass.

Let’s build your brilliant future. Together. Visit nozomi.efi.com to learn how corrugated converters and packaging printers are opening up new ways to say, “Yes!”

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What’s next for Wide The migration to, or adoption of, wide format printing by commercial printers is slowing. So says findings from the Business Outlook Survey for WhatTheyThink’s Printing Outlook report.

What was a new business opportunity has become a staple portfolio addition for many Print Service Providers (PSPs). They have already successfully expanded into wide format applications ranging from wall and window graphics to point of purchase and signage.

However, the report goes on to say not all the opportunities have reached maturity and there are still some exciting areas to be explored.

One was soft signage – something only 11% of respondents had added. Others were specialty item printing and Direct to Garment printing.

Another was the gradual return to prepandemic demand volumes prompting PSPs to send work out that could in fact be easily managed through investment in additional capabilities.

Growth in the worldwide large format printer market was something Shingetsu Research was bullish about as I shared in this blog. It predicted a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 5.4% from 2021 to 2027 and expected it toreach $11.4 billion by 2027 from $8.8 billion in 2020.

When considering current markets where demand is buoyant, or how to respond to any predicted uplift, it is important to evaluate what technology developments can offer and how the right systems and solutions can be vital to success.

and outdoor signage, Point of Purchase, vehicle wraps, posters, art, event, and floor graphics, and décor such as wallpaper. They can also be effectively used in other markets such as short run jobs in commercial, packaging, label, and industrial sectors.

The latest market introductions come with some interesting business winning enhancements. They include:

Substrate versatility Substrate flexibility is at the heart of production versatility and enables the completion of creative applications in advertising, packaging, and textile fields.

It can also help operations expand into new and emerging market segments like vehicle wrapping, architectural layouts, home furnishing, and décor applications.

Hybrid technology With flatbed and roll-fed printing capabilities in an all-in-one system PSPs can create a diverse range of applications. Many Solutions service wide format’s core business of traditional applications such as indoor

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e Format?

Inks and colours The report from Shingetsu Research states the quality delivered by large format systems, enabling them to deliver a broader range of services, is instrumental in investment by PSPs.

a spot colour, they allow a far greater number of colours to be accurately reproduced. New market additions delivering this capability extended gamut latex large format printers with white, orange, and green ink colours.

Among the technology advances driving this today is the introduction of orange and green ink. Used in combination with process colours to extend the colour gamut, or directly as

Sustainable accreditation Aside from digital systems producing only the printed volume required, which minimises waste and energy expenditure, manufacturers have also

focused on increasing the sustainability of their solutions. Among them is latex ink that combines the ability to deliver sharper, richer, colour on a wider range of substrates with faster drying times and reduced energy consumption. They also help meet emissions requirements and as such are Greenguard certified.

Which of these developments can help you explore fresh wide format opportunities for your business?

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EFI Pro 32r+ UV LED Roll 2 Roll Printer at Caterpillar Signs Arrow Digital is proud to announce its latest installation at Caterpillar Signs. Mr. Nishant Shah, CEO at Caterpillar adds, Our attraction towards EFI Printers have made us add a series of them in our facility.

We have a range of Printers from Arrow, as they have always given us the confidence to invest on many projects and segments over the years. All our Printers are humming day and night without major downtimes. Moreover the Speed and Quality you get from an EFI Printer is unmatched with any of the other technologies in the Market. With Arrow it has been years of working together and with each new technology the relationship strengthens further.

Mr. Sam Patel, CEO & Managing Director at Arrow Digital adds, Caterpillar is one of the leading companies in Signage and serves a wide spectrum of international clientele.

Quality, on demand production and meeting tough deadlines is the Key. With EFI Printers they have always met these strict deadlines with ease.

This new addition will bolster their Roll to Roll Jobs and will save a lot of time while printing great quality with the new grayscale printheads while

saving energy and print costs against competition or even replacing Latex or eco solvent prints all while having GreenGuard certification.

Mr. Sam adds, This Cutting Edge All in One UV Roll to Roll UV LED Printer is a 3.2 meter wide, designed to be more competitive, profitable and highly economical. This production level UV LED Printer prints with four color plus optional white ink or optional clear ink in order to offer a great profit opportunity. EFI Pro 32r+ has a brilliantly designed cool cure LED technology to deliver productivity with less power consumption. With this you can enhance the profit opportunity while offering additional premium margin jobs. This helps in reducing operating costs along with lowering the environmental impact.

The EFI Pro 32r+ is Greenguard Gold & RoHS Certified which makes it safe to use for Indoor Applications and also contributes to Green Technology.

The EFI Pro 32r+ is backed by 3M MCS Warranty which opens up new opportunities and guaranteed quality and outdoor durability on fleet and vehicle graphics and many other applications.

The EFI Pro 32r+ is an ideal solution for Printing Billboards, Building Wraps, POP, Exhibition Graphics, Fleet Graphics, Window Graphics and much more. It Produces Premium Applications such as 5 Layer Printing.

These applications are unmatched to any technology in its class.

It ratchets up your capabilities with a blazing speed of 2756 ft2 / hr. The Ultradrop 7pl gives your print a High Definition Quality and makes it look flawless. The Pro 32r+ is backed up with a variety of Value-added options such as Automatic Backlit, Automatic Blockout, Y Slitters, Media Saving Wizard and many more. With all these features, the EFI Pro 32r+ is a complete Game Changer.

https://www.efi.com

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WELCOME THE NEW

REVORIA PRESS ™ PC1120

Discover a new world of colour print without limits, driven by AI-powered possibilities.

Find out more: https://bit.ly/revoria

Revoria Press™ PC1120 FUJIFILM and FUJIFILM logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of FUJFILM Corporation. Revoria is registered trademark of FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.

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Print Makes You Healthy In times of the pandemic, "fake news" has increased sharply, especially in the health sector. Print media have proven to be resilient in this area as well and are regarded by readers as a trustworthy source.

Health has never had such a high priority in society as it does today. The pandemic has made it clear to us all that health is everything – and without health, everything is nothing. But even without Corona, health awareness in Germany has increased significantly in recent years, as the German Society for Integrated Communications Research (GIK) has revealed in its Health Report 2020. Compared with the results from 2013, 37 percent of respondents say they frequently obtain information about health from the media. This represents an increase of 5 percent.

Trustworthy information It is also interesting to note the increasing trust in the advice provided by pharmacists. This may also be due to the strong increase in interest in overthe-counter medicines in Germany. The second healthcare market comprises

over-the-counter medicines and individual healthcare services, fitness and wellness, and health tourism – and, depending on how it is defined, has a sales volume of around 25 percent of the 400 billion euro total market in Germany alone. All products and services in the secondary healthcare market are free from advertising restrictions.

Especially at the beginning of the first Corona wave, the advertising industry fell into a veritable state of shock.

But during the health crisis, publishers reporting on it went into high gear.

Especially in times of disinformation and "fake news," people are looking for trustworthy information.

"The strong media brands stand for exactly that: editorial environments

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that deliver reliable information and high quality, and which are thus striking differentiators in intermedia competition," says Lutz Drüge, Managing Director Print and Digital Media at the Association of German Magazine Publishers (VDZ).

Reaching less digitally affine target groups A trip to the newsstand is enough to convince yourself of the importance of the market. Magazine titles focusing on health, lifestyle, nutrition or fitness are booming. Almost every major weekly magazine, but also many daily newspapers, have their own sections or supplements on the topic of health.

Print has proven to be resilient – despite advancing digitization – especially in the health sector.

Like Funke Mediengruppe with Gesund.de, Burda is also trying to expand a brand that is strongly anchored on the Internet with a print version with NetDoktor. The publisher sees this as an opportunity to reach target groups with less digital affinity and to give focus topics with particular depth the space they need.

The test edition published in April 2021 showed that the NetDoktor brand also achieves a high level of acceptance in print form. The title will go into series production this year and is scheduled to appear quarterly. The magazine has 100 pages and will hit newsstands with a print run of 100,000 copies.

