Cost-effectiveness in label printing Process variability is a key factor in the total cost of ownership – by Dieter Finna The total cost of label production is determined by three key factors: quality, cost, and productivity. These must not be considered in isolation from each other, which nevertheless occurs due to the complexity in practice. While clear ideas exist regarding the achievable quality and costs of a label printing machine prior to any investment decision, productivity in consideration of the process variability often receives too little attention when making a purchase decision. How big the influence of this criterion on the total operating costs is, is shown in the following example.
While clear ideas exist regarding the achievable quality and costs of a label printing machine prior to any investment decision, productivity in consideration of the process variability often receives too little attention when making a purchase decision.
In investment planning, the market segments in which the machine is to be used are at the beginning of a detailed analysis. The analysis in this example shows that the market and customer structure essentially consists of customers in the segments of cosmetics, wine & spirits, medicines (over-the-counter) as well as orders in security printing, e.g. tax stamps for tobacco. This results in the potential market segments for which the machine is configured. We are looking for a machine system that meets the specific requirements of these market segments. It should also be noted that all mentioned market segments are characterized by small to medium run lengths as well as high run lengths, i.e. a large number of jobs with many different printing processes and substrates.
Modular design and configurability In order to meet the wide range of requirements identified, a freely configurable and expandable machine system with a high degree of automation is required. In the market, such machine systems are offered by various manufacturers. To illustrate this, two of the most commonly used machine types are used as references in the market. The machine of manufacturer A has a max. print width of 430 mm (17 “) with a specified machine speed of max. 160 m/min., the machine of the manufacturer B has a max. printing width of 410 mm (16 “) and a max. machine speed of 170 m/min. Both machines can be configured individually or in combination with all printing units, such as offset, flexo and rotary screen printing, hot foil stamping and cold foil printing, for the requirements of the aforementioned market segments. They are each
Key Notes : > The need of a freely configurable and expandable machine system with a high degree of automation. > Changeover times for a process change are very much at the forefront of a profitability analysis. > The higher acquisition costs can be amortized by savings in the process changes in daily operation.
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January 2019
Machine system with process change times of less than 5 minutes. (Source: image courtesy of Gallus Ferd. Rüesch AG)
