More than 1,600 flexographic print professionals raced to Louisville, KY, between April 30 and May 3 for the Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association (FFTA) 2006 Annual Forum and INFO*FLEX Exhibition. There they found the "Inside Track to Success" and showed their unbridled passion for networking, learning and furthering their flexo-printing operations.
On the packed INFO*FLEX trade floor, flexographers rubbed elbows, conducted business and examined new technologies. Participating companies numbered 196, with a total of 239 10' X 10" booths drawing printer/converter interest. Doug Martin, Bender Machine, declared the show, "excellent!" Gale Foster, DIP Co., said, "The show seems to be growing making it worth more for the dollar you spend." Beta Screen's Larry Goldberg offered, "This year's INFO*FLEX was well-planned, well-attended, and fully met our expectations. Michael Potter, Flexo Wash LLC, insisted that the 2006 event was the best one yet for his firm. "There were more customers/prospects roaming the floor this year than any previous INFO*FLEX I can recall," he said. "And, they were decision makers!"
The
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Forum delegates sat through a series of technical sessions: Sales and Marketing, Emerging Technologies, Education and Training, Pressroom and Production Practices, Supply Chain Management, and Color Management.
World Class Converting
Moffett kicked off the most exciting four days in flexography by introducing keynote speaker Paul Brauss, president, Mark Andy Inc., who then gave attendees tips for becoming a world-class converter. World class converting, according to Brauss, is about leadership and management. "Don't cling to old ways of doing things... If you're not measuring quality, than you're not focused on it. Every process has room for improvement."
FTA saluted world-class converting at its Sunday night awards banquet, where nearly 200 prizes were bestowed upon people and facilities showing undying dedication to further flexography. The night was capped by the unveiling of 134 Excellence in Flexography Awards. (May 1 release).
Standardize & Simplify
Converters are always looking to save time and money on press and they demonstrated their determination as 300+ people turned out at 8:00 a.m., Monday May 1, with a common intent: learn how adoption of process controls can yield greater revenues. For nearly three hours they focused on improving productivity in the pressroom.
Leading the discussion on Pressroom and Production Practices were Andy Kannurpatti, DuPont Imaging Technologies; Angelo Capozio, Alden & Ott Printing Inks; Sean Teufler, Harper Corporation of America; Matthew Bernasconi, Opaltone, Inc.; Wim Helsen, Agfa Gevaert; and Mark Samworth, Artwork Systems. Serving as session moderators: Bil Poulson, Harper Corporation of
Kannurpatti urged printers in attendance to improve productivity reduce waste and trim cycle time. "With digital thermal, you get longer plate life." Capozio offered a very direct assessment: "Know the customer or lose the account!" He cautioned, "Ink may be one of the most cost-effective components of the print job but if handled improperly will be the most costly." Teufler recommended that printers move out to counter poor utilization of time, money and material on press. "Set-up for success then put the job on press." Sounding the common call for standardization, Helsen suggested creating ICC profiles that accurately define press behavior and lead to cost reduction and higher press throughput. Samworth suggested that printers may want to go so far as to abandon a practice that has held for 116 years—the production of a solid halftone dot.
Linking the Supply Chain
Session chairs Mike Buystedt, XSYS Print Solutions, and Colleen Larkin Twoemy, MacDermid Printing Solutions, set out to help flexographers better control every link in the supply chain. Lieven Plettinck, Esko-Graphics, encouraged those integrating JDF to their operations to "start small, but expect more." David Taylor of Radius Solutions, noted, "JDF files contain a great deal of information. All data is readily available to the user."
Edward Murphy, Datacraft Solutions, informed attendees that "lean concepts are not something you tack on to existing systems." Key to going lean: reduce inventory. Paul Denmark, Avery Dennison detailed how vendor-managed inventories (VMIs) can help build better business relationships. Susan Stitzel, Esko-Graphics, endorsed streamlining the packaging supply chain workflow. "It's not just about prepress and printing . . . it's about packaging."
Tracking Technology
Driving forces for driving costs out of the business and the future of flexography took center stage, Tuesday, May 2, as session chairs David McConnon, The Myers Printing Companies; and Richard Grandke, Johnson Polymer; brought six experts to the podium to deliver their individual assessments on emerging technologies. Presenters addressing the agenda were: Mike Huey, Harper Corporation of
Tackling hybrid laser technology was Huey, who said, "Tighter control of the laser's optical path reduces cell cracking. Improved optics lead to better cell profiles and thermal properties give rise to the possibility of more volume through multi-cell engraving." Better anilox roll life and performance was also on the mind of Paczkowski. He attributed use of ceramic-tip doctor blades as a facilitator of longer roll life and said rapid adoption of the technology is reflected in better uptime, greater efficiency and better productivity. Ink costs are being cut, printed output is of higher quality and ceramic tips are leading to a many fold improvement in blade life. Furr agreed that coated blades can compensate for operator error. He even noted that thicker blades minimize UV splitting and documented the fact that more and more printers are adopting specialty doctor blades that can address roll-scoring issues and with that improve bottom line results.
"There is a whole store full of opportunity out there—go get it!" That's the message that Lencioni delivered to Forum 2006 attendees He pointed out that adoption of a completely digital workflow, to include digital dieless converting, will improve time to market, as well as customer relationships.
In Living Color
A bright array of vivid topics came together to make the Color Management Session, chaired by Joe Rach (Chemence) and Steve Smiley, Vertis Inc. For starters, David Q. McDowell, the
William Pope of Rochester Institute of Technology revealed results of a color management project four years in the making. Over the course of three years and 12 runs, variations in the color averaged .83 delta-E. Charles Skaff of Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. spoke of first-hand experience with color management. "We have to train our staff to think they are not always right," he informed attendees. "The numbers will give you a starting point." He also advised that flexographers "hold vendors accountable."