High-quality customer magazine from the pharmacy However, the flagship of the healthcare market is not on the newsstand, but in the pharmacies. Since 1956, customers have received the "Apotheken Umschau", published by Wort & Bild, free of charge. 90 percent of the approximately 20,000 pharmacies in Germany subscribe to the magazine.

As part of this, each pharmacy has the option of customizing its magazine – for example, with a logo or company stamp. In this way, they receive a high-quality customer magazine that explains medical topics in a simple and understandable way.

The bi-weekly "Apotheken Umschau" is a major player in the overall magazine market. 7.6 million copies were sold in the period under review, March 2021, which corresponds to a reach of 26 percent of the population aged 14 and over.

Andreas Vogel, owner of the Scientific Institute for Press Research and Audience Analysis (WIP), who has been monitoring the German magazine landscape for years, describes the situation as follows: "Paid health magazines have always had a hard time finding buyers and readers." Since they compete with the free pharmacy magazines in terms of content, the situation is getting worse. Because the sheets from the pharmacies offer a high quality and are more independent than some purchase titles at the kiosk.

Life begins at the age of 66 The “Apotheken Umschau” is often referred at the market as “RenterBravo”, based on the German youth magazine “Bravo”. The Wort & Bild publishing house therefore celebrated the 66th anniversary of the “Apotheken Umschau” with a certain amount of self-irony and published part of the issue in the typical “Bravo”-look.

For example, there is a comic love story between a pharmacist and a customer, the cover of the special section features doctor, author and actress Marianne Koch and the “Dr.-SommerSprechstunde” gives tips for love. A “Star Report on Virus VIP” deals with the Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach and the virologist Christian Drosten, among others.

Strolling mode for regenerative breaks Considering how closely health is linked to values such as mindfulness, trust or relaxation, it is not surprising that print products in particular are successful in this market. Accordingly, the topic of health is also strongly represented on the book market.

After all, reading on paper is a welcome interruption to leave everyday stress behind. In the process, our brain switches into a kind of strolling mode and provides regenerative breaks.

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Celebrating Revoria investment with successful open house One of the leading producers of professional photography albums in the world, Floricolor celebrated its investment in Fujifilm’s Revoria Press PC1120 with an open house event.

Tiago was happy with the open house and has high hopes for the future.

“We had an excellent turnout to the event and the interest in the Jet Press and Revoria was high. The samples we produced for our customers were closely analysed and they made a great impression on the attendees”.

“We certainly see both pieces of kit working well together. The speed and quality of the Jet Press combined with the special colour range from the Revoria PC1120 allows us to produce products that complement and enrich our product portfolio”.

Inviting several Portuguese customers, Floricolor and Fujifilm demonstrated the full potential of the new Revoria press – and the Jet Press 750S, which Floricolor already owns – with printed samples and video demonstrations of the printers in action.

Floricolor was one of Europe’s earliest adopters of the Jet Press 750S, when it invested in the B2 inkjet press in late 2018. Speaking at the event, Tiago Yu, CEO of Floricolor said: “We’ve been working with Fujifilm for over 40 years now and there’s no company we’d rather be partnering with on this next stage of our journey. They have helped us to sustain and improve our sustainability credentials, while enabling us to deliver high quality print for our photographic products”.

PC1120, we had to take a closer look.

We were immediately impressed with the versatility and sustainability aspects.

Revoria will help us to continue the process of becoming an increasingly more eco-friendly business, allowing us to offer new products with an added value to the market, while opening up a range of new products that our competitors cannot make.

“We are in the process of launching a new brand and the special toners that the Revoria Press uses will be essential to this new venture.”

“The investment in the Jet Press 750S has allowed us to produce products of the highest quality at high speeds – it’s a crucial part of our business.”

Tiago believes his company’s investment in the new Revoria PC1120 toner press will help Floricolor in a variety of ways: “When we became aware of the

Jet Press 750S,

Filipe Marques, Country Manager & Graphic Communication Manager at FUJIFILM Graphic Communications, says: “Floricolor’s event was a great success and it’s easy to see why. They have an excellent customer base all over the world, due to their outstanding customer service and high quality product ranges. We’re delighted with their response to the Jet Press 750S and the Revoria PC1120, and we’re looking forward to seeing what other applications they can develop with them”.

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Completely eliminating the need for foil ACTEGA, manufacturer of specialty coatings, inks, adhesives and sealing compounds for the print and packaging industry, is set to showcase its ground-breaking ECOLEAF sustainable metallization technology considerably once decorating their print with ECOLEAF technology.”

By removing the economic barriers and sustainability concerns around highquality metallization, the team behind ECOLEAF expect that the solution could present increased opportunities for printers and brands to feature metallic decorations on their packaging.

Completely eliminating the need for foil, and therefore, significantly reducing waste and utilizing less raw materials for the same output, ECOLEAF is centered on a process of applying and curing precise quantities of metal pigment to create stand-out metal embellishments. This pioneering process not only delivers a more sustainable production model for labels and packaging printers, but also positively impacts costs and production times without compromising quality.

“Initial calculations from ACTEGA’s Life Cycle Assessment find that ECOLEAF can achieve a carbon footprint reduction of more than 50 percent compared to cold and hot foil processes,” says Paolo Grasso, Sales Director, ACTEGA Metal Print. “When you look at this in a wider context, the benefits become even clearer.

1kg of ECOLEAF flakes effectively replaces 3000kg of foil, which in turn eliminates 20 tonnes of CO2e: the equivalent of planting around 833 trees. A reduction in CO2e like this

can have a substantial impact on the average converting business and this in turn supports the brand’s objective to employ a more a sustainable supply chain. In combination with the quality achievable, production flexibility offered and economic advantages of using ECOLEAF, businesses can expect increase their competitive edge

Paolo explains, “Metallic decoration on labels, packaging and other printed applications delivers the ultimate on-shelf impact and immediately evokes a sense of quality and luxury for the consumer. With ECOLEAF, brands can benefit from the power of these embellishments with a clear conscience, opening the door to new opportunities to incorporate them into their print. The timing has never been better for converters and brands to begin maximizing the potential of this transformational technology and we invite them all to join us at Print4All and start to explore the many benefits this solution has to offer.”

PureFlexo™ Printing.

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Quality + efficiency + profitability.

Now possible, on every job.

Open-up your operating window for flexo production and experience colorconsistency, efficiency and profitability on every job. It’s time to reset the qualityefficiency balance in wide web, flexible packaging with PureFlexo™ Printing.

The KODAK FLEXCEL NX System with PureFlexo Printing leverages our expertise in highly controlled ink transfer mechanisms to deliver unprecedented power to: Reduce unscheduled press stops

Decrease press-to-proof match issues

Experience more predictable color

Save time and money across the production cycle

PureFlexo Printing in action Without PureFlexo Printing

Digital File

PureFlexo Printing

Lower Dot Gain

Reduced Ink Build Up

Ink Build Up Dot Bridging

Dot Growth

Smoother, more even ink laydown

Reset your quality-efficiency balance today.

Visit miraclon.com/go/pureflexo, to find out more.

MIRACLON.COM/GO/PUREFLEXO © 2022 Miraclon Corporation. FLEXCEL and PureFlexo are trademarks of Miraclon.

The Kodak trademark, Kodak logo and trade dress are used under license from Kodak.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 4 2022

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New technology can eliminate 90% of manual plate layout time Miraclon, home of KODAK FLEXCEL Solutions, today announces the launch of KODAK FLEXCEL NX Central Software, offering customers a step change in their flexo platemaking productivity.

FLEXCEL NX Central - plate optimized

Reid Chesterfield, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Miraclon, comments: “FLEXCEL NX Central is designed to maximize the performance of KODAK FLEXCEL NX Technology and the efficiency benefits it brings to the pre-press and press rooms. It serves as the central hub for customers to interact with their FLEXCEL NX System, Miraclon’s ongoing technological innovations, and technical support teams to ensure the productivity it delivers drives business growth and ultimately their financial bottom line.”

Enabling manual plate layout time savings of up to 90% and boosting plate utilization by up to 10%, the next generation software streamlines the platemaking process and seamlessly enables the integration of multiple advanced plate surface patterning features, designed to enhance print performance – including those delivered within FLEXCEL NX Print Suite for PureFlexo™ Printing - into one automated plate layout, enabling customers to complete more jobs in less time, at a lower cost.

A successor to KODAK TIFF Assembler Plus Software (TAP) from Miraclon, the new automated plate layout process is optimized across the user’s portfolio of media sizes to maximize utilization, in turn increasing consistency and reducing errors by minimizing human touchpoints.

FLEXCEL NX Central Software also allows for multiple users to remotely manage plate layouts, while its job tracking features enables more accurate billing and a comprehensive breakdown of production costs.

FLEXCEL is included NX System available as customers.

NX Central Software with all new FLEXCEL orders from today and is an upgrade for existing

FLEXCEL NX Central Software

Print INNOVATION

Asia

Magazine

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Percetakan Tenaga Sd home run with Heidelbe

In 1987, Percetakan Tenaga Sdn Bhd started in business with 2 offset machines and a headcount of only 10 workers,including its Founder and current Managing Director, Mr.Jimmy Ong. With a passion for giving life to printing and packaging, along with a deep-rooted culture of commitment towards exceptional quality and total customer satisfaction has led them to strive for packaging excellence. Their team is committed to ensuring every request has been designed to be comprehensive and inclusive, starting from concept to the final production, every step is carefully thought through from the point of the presentation, its usages, and its after-life.

Now a Global company with 666 employees, Percetakan Tenaga has become the leader in customized printing and packaging. With a competent workforce & state-ofthe-art technology, They print for a wide range of indus-tries from Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Electronics & Media, Beauty & Personal Care, Tobacco & Retail.

Raymond Kang, Executive Director of Percetakan Ten-aga Sdn Bhd coments, “incorporating the very

latest in automation and customization provided by Heidelberg alongside Industrial 4.0 enables us to be a sustainable manufacturer. Raymond added “Our level of commit-ment and performance over 30 years is recognized & rewarded by quality standard certification such as the ISO 9001: 2015, ISO 14001: 2015, Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody (FSC COC) & Goods Distribu-tion Practice Medical Devices (GDPMD).

We are also a proud member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange

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dn Bhd, Malaysia hits erg technology “Customization provided by Heidelberg alongside Industrial 4.0 enables us to be a sustainable manufacturer”.

Investing in new Heidelberg Technology To enable Percetakan Tenaga to produce the complex packaging work, they invested in the Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75-LYY-7+LYYL-F duo press. The benefits they have achieved with the purchase have been very satisfying and enabled them to optimize their total production hours and reduce the number of processes.

The printing of complex colours and embellishments in a single pass has made the press a one-stop machine.

Additionally, with the Print Color Management, repro-ducing job after job is so much easier to do with print optimally matched to the Mr. Jimmy Ong, Managing Director, Mr. Raymond Kang, Executive Director and Mr. Goh Toh Yee, Purchasing Manager (From Left to Right)

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Mr. Raymond Kang Executive Director of Percetakan Tenaga Sdn Bhd.

objective results with minimal human intervention.

The Heidelberg colorimetric sys-tem has also resulted in minimal wastage in a minimum of time with a minimum of waste sheets.

Following the success of the Duo Press and the trust Percetakan Tenaga Sdn Bhd had with Heidelberg, they made a bold investment purchasing a new Speedmas-ter XL 162-6+L in

the pandemic year. It was successfully installed in October 2021. It was a plan pre-pandemic to support their larger printing projects. Having partnered with Heidelberg technology over the years, they made the decision rather comfortably as they where familiar and satisfied with the quality, experience, performance and reliability. Based on the Heidelberg experience they had no hesitation in proceeding with the investment.

https://www.heidelberg.com

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Taiwan's first full-option doublesided, one-pass press Cardhome Company, in business for more than 20 years, operates a 6,620 square meter plant in the Zhonghe Industrial Zone in Taipei, Taiwan, an area crowded with printing companies.

At its founding, Cardhome began with gang-run printing, focusing on business card printing using Internet technology.

By installing a double-sided, one-pass Lithrone GX40RP press equipped with advanced automation systems, the company has achieved a solid position in the fiercely competitive market In the face of a constantly changing market, the company adhered to two main ideals: technological innovation and quality first. To efficiently produce the high volume of work, Cardhome developed a printing system specifically for gang-run printing using its own ERP system. All processes are transparent for each order, from receipt of the request through printing, binding, shipping, warehousing, and payment,

giving managers a comprehensive grasp of progress and enabling the company to meet rigorous deadlines, leading their peers and their competition.

Business development in gangrun printing differs from that of a traditional printing business. Taking orders online means being unable to discuss the details of the job face-toface with customers. Therefore, only with a well-designed and easy-to-use ordering system can the company provide comprehensive printing services and convert customers into members. Since its founding, Cardhome has been constantly improving itself and providing genuine service using its extensive and specialized printing knowledge to give customers detailed

product plans, a wide variety of customized products, and convenient operating tools to meet their needs.

This proves that the company's gangrun printing is no longer synonymous with "poor quality," but can meet quality requirements of almost no color difference compared to previous printing and no color difference whatsoever on all sheets after printing.

Labor shortage addressed by installation of full-option double-sided, one-pass press The labor shortage in the printing industry is extremely serious in Taiwan, and in order to solve the challenges of insufficient workers, print quality, and efficiency, Cardhome has set extremely

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Learn more

New solution for direct-to-substrate proofing on uncoated packaging media - now available for FLEX PACK!

www.cgs-oris.com

Print Innovation Asia Issue 4 2022

32 high standards for automation of its presses.

The Komori eight-color Lithrone GX40RP is equipped with the A-APC (Asynchronous Automatic Plate Changer), KID (Komori InfoService Display), PQA-S (Print Quality Assessment System), PDC-SX (Spectral Print Density Control SX model), PDF Comparator System, and LED-UV drying system, making it one of the world's most highly featured presses of its type. In this interview, Chen Jianxun, Manager of the company's Sales Management Department, cited the following four reasons for the introduction of the Lithrone GX40RP. • To break free from price wars by consistent print quality and printing jobs that other printing companies cannot print.

• To reduce paper waste and the incidence of defective jobs.

• To increase production efficiency and productivity by allocating the optimal number of workers, so that two people can perform the work of four people.

• To strengthen skills stability and speed up operator training.

The eight-color Lithrone GX40RP and automation systems not only guarantee stable print quality and provide strong support for production in gang-run work, the company's main business up to now, but its advanced automation systems also save labor and manpower.

This has enabled the company to maintain its promise to deliver printed materials of the highest quality on time.

With the Lithrone GX40RP as an axis, Cardhome seized the chance to expand the range of its printing operations. In the early days of the company, gangrun printing accounted for 100 percent of the company's business, but now the company provides comprehensive printing services that can present customized printing plans to meet customers' needs for discrete plate production.

Advanced automation systems slash startup adjustment time by 90% The Lithrone GX40RP mainly handles catalog printing with large lots of multipage impositions, business card gang-run printing with small lots of multipage impositions, and direct mail printing. Job changeovers, makeready, and cleaning are frequent tasks that traditionally require considerable time and manpower in small-lot projects.

However, with the introduction of the Komori press, things have changed.

"The Lithrone GX40RP can print

on both sides with just the start-up adjustment time of a single-sided press, so it can do twice as much work as a single-sided press. Automatic plate changing by A-APC, blanket washing by the automatic washing system, and pre-inking by KHS-AI have reduced operation time and increased efficiency.

With the PQA-S inline quality inspection system, we can reliably check the quality of each sheet, eliminating the uncertainty of human checking and effectively increasing the satisfactory rate. The PDF Comparator System automatically checks against the data and displays the results on the KID display for the operator to see,

ensuring excellent print quality," says plant manager Hong Yingyao.