Mark Mazur, DuPont Imaging Technologies, stepped up to discuss G7 standards, which measure ink color, gray balance and neutral print density curve. He advised the use of the P2P target for color control, and showed results of a case study conducted at C-P Flexible Packaging. He was supported by Greg Collins, C-P Flexible Packaging, who said, "Standardization is about controlling the factors." He openly encouraged printers to standardize in their own way before accepting outside documentation.
Advice for
In business, nothing happens until somebody sells something. It was the goal of Sales and Marketing Session chairs Dan Dietrich (Schawk) and David Nunez (Great Lakes Packaging) to assist printers/converters—and even suppliers and prepress providers—in boosting sales. They started by introducing Dan Rosen, Flint Group Printing Plates, who stated, "Major brand owners are changing their packaging constantly." This led into a cost comparison of in-the-round sleeve applications versus traditional photopolymer. Rosen was honest and admitted a 28-percent cost difference between the two methods, but insisted the savings come in labor and set up.
Examples of innovation and new approaches to packaging came together in John McCooey's (DuPont Imaging Technologies) presentation. McCooey spoke of how Dannon invented a new market by creating yogurt for kids. Then he launched into the story of Cool2Go™ and other types of insulated packaging. The point he made for printers/converters was to look at things from a consumer perspective.
Mark Hancock, Brach's Confections, revealed his views on the entire packaging production workflow. He told designers in the room, "If the package isn't functional, it doesn't matter what it looks like." In his mind, prepress providers are "the link between pretty and functional." He noted to printers, "It takes a second to realize a package isn't printable," and requested that they "provide a realistic proof . . . and match it!"
Hancock was followed by John McDonald, Lipson Alport Glass & Associates, who showed attendees the designer's perspective on the packaging lifecycle. "We think about what the consumer will think about the packaging," McDonald said. "We think about the look and feel."
Schawk's Charlie Cox perceived the prepress provider's role in the chain to be bridging the gap among consumer product companies (CPCs), designers and printers. He requested that all members of the supply chain "make changes in the concept stage" and persuaded all parties to "establish technical boundaries and guidelines."
Tina Schuelke of Bemis Co. asked printers/converters to be passionate and eager about technology, rather than interested but cautious. She opined that communication was key to success, and that communication has become global, instant, personal and portable. The messages that we send, she said, "have to be the right messages to the right person at the right time."
Adapt, Improvise, Overcome
Professional development, hands-on learning, interactive and entertaining presentations, and a full roster of educational institutions willing to support flexographers in their search for knowledge, experience and know-how came together to form the core of a three-and-one-half hour Education and Training session at Forum 2006.
Driving the agenda were session chairs Dan Muthig,
Porcher, animated as always, chided audience members to their feet and had them shout out "Check Five!" All soon learned that the phrase was one to embrace in researching and determining exactly what a faulty print is saying. Porcher had posted troublesome print samples in Booth 104 at INFO*FLEX and stood ready to reveal the problems plaguing the various prints.
He told press operators to refrain from approaching supervisors with print problems until after seeking to identify the trouble on their own. His advise to supervisors—"Send them away." What variables are generally responsible for the issues typically faced day-in and day-out on the pressroom floor? Porcher answered:
- Check One—Anilox Roll.
- Check Two—Ink.
- Check Three—Substrate.
- Check Four—Plate.
- Check Five—Mechanical Setting and Procedures.
Donato espoused learning guides and buzz phrases. He invited corporate trainers to look for toys, school supplies and household items that serve to reinforce concepts and put things into perspective. "Printers are visual people," he told the audience. Then he remarked, "Using the right training aids for any audience will increase the success in training the basic concepts."
Speaking to flexography, he approached a strategically placed table filled with gadgets and gizmos. With that he explained how a muffin tin can speak to anilox cells and how a polymer muffin pan and its tin relative can speak to the effect of plate on press. The doctor blade—a simple ruler. Donato's strategy for successful training: "Adapt, improvise and overcome." He cited the ultimate goal: "Produce cheaper, faster, and better quality print results."
Lancelle took the podium and explained how his firm embraces growth through acquisition of technology, rather than adding bodies. "That requires constant training and communications," he remarked. "Think small and apply common sense," he urged. "Training is not a program. Training is a mindset. Place people in a position to succeed. Recognize strengths and limitations. Allow the cream to rise to the top. Gaining employee commitment and involvement translates to empowerment, and that is the name of the game."
Nice Compliments
Moffett and Dedman concluded events with a series of presentation from suppliers representing complimentary print technologies. Ken Daming (Mark Andy) delivered a brief overview of RFID technology, and explained the difference between HF and UHF devices, as well as inlay versus straps. "Today's yield of good inlays is just under 100 percent," he said.
John Costenoble, Stork Prints America, briefed attendees on the benefits of incorporating screen printing in their flexo operations. "Screen has the ability to put down very opaque, thick ink film deposits…You can print very fine lines and still get a good tactile feel." Speaking on the benefits and challenges of offset technology, known to achieve as much as 0.5-percent dots, was Dilip Shah, Nilpeter
Concluding things at Forum 2006 was Matt Gindele, Hewlett-Packard, who addressed the up-and-coming digital printing market. "Our technology starts with a paste of ink, which is electrically charged," he explained. "Dot gain is 0.0 percent, and we can reverse 2-point type out of CMYK." Costs for digital, he insisted, will come down in time. Flexographers should monitor the situation and react accordingly.