Chen Jianxun assesses the Komori double-sided, one-pass press and the automation systems as follows: "Double-sided printing and LEDUV realize one-pass printing and avoid shortages of deliverables and postprocess processing delays caused by wet ink after the reverse side is printed. PQA-S automatically checks the quality of each sheet against the PDF data, detects in real time and adjusts when necessary.

The system also detects defects such as color differences, color imbalance, and scratch, which are often missed with visual inspection. The A-APC, PDCSX automatic registration function, and KHS-AI pre-inking allow us to reduce start-up adjustment time by 90 percent and increase productivity by 50 percent.

As a result, customers' confidence in product quality has also increased and recalls due to defective products have been reduced by 20 percent. With the Lithrone GX40RP, Cardhome is now able to do the work of four people with two."

Lithrone GX40RP production support system halves paper waste The Lithrone GX40RP has not only wowed customers with its excellent print quality and attracted Top 100 companies but it is also an excellent press in terms of material savings.

Chen Jianxun says, "After installation of the Lithrone GX40RP, we reduced paper waste by 40 to 50 percent, and our monthly paper costs were reduced

by NT$200,000 to 400,000 (US$7,050 to US&14,100). In the past, we needed 60 sheets of waste paper for doublesided printing, but after installing the Lithrone GX40RP, we were able to immediately reduce that by half."

"PDC-SX automatic color management gives all of our printed materials the same high quality from the first to the last sheet, and together with the doublesided, one-pass printing we have been able to save even more money in materials and time," says Hong.

According to Chen Shengdeng, Cardhome manages all color data, from digital proofing to final printing, according to ISO standards, and after

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Hong Yingyao, Plant Manager (back row middle); Chen Jianxun, Manager of Sales Management Department (front left); Chen Dengsheng, Business Manager (front right) installing the Lithrone GX40RP, proof color approximates production print by more than 90 percent. This not only saves the company valuable printing materials but also earns praise and orders from customers.

LED-UV system saves energy and helps the environment Until Komori introduced H-UV printing technology to the market, Cardhome had always printed with regular oil-based inks due to the environmental impact of conventional UV printing and its effects on operators.

In recent years, environmental issues have become a matter of concern for all companies in Taiwan as they are required to comply with all laws and regulations related to environmental protection. Therefore, when installing the Lithrone GX40RP, Cardhome purposely installed the optional LED drying system as an option.

"The LED-UV system not only saves

energy but also reduces heat and odor emissions, thus helping to protect the global environment," says Chen Jianxun. The LED drying system dries the paper instantly, providing a powderfree environment, and, moreover, the company uses low-odor, non-irritating inks, thus protecting the health of operators and users of printed materials. This also has a positive effect on the surrounding environment in the densely built-up Zhonghe Industrial Zone, which is "good evidence of corporate social responsibility."

competitors in gang-run printing, meeting deadlines and demonstrating the superiority of Internet technology.

Utilizing online technology, striving for perfection and self-improvement Cardhome uses a unique ERP system to monitor and track all production equipment in the factory in real time, so that all job progress can be controlled, and a clear work tempo can be established for all employees to achieve self-management. Therefore, in plant management and production efficiency, the company leads its web-to-print

Then Cardhome can entrust KPConnect with the management of all presses, realize the automation of work processes, share visible operating information and performance in real time, and more accurately manage materials and jobs, effectively increasing productivity and reducing losses.

In order to more accurately grasp market trends and further enhance its capabilities, the company is seeking to improve its one-stop service using the latest technology and to bring its work processes closer to perfection.

After witnessing the performance of KP-Connect at Komori's IGAS 2018 booth, the company hopes that KPConnect will reach the Taiwan market as soon as possible.

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Top-of-the-line printing press prints 1.3 million flats in March Never before were so many sheets of paper printed double-sided with a digital press in one month as in Groningen, The Netherlands.

The fastest growing online printer in the Netherlands, Reclameland, succeeded in setting a new record. Last March, the Landa S10P press printed over 600,000 sheets of paper, which works out to no fewer than 1.3 million flats(sides of paper).

For comparison, an average month sees about 400,000 printed sheets rolling out of the sophisticated press, of which there are only two in operation in the entire Benelux. During the 31 days of March, the Landa press completed 3500 jobs (with several orders per job), which had been collected on the print sheets.

These orders were printed on more than 17 different types of paper, three quarters of which were coated paper types. By operating at a hyperspeed of 6500 sheets per hour, the Landa press made it possible for Reclameland to successfully handle the peak volumes encountered in March, caused in part by the many orders for printed election materials.

Increasing printing speeds The purchase of the Landa S10P in September 2020 immediately propelled Reclameland to the head of the pack in

terms of innovation. CEO Wouter Haan: “We were the first in the Netherlands with a Landa, and there were only two comparable machines in all of Europe at the time.” The recent resurgence in the market meant that Reclameland finally had an excellent opportunity to test the full potential of its newest digital press. “In its first month of operation, the machine printed around 3250 sheets per hour, but as the machine regularly updates itself, the printing speed also continually increases.”

“Over the last few weeks, we increased our use of the Landa S10P in stages.

Our goal was to print one million sheet sides in one month, but the machine easily surpassed all our expectations.

During the second week of March, we experienced a bit of downtime, so we expect to be able to set a new record in the near future,” says Haan. “The Landa is not only superfast, the print quality is also very high. All in all, it’s great news for our clients.”

Fast and sustainable The Israeli-made press not only helps the company to print more quickly but also at lower cost and more sustainably.

The Landa S10P is one of the fastest presses available on the market and is therefore also referred to as the Ferrari under the printing presses. The S10P’s operating speed is at least twice that of an Indigo press. In addition, the innovative machine can print on both sides of the sheet in full colour on a 50% bigger format. In contrast to a traditional press, the machine does not use plates but is based on nanotechnology. The ink is not applied directly onto the paper during the printing process, which means that no ink is absorbed into the paper. The end result is superb print quality with razor-sharp images.

Another advantage mentioned by Haan is that, in comparison to a traditional offset press, the innovative new technology uses 50% less ink.

In addition, a traditional press uses approximately 50 extra sheets of paper to arrive at the desired colour settings and another 50 sheets to clean the rubber rollers for the next printing job.

“This waste of paper does not take place with the Landa press.” Finally, the Landa’s unique technology makes it possible to completely deink printed matter, making it much easier to recycle.

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The Power of Color – ne systems from Heidelber “The Power of Color” is the slogan with which Heidelberg has chosen to mark the start of its new financial year as it introduces extensive additions for its color measurement and control systems and for the Prinect color workflow.

The move is a response to the growing demands for efficient and dependable quality control in commercial, packaging, and label printing. In Prinect Easy Control, Prinect Axis Control, Prinect Image Control, and Prinect Inpress Control, Heidelberg offers the market four spectral measurement systems for print shops of all sizes and sheetfed offset presses of all performance classes.

End-to-end spectral measurement, patented color control, and a further enhanced Prinect color workflow facilitate rapid, low-waste job changes as well as quality monitoring and logging for production runs on all

Speedmaster presses. Color control based on measured spectral values is the most promising method for achieving the desired colors as quickly as possible in commercial, label, and packaging printing. That is precisely why Heidelberg has continuously developed spectral color measurement technology.

“The consistent development of the entire Heidelberg spectral color measurement portfolio gives commercial and packaging print shops of all sizes the opportunity to optimize their color workflow, moving it closer to the smart print shop model – even as far as autonomous printing,” explains

Jürgen Mittmann, Senior Manager Product Management Sheetfed at Heidelberg.

Prinect Easy Control – a flexible introduction to spectral color measurement technology Since it was first rolled out in 2010, Prinect Easy Control has been installed on more than 800 Speedmaster sheetfed offset presses. Now, Heidelberg has launched the next model of this successful measurement system onto the market. At its heart is a high-quality spectral measurement device that can simply be taken out of its mount and used for other purposes, such as calibrations in prepress.

The new-generation Prinect Image Control 4 for optimum quality assurance in label and packaging printing.

The new Prinect Easy Control offers a flexible entry-level solution for spectral color measurement technology.

Print Innovation Asia Issue 4 2022

ew color measurement rg boost automation The new Prinect Easy Control offers a flexible entry-level solution for spectral color measurement technology.

This gives users a great deal of flexibility. It is also easy to use and produces precise results. The system can take measurements at a speed of up to 135 mm per second, measuring an A3 sheet in less than four seconds.

An integrated video camera supports manual adjustment in line with the position of the quality control strip (lead edge, center and rear edge of sheet). One new feature is that Prinect Easy Control can now also measure the small Dipco Micro print control strip (3.25 x 4‑millimeter measurement field).

The measuring device is charged via induction when in its park position.

Another new feature is the Netprofiler option for colorimetric calibration. The measuring device is integrated into the Prinect Press Center 3/XL 3 control station technology and connected to the central color database in Prinect Production Manager. Prinect Easy Control can take measurements under the standardized measuring conditions M1, M2, and M3.

Prinect Axis Control has been further enhanced and supports measuring condition M1 Prinect Axis Control has had a similar overhaul. Working at a speed of 200 mm per second, it is the fastest measuring system in its class and is equally suitable for applications in commercial and packaging printing.

An autofocus function automatically compensates for different substrate thicknesses during the contactless measurement process. One new development is that Axis Control now supports measuring condition M1 (taking into account optical brighteners in the paper). The device automatically detects the quality control strip on the print sheet and the paper white. Thanks to its tracking feature, Prinect Axis Control supports a precise measurement process even when the print sheet is not straight.

Full-sheet measurement with Prinect Image Control The new-generation Prinect Image Control 4 measures both the quality

control strip and the entire print image.

This measurement system is particularly suitable for label and packaging printing, when color management needs to be absolutely identical for numerous repeats spread over the sheet. Solid areas, screened images, and Mini Spots are all measured just the same for color control and quality evaluation purposes.

Prinect Image Control is available with the options of image error recognition and PDF inspection, which are carried out during a one-time scan of the sheet.

The patented opaque white control system from Heidelberg is integrated as standard. The single measurement head now also supports measuring condition M1. Another standard feature enables users to transfer data to the Prinect Color Toolbox in Prinect Production Manager or to third-party software solutions. Up to four presses can be connected to Prinect Image Control.

Prinect Image Control 4 is operated centrally, from a 24-inch multitouchscreen.

Numerous new features for Prinect Inpress Control 3 help users work towards autonomous printing The successful spectral inline color measurement system Prinect Inpress Control for Speedmaster presses in the Peak Performance Class ensures that setup processes can be completed fast with minimal waste and consistent, stable color management. Inpress Control adjusts color management and register on the fly and in the space of just a few print sheets. Once the tolerance values stored in Quality Assist have been met, the production run itself starts automatically.

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Numerous new features for Prinect Inpress Control 3 help users work towards autonomous printing.

Prinect Inpress Control 3 is now able to measure and control opaque white on dark, metallic, and transparent substrates. This expands the range of applications in packaging and label printing enormously. “Measuring and controlling colors on opaque white is the state of the art.

However, there has not previously been a solution for controlling opaque white itself – until Heidelberg made that possible for the first time with Prinect Image Control. In the future, we will be able to offer this patented control algorithm for inline control with Prinect Inpress Control 3, too,” explains Mittmann. The new function is to be integrated as standard into the measurement and control system by the end of 2022 and will be unveiled for the first time at the end of April 2022, during Label Days at the Print Media Center in Wiesloch.

Another new function designed for label and packaging printers working with expensive substrates is automated waste detection when setting up with Prinect Inpress Control 3. Thanks to this new waste detection feature, waste sheets can be used to set up the inking units. A sensor in the feeder detects printed waste sheets and automatically activates Inpress Control so that measurements are only taken on freshly printed sheets. The system has been installed in a Speedmaster XL 106 for label printing for the first time and its performance to date indicates the customer will be able to reduce setup-

related paper costs by approximately 80,000 Euro per year.

products for the purpose of quality analyses.

Moreover, the new version of Prinect Inpress Control 3 allows users to save paper white values for the substrates stored in the paper database. If substrates are transferred to the Speedmaster along with their paper white values, setup takes less time because the current substrate won’t need to be measured with the handheld measuring device at the start of the job. It is another step that supports the Push to Stop philosophy.

Self-learning Color Assistant Pro works with AI When an order is started on a Speedmaster press, the optimum color presettings and preinking are set in line with the ink name. This helps to prevent considerable overinking at the start of printing, which saves paper and ensures the production run can get underway faster. Color Assistant Pro adapts the substrate-specific characteristic curves with the aim of achieving a stable process.

Improved Prinect color workflow supports third-party software A central color database in Prinect Production Manager takes color values that have been saved on one press and makes them immediately available to all other presses in the same network.

This eliminates the need for multiple measurements and ensures all press operators and presses are working to the same specifications.

A single interface is available as standard for importing and exporting CxF data (color exchange format – the spectral data for spot colors). This means that ink settings can be read from, or transferred to, third-party systems. The values of Pantone, HKS, Fogra 51, and Fogra 52 are also stored in the database.

In addition, the stored color values factor in potential shifts in the color coordinates during the drying process.

On that basis, the corresponding wet values for an ink on a specific paper are stored in the database.

Furthermore, Heidelberg has expanded the API interface of the Prinect Production Manager so that spectral measured values from Prinect color measurement systems can also be transferred to third-party software

To do that, an algorithm controlled by artificial intelligence runs in the background to monitor color management and the setting of the ink zones. It checks the extent to which the settings can be improved. This culminates in a continuous process of optimization and adaptation to new printing conditions. Color Assistant Pro is supported by Prinect Easy Control and Axis Control.

In particular, it realizes its full potential when combined with Prinect Inpress Control 3, which continuously measures inking during the printing process. Thanks to a self-learning process, operator error caused by a lack of adequate training can be avoided and the color presettings are optimized automatically.

https://www.heidelberg.com Prinect Axis Control for high quality requirements in commercial and packaging printing.

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Building a centenary printing brand name for Xing'an Shandong Xing'an Color Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd. introduced a brand new ROLAND 706 LV Evolution with 3B plus format Founded in 1992, Shandong Xing'an Color Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd. is a private corporation specializing in design, color printing and color packaging with a broad product range covering high end brochures, books, magazines, calendars, stickers and various color packaging boxes, cartons, gift boxes and paper handbags. Over the years, the company has provided the high quality products for both domestic and foreign customers with the world's advanced printing technologies.

It has received not only the high recognition from the customers, but also numerous awards. After more than three decades of steady development, the company has grown into the leading

According to Ms. Yan Tingying, the company’s managing director, the company pays attention to not only the advanced technologies, but also the personnel training. Its high quality management personnel and skilled operation technicians provide the customers with the excellent services ranging from the creative designs in pre-press to the post-press processing.

"Our company's management philosophy is to seek credibility from quality, and to seek efficiency from management. Since the establishment of our company, we have fully implemented the quality management and passed the IS9001:200 international quality management

the company has recently introduced a brand new ROLAND 706 LV Evolution with 3B plus format to comprehensively improve its print quality and productivity, and at the same time to lower the total production cost. By now the new machine has been successfully installed and officially put into production. It is mainly responsible for printing color boxes, color cartons, alcohol boxes, and packages for the dairy products.

With the futuristic design and various innovative technologies, ROLAND 700 EVOLUTION aims to significantly improve the production efficiency, operation, and print quality.

In the following, four of its innovative

Shandong Xing'an Color Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd. introduced a brand new ROLAND 706 LV Evolution with 3B plus format color packaging printer in the south of Shandong Province with the strong commitment of building a well-known brand name in the packaging printing industry in Shandong Province.

system certification. We are building a centenary printing brand name for Xing'an with quality", Ms. Yan said.

technologies which help the company to increase its productivity and print quality will be highlighted.

In order to better realize the company's vision of building a centenary printing brand name for Xing'an with quality,

"Visual" Operating System Based on the concept of "visualization", the operating system integrates various

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Print Innovation Asia Issue 4 2022

42 Managing director of Shandong Xing'an Color Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd Ms. Yan Tingying

increased by up to 50% depending on the different print jobs. The reason lies in the way of imposition. Under the hypothetically extreme circumstance, certain print job is allowed to print only one page on one sheet because of the size.

adjustment functions such as ink key control, registration adjustment, ink roller and ink flow adjustment onto the touch- screen, which provides the operators with the more ergonomic interface and more convenience in operation. In addition, coupled with the integrated job index function, the productivity of operators can be increased to a very large extent.

Feeder The feeder head is strengthened and fixed, which reduces both the risk of downtime of the feeder head and vibration. Adjustments can be done without the use of tools, which greatly improves the efficiency of operators.

Furthermore, when printing thinner substrates, the sheet transport stability is greatly enhanced, and the risk of downtime is lowered. In addition, the automatic paper skew correction is carried out through the sheet transfer suction belt. It is hard to cause deformation when printing on a lightweight substrate thanks to the concave design of the suction belt.

Inking and Dampening Units The unique features include TripleFlow inking unit, intelligent speed compensation for inking and dampening units, and effective antighosting solutions. Moreover, the TripleFlow inker delivers more control than any other comparable technology on the market.

With three different ink distributions at the push of a button, it offers high color consistency during the whole print run and drastic savings in waste.

The reverse licking function of the ink roller can automatically remove the ink particles and impurities effectively, ensuring the stability and smoothness of the ink system.

In addition, the dampening roller system, which has been newly optimized, not only has a better anti-ghosting effect, but also at the same time can significantly shorten the cleaning time and increase the efficiency of job changes.

3B plus format (optional configuration) Compared with the 3B format, the 3B plus format (1060 mm x 780 mm) is only 30 mm more in width. However, the productivity of one run could be

However, if the sheet size is 30mm wider, two pages can be done on one sheet. Thus, its productivity and the yields of the substrates could be increased by 100%. More importantly, it saves the material cost and time, further improves the overall productivity, and shortens the lead time. Hence, the 3B plus format is particularly suitable for the packaging printers such as Shandong Xing'an Color Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd..

Moreover, the new machine happened to be installed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Yan particularly thanked the Manroland service engineering team for providing them with the best service and successfully installing the machine despite all kinds of difficulties.

With the introduction of the new machine, Shandong Xing'an Color Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd. is striving for building the brand name in the packaging printing industry in Shandong Province and a centenary printing brand name for Xing'an.

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The Benefits of Corru

Since the invention of corrugated packaging, goods have been transported from producer to consumer in a safe and hygienic way, packaged in a sustainable material.

The corrugated form of paper packaging was invented almost 150 years ago, and during this time about 70% of the world’s products have been transported, from businesses to consumers, in this packaging. Due to its adaptable nature, it can be produced in any shape and size for optimal handling and distribution, it is the perfect packaging material for all goods. It also has interlocking stacking features to minimize movement in transport and is customizable to suit the brand’s needs, such as easy opening and handling.

So, what makes corrugated packaging so sustainable?

Circular By Nature Corrugated packaging is it’s 100% recyclable, bio-based, and biodegradable, making it a vital part of the circular economy. Once the fibers are sourced, they are manufactured into paper for corrugation and used by businesses and companies to package and dispatch goods accordingly.

Once the product reaches the consumer and the packaging is recycled, the fibers of the corrugated board are recycled into new packaging. Corrugated packaging is collected and recycled all over Europe, therefore there is minimal transportation required within the recycling process.

Paper packaging is one of the most recycled paper products on the market today, with a well-established secondary raw material market. With 74% of paper and 83% of paperbased packaging is recycled into new products, it really is no wonder why so many companies are choosing to opt for paper-based packaging instead of plastic-based alternatives.

Recycled paper accounts for 89% of the raw material used to make new corrugated boxes, ensuring the fibers’ long life while also contributing to our economy.

What Makes It 100% Circular Bio-based and renewable: Corrugated paper-based packaging is almost entirely made of natural resources, and the wood used in production is sourced from sustainably managed forests.

Recyclable: FEFCO, The European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers, are constantly increasing their use of recycled fibres, which now account for 88% of new corrugated packaging raw material.

The use of recycled paper as a raw material optimises the use of resources and reduces the environmental impact.

Corrugated packaging has a 89%4 recycling rate on average. Recycling packaging keeps valuable materials in the circle and prevents incineration and landfilling.

Prevents food waste: Corrugated packaging has unique hygiene levels that prevent cross-contamination and

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ugated Packaging spoilage of fresh produce due to the production process that kills microbes.

Adding value after use: The current market for recycled paper as a secondary raw material benefits all stakeholders throughout the supply chain.

Built-in eco-design: Corrugated packaging can be easily shaped for costeffective logistics, storage, recycling, saving time, energy, and money whilst also protecting the environment.

Creativity and Innovation: Sometimes, packaging can transform into the product itself! For example, the “box chair” is brilliantly simple in its

approach to transform from packaging to product. Just open the box, unfold it and connect the contents of the box to the packaging material. Another example is how homeowners can insulate their houses with a sustainable and recyclable material that is costefficient and easy to install.

Some artists have chosen to use corrugated packaging as their creative medium as it’s a source of inspiration and has endless creative potential.

Some expose the flutings by peeling away the surface layer of paper, painting it, cutting it into pieces, and using the

peeled corrugated as tiles for mosaic patterns. Some stack and glue layers of corrugated sheets and sculpt them.

Product Protection Corrugated board’s efficient design creates a sequence of interlocking arches that have the capacity to withstand heavy loads. The corrugated board has a robust and resistant structure thanks to this construction.

The air moving through the flutes also acts as an insulator, providing good resistance to temperature changes.

There are many distinct varieties of corrugated board, each with varied flute

sizes and profiles, allowing for a wide range of combinations to construct packaging with various features and performances. Corrugated board is a high-performance packaging material for packing, protecting, and promoting the items within.

Packaging must be efficient during transport and warehousing, but it is crucial to note that using too little packaging might result in product damage, so finding the correct balance between under-packaging and overpackaging is critical.

Informative and Promotional Corrugated packaging increases the visibility of the supply chain. It allows for more affective product identification and reduced handling across the supply chain, which is just as vital as brand identification. Corrugated board carries all the information and data required for logistics, including signs, barcodes, matrix codes, and RFID (radio frequency identification) labels.

Corrugated packaging is an excellent marketing tool. Its use of eye-catching colours and shapes, for example, may capture and hold customers’ attention

long enough for them to make the best purchasing decision.

Thanks to its ability to display attractive printed graphics, corrugated packaging creates a very effective shelf impact on consumers. When used in a shelf or floor display, it can increase instore sales and serve as a billboard for brands. These “silent salesman” provide limitless opportunities to raise the value of products. It is affective in assisting packer-fillers in establishing brand identification.

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Furthermore, corrugated board provides excellent display and retail properties, providing the consumer with improved value and service. The most recent printing advances provide limitless opportunities for achieving a wide range of visual effects.

With 74% of paper and 83%2 of paper-based packaging being recycled into new products, as well as all these benefits, it really is no wonder that so many companies are choosing to opt for paper-based and corrugated packaging.

The Future of Flexo Plate Making + Improve plate print quality and consistency + Lower total cost of ownership + Reduce handling errors + Higher productivity

www.xsysglobal.com info@xsysglobal.com

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Toppan acquires Thai packaging manufacturer Toppan entered into a share transfer agreement with Majend Makcs, a manufacturer and supplier of flexible packaging headquartered in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on 31 March 2022.

Procedures to make Majend Makcs a consolidated subsidiary of Toppan are scheduled to be completed in May 2022.

The acquisition will enable Toppan to produce flexible packaging in Thailand for supply to markets in Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.

Toppan set out a key concept of “Digital & Sustainable Transformation” in the Medium Term Plan (April 2021 to March 2023) published in May last year.

Priority measures identified include meeting sustainability-related demand and accelerating the establishment of a network facilitating local production for local consumption.

Toppan has expanded its packaging business in Asia, including Indonesia, Thailand, and China, and is strengthening global production and sales with an eye on North America, Europe, and Latin America. Toppan bolstered its capability to manufacture and supply transparent GL Barrier film for markets in North America and Europe with the launch of Toppan USA’s Georgia Plant in April 2016 and acquired the InterFlex Group, a packaging manufacturer with locations in the United States and the United Kingdom, last year. Most recently, Toppan has also made leading Indian film producer Max Speciality Films a consolidated subsidiary.

Majend Makcs was founded in Thailand in 2002 and manufactures and sells flexible packaging for food, consumer, and medical goods. Thailand is a major production location for global food and consumer brands serving North American, European, and Southeast Asian markets. By acquiring Majend Makcs, Toppan will be able to produce and provide its sustainable packaging to leading markets as it aims to be a global packaging provider, delivering an end-

to-end service throughout the world from manufacture of barrier films and other packaging materials to supply of finished products.

It has become essential for global brands with worldwide businesses to address the environmental impact of their products. Thailand, where a large number of such brands have bases producing goods supplied to Europe, North America, and Japan, is also expected to see increased demand for more eco-friendly packaging and advanced functionality. Synergies generated by the acquisition of Majend Makcs are expected to include enhancing the Toppan Group’s global supply capability for sustainable packaging. This will be achieved by leveraging Majend Makcs as a base for the manufacture of sustainable packaging that takes advantage of Toppan products such as barrier film for functional mono-material packaging, part of the GL BARRIER lineup.

In addition, sharing and combining Majend Makcs’s flexible packaging production technology and know-how with Toppan’s converting technologies centered on GL Barrier, while collaborating on raw material sourcing, will drive enhanced productivity and a stable procurement system to strengthen price competitiveness.

Majend Makcs will also function as a hub for the development and analysis of customer and technology trends in the global market.

“We are very excited to have Majend Makcs joining the Toppan Group,” said Masahiko Tatewaki, Managing Executive Officer of Toppan’s Global Packaging business. “Not only does it afford us greater capacity to manufacture and market more pricecompetitive packaging materials to customers throughout the world, but also strengthens our ability to meet the sustainable packaging needs of global brands and of society as a whole.”

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

Just like you.

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

Direct. Dedicated. Digital.

Xeikon_CorporateAdv_210x297_EN.indd 1

24/08/17 09:45

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Environmental benefi packaging materials A survey by GlobalData found that 69% of consumers feel the sustainable sourcing of packaging materials is important, but nearly a fifth believe that information provided by companies on packaging sustainability is unreliable - and who could blame them?

The sustainability of materials is a complex issue, and the leading data and analytics company notes that the vast number of claims and information shared by companies regarding their sustainability efforts can create misconceptions. Hannah Cleland, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, breaks down key packaging material’s environmental benefits and challenges: Single-use plastics “Over the last few years, the first port-of-call when it comes to making your business sustainable has been to start recycling single-use plastics.

While recycling is better than throwing them straight to the trash, plastic can only be recycled a couple of times before it becomes unusable and ends up in a landfill regardless. Therefore, businesses focusing on this method alone may simply be delaying pollution, rather than averting it.

“Companies such as Coca-Cola and Danone are advocating the use of recycled polyethylene tetraphyte (rPet), which can be recycled more times than the often used low-quality polymers.

While this is not a long-term solution, it does support brands that rely heavily on rigid plastics in addressing the issue while they innovate new formats, such as Coca-Cola’s partnership with Paboco to develop a 100% paper bottle, which was trialed in Europe in February of this year.

“Another innovation is polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), a water-soluble option that is increasingly being used for bags, sachets and pouches. As a biodegradable option, it has potential to reinvent perceptions around plastic use, as well as help to relieve mounting pressure from plastic waste on countries that don’t have a strong recycling infrastructure. This also reduces the economic and environmental costs

of collecting, sorting, cleaning, and reprocessing plastic waste, which can sometimes outweigh the cost of using virgin materials and discourage companies to partake in recycling.”

Glass “People often think back to times when products such as milk were packaged in reusable glass and wonder why companies don’t just return to that. Similarly, there was a rise of supermarkets using fill-your-own containers for products such as pasta.

However, due to glass’s heavy weight, it is costly to transport and results in a significant carbon footprint. Further, while refillable or reusable systems avoid the use of extra packaging, there can be hygiene implications. There is a 50/50 consumer split in whether refillable packaging is hygienic.

“InBev claims to have developed the world’s lightest beer bottle to cut transportation emissions. The redesign

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its and challenges of

reportedly cuts the CO2 emissions of the brand’s standard longneck beer bottle by 17% per bottle, which will go a long way in helping AB-InBev reach its 2025 climate action goals while retaining the premium image associated with glass. In GlobalData’s survey, glass was the most preferred material for alcoholic drinks, at 53%, as it tends to signify a premium/quality product.

Therefore, large drinks manufacturers will be looking for ways to keep using glass while keeping costs low.”

Paper/board “One big myth of today’s recycling efforts is around paper and cardboard.

Many governments have given the people the power to recycle by providing a paper and cardboard bin, which allows consumers to feel that they do their bit. However, it is less known that paper and cardboard has a limited recycling lifespan, and that the recycling process itself can be costly.

“The COVID-19-driven e-commerce boom shot demand for corrugated

board through the roof, and spurred highly volatile pricing in the timber market. This higher demand is not only problematic for packaging companies but leads to more waste and a higher number of trees needed to produce the packaging. This shortage and consequent inflation is expected to be an issue for the next few years; although the supply chain will eventually readjust to the cardboard demand, current supply challenges paint a bleak picture for packaging providers in the short term, who may need to shift to alternative materials in the meantime regardless of their environmental credentials.”

Alternative pack materials “It is clear that there is much room for material innovation within sustainable packaging, however, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for their application. Companies such as BioPak are developing bio-derived polymers like sugarcane-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET), but this endangers rainforests. There are similar ethical concerns surrounding materials such as using lobster shells and fly larvae as synthesized PET. Compostable materials and even seaweed-based edible beverage packaging are also being developed.”

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52 levels of quality to enhance their brand designs.

It has been proven that consumers searching for quality products are, more often than not, persuaded initially by the outward appearance.

It may stir an emotion or a memory or a personal affiliation but whatever the reason it is accepted that an exceptionally creative or uniquely designed label can move a consumer to make a purchase.

Dr. Ludwin Monz on taking over as CEO of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG: "We have to make our technological expertise available for new markets in a targeted manner."

Dr. Ludwin Monz (58) today succeeded Rainer Hundsdörfer (64) as Chairman of the Management Board of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). Rainer Hundsdörfer, who held the post for six years, is retiring as planned.

After more than ten years at the helm of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Ludwin Monz is taking over management duties and will continue to drive forward Heidelberg's strategic realignment. In the future, he will continue the chosen path of opening up new markets with core competencies: "Our task is to use our technological strength to generate new business. To do this, we have to sustainably increase profitability and resilience and make our existing technological expertise available for new markets in a targeted manner," says Ludwin Monz.

Dr. Ludwin Monz is a recognized leader in German industry with capital market experience. He has had a long and successful career in technology companies, including positions as head of development as well as management of various business units.

"We are delighted to be able to hand over the chairmanship of the Management Board to the experienced hands of Ludwin Monz," says Dr. Martin Sonnenschein, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. "With his distinctive expertise in cutting-edge technologies and innovations, he will continue to drive the growth and realignment of the company.

We would like to thank Rainer Hundsdörfer for his outstanding achievements and high level of commitment until the end of his term of office. With the successful establishment of e-mobility as a new business area, he has had a decisive influence on the realignment of the company."

High Quality Label Printing

The printing industry and its structures are changing at a rapid pace.

However, customers' expectations of Heidelberg remain high. "The important goal is therefore not to stand still in our own development," emphasizes Ludwin Monz. "We want to prioritize our strategy and the expansion of our leading position in our core markets even more closely in line with customer needs. Because our claim is to always be the best partner for our customers."

From a list of synonyms for the words ‘high quality’ – you could choose Exceptional, First class, Remarkable, Preferable even Magnificent – but what actually gives the words ‘high quality’ their true meaning? Brand owners in high end sectors such as wine and spirits know that ‘quality always sells’ and they continue to put pressure on label printers to adopt the latest innovations and digital technologies to achieve the highest

In the last two years we have seen consumer behaviours continue to evolve and online purchasing levels are higher than ever before. Brand owners have to ‘up their game’ to compete. More than in any other market segments, brand owners of luxury products demand flawless print quality and guaranteed colour performance for accurate brand colour reproduction. To respond to these growing trends and the needs of all the players in the supply chain, printing equipment suppliers are bringing new innovations to market.

Leading digital innovator Xeikon has structured the widest digital portfolio of its printing solutions to satisfy the needs of today’s label printer – both UV inkjet technology and Dry toner technology.

Xeikon has recently introduced its Panther 2.0 Series, launching two new UV inkjet digital label presses the Xeikon PX3300 and the Xeikon PX2200. Panther presses have every ‘bell and whistle’ a printer might need to cost effectively and efficiently produce the highest quality creative labels for the widest range of applications for the broadest range of markets. Based on Panther UV inkjet technology and leveraging the advantages of PantherCure UV ink for ultimate durability, this range of presses are engineered to meet the current requirements in the market today for the production and manufacturing of high quality labels.

As well as delivering the highest quality, these new presses are designed to achieve creative and unique print designs across a wider choice of substrates such as clear-on-clear filmic face-stocks, that require a high quality opaque white to make designs stand

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

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54 combine our technological knowhow and will enable us to become a leading digital packaging press manufacturer worldwide. Our new parent has shown long term commitment to the digital printing market and we are extremely proud and look forward to becoming part of the Agfa family.”

out. Panther presses can be configured with a fifth print station to enable an extended colour gamut to create tactile, high gloss, durable labels with limitless unique designs.

for the Group with a tremendous potential that will be further accelerated by the addition of Inca,” said Pascal Juéry, President and CEO of the Agfa-Gevaert Group.

The big difference and advantage for Xeikon customers is its Digital Front End, the X-800 with full workflow integration. The X-800 drives all Xeikon equipment using cloud connection and utilising man/ machine and machine/machine interfaces to efficiently produce the highest quality print from file to finish with specialist ‘on-the-fly colour management capability, variable data tools for unique imagery, automated embellishment and the ultimate delivery of exceptional printed products. You could say that with Xeikon the true meaning of ‘high quality’ has been found!

Inca Digital Printers is a Cambridge UK based leading developer and manufacturer of advanced high speed printing and production technologies for sign and display applications as well as for the rapidly growing digital printing market for packaging. Inca is an ideal partner for Agfa, bringing a complementary portfolio of printing solutions of the highest standard and a strong technological platform to launch robust single pass printing presses for the packaging market.

Agfa-Gevaert to acquire Inca Digital Printers, taking a significant step in its digital printing business with special focus on growth in the packaging market The Agfa-Gevaert Group announced today that it will acquire Inca Digital Printers, subject to meeting and obtaining customary conditions and approvals. The acquisition strengthens Agfa’s position in high speed digital printing and brings an additional focus on packaging printing markets.

“The Inca acquisition is a major step in Agfa’s transformation. Digital printing is a profitable growth engine

The acquisition encompasses the portfolio of existing high speed multi pass printers, including a strong service organization; a newly designed line of single pass printers for several packaging applications as well as a joint development of a customized inline Print Engine in collaboration with leading corrugator manufacturer BHS Corrugated.

Stephen Tunnicliffe-Wilson, CEO/ CTO of Inca Digital Printers Ltd.: “The acquisition by Agfa allows us to

Vincent Wille, President of Agfa’s Digital Print & Chemicals division, comments: “The combination of Inca Digital’s manufacturing knowhow and Agfa’s technical expertise, worldwide presence and excellent service networks will allow us to bring unparalleled printing solutions to our customers and to adapt seamlessly to their needs in this rapidly evolving space. This investment leverages and strengthens our position in the high-end and high speed wide format market as a whole and specifically in the promising packaging segment.”

Print 4.0: Printing in the Age of Digitalization drupa 2024 comes with many new highlights. One of these main focuses is print 4.0! Digitalization in the printing industry is becoming increasingly important, and companies should keep an eye on how they can adapt to this transition. Print 4.0 can be a solution for this as it optimizes process flows within a print job.

Every aspect of life is affected by digitalization. Industries also need to go with the times if they want to stay at the cutting edge. The innovations of the Internet that enable data to be retrieved, processed, and stored quickly at any time are constantly driving the digital transformation. This transformation can lead to customers changing their expectations – and the printing industry is no exception.

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For example the desire for more individualization in graphic printing leads to smaller print run orders, requiring frequent format changes, which calls for a growing variety of production processes. All these individual wishes should be fulfilled at the most favorable prices possible. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to optimize the work, communication, and transaction processes. Print 4.0. can provide this level of optimization.

online platforms.

Step by Step to Print 4.0 Optimization in All Areas

What is Print 4.0?

When doing these analyses, it is important to investigate the entire process, because, with print 4.0, all the processes involved in the workflow are connected with each other. After examining the current state, the company should then set clear goals for the overall optimization of the process chains.

​​ Print 4.0 refers primarily to the optimization of all processes involved in the ordering, production, and delivery of print products.

Within the work process, print 4.0 is focused on increasing productivity and flexibility through a continuous networked workflow, a high degree of automation, and precise mechanical engineering. The goal is to start and carry out production without manual intervention as far as possible while not being slowed down due to coordination and information tasks.

As mentioned earlier, optimization through print 4.0 is taking place in all areas in the commerce of print products, including the ordering and transport process. Accordingly, the communication and transaction processes must also be digitized and brought up to date with online services. One way to achieve this is to introduce ordering portals and other

The first step towards upgrading a print company to a print 4.0 state is to check the current status within the various areas such as production, ordering, and delivery. This examination involves analyzing all the stations that a print product passes through.

Given the fact that the improvement of process chains in print 4.0 is an ongoing cycle, it should be assigned its own area of responsibility with employees who either already have digital expertise or can develop or build up such expertise. Their job is to define and analyze the process flows and their results, so that improvements can always be made to the workflow based on these investigations.

In terms of communication and transaction processes, it is essential to keep a constant eye on new innovations in order to always be able to make fresh offers to customers and their special needs. Print stores,

web-to-print, order portals, print-ondemand, or augmented reality print production are just a few examples of the wide range of ideas that print 4.0 can offer in this field. Nevertheless, as already mentioned, it remains key that all areas – from ordering and production to delivery – are linked by systems and programs so that customers can remain flexible in terms of both time and location when placing their orders and receiving their deliveries.

Benefits of Print 4.0 In the long run, print 4.0 can lead to optimal and short makeready sequences with high net productivity.

Contrary to some concerns, the automation of print 4.0 does not lead to mass unemployment because it does not create less work, but different kinds of work that become more creative in terms of content and reduce routine activities.

Some companies are already working on their print 4.0 systems. Kodak, for example, has a cloud bases solution in cooperation with Ricoh. And Tetra Pak has been operating a connected packaging platform for some time now.

By the way, in 2021 we already had a brief glimpse of the development of workflow automation and are looking forward to drupa 2024 where print 4.0 is going to be one of the highlights of our program!

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Quality improvement Environmental resistance Faster drying Eco friendly

Ink Saving is so much more than just reducing costs: It helps optimizing the entire production process. How?

Learn more

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