VILLE MONT-ROYAL, QUÉBEC—In 1963, Empire Rubber Engravers set up shop as one of the first flexographic platemakers in Québec. The company started out serving a client base of corrugated converters, but quickly expanded to serve paper, label and polyethylene bag clients.

The company’s sale in 1981 brought about a name change—Empire Graphics—and more internal advances. Dropping “rubber” from the company name signified a shift to photopolymer plates. When image creation shifted from cameras to computers, Empire built one of the largest flexographic art departments in Québec.

Additional growth came through the 1986 acquisition of a narrow web platemaker and the 2000 purchase of design and marketing firm. The latter acquisition expanded Empire’s client base beyond printers to retailers, who availed themselves of Empire’s growing prepress capabilities. In 2004, Empire Graphics invested in digital platemaking capabilities, and just two years later merged with L.A. Graphics to become one of the most sizable prepress and platemaking companies in the country.

The company had a larger workforce after its acquisitions, but now runs a leaner operation using advanced software. “Our business has grown, but we lost some people along the way,” Vice President of Operations Mike Sheppard says. “With improvements in software and technology, we’ve managed to become very efficient.” It quickly became apparent that efficiency gains meant that Empire’s team could get more done with less.

Sheppard remembers working for his father as a young man, when the flexo world was analog. “In 25 years I have seen so much change across the board. Let’s say we used to get a project from a client with 15 SKUs,” he recalls. “I would be filling out every one of those by hand.”

SERVICES

The company’s prepress offerings include color separation and automated quality control. Empire L.A. uses Esko workflow software and GMG ColorProof proofing software.

Empire L.A. carries plates with thicknesses from 0.045 to 0.250 mm from XSYS/MacDermid, Flint and DuPont Cyrel, and has recently begun using the Kodak NX system to make plates for clients. “With proper quality control,” the company says, “we ensure that no line screen is too fine (up to 200 lines) and that no dot goes unchecked.”

“When files come in from someone who works in design, and not packaging,” Sheppard contends, “that’s where things can go wrong.” He elaborates, “It’s not just about making the plates, but understanding the printer, their presses, their specs and many other technical details. That’s where some of the best work comes out. I see my [printer/converter] clients every day, and we have fingerprint data on all their presses. We also know the people and the culture. We work as partners.”

CHALLENGES, AND PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

Being a small trade shop serving a wide variety of printing clients means Empire faces different challenges from printers with in-house prepress capabilities. “If you’re a printer and you have platemaking, it’s one thing,” Sheppard says, but “that’s not the same challenge faced by a converter. They do not have to contend with a wide net of needs and expectations.”

Another challenge Sheppard points out is choosing when to adopt a new technology, or to experiment with a new process. He gives an example: “If you’re a printer making plates and you have five presses printing for a handful of large clients, but a large percent of your business is with several product lines and brands—you’re set up to streamline and pivot slowly!” He notes that a firm in this position can take its time scheduling a test for printing, for example, increasing the linescreen or testing new patterns. The question for a small trade shop that wants to stay ahead of the curve, according to Sheppard, is “How do I justify investing in technology until I have a client who wants to push the envelope?”

Sheppard’s success has come from avid attention to emerging technologies and forging relationships with forward-thinking individuals across the industry. Attending FTA events like FORUM INFOFLEX gives him the opportunity for conversations that otherwise might not take place. Although he talks to his clients daily, “What I get out of [FTA events] are the conversations. One or two ideas can make it worth the whole trip, because it can make you think of something that you wouldn’t have thought of, sitting at your desk.”

Staying aware of emerging technology is one thing, but applying the judgment and financial planning he learned from his father, Jack (who is still involved in the business) puts Sheppard in the right position to invest strategically. “You need to be cautious when spending on new tech… So when I see a project come my way and it’s very challenging, there may be an opportunity to say [to my printer client], ‘Let’s push the envelope here.’ You need to see the ROI when taking a leap. My dad has done a great job of exercising calculated risk for 40 years and we continue to do the same as a team.”

He gives the example of digital printing pushing printers to work with him to experiment with technological advances.

“Digital is good for short runs,” he opines, “and it should complement wide web flexible packaging. It’ll never be able to keep up with what flexo does, but it has pushed flexo in terms of innovation.”

He further explains, “I think it’s important that we don’t look at digital printing either as the future or as the enemy of flexo. It’s a necessary complement.” He notes that for a small job with a fast turnaround time, digital printing is cost-effective, but asserts, “Once you’ve printed digitally, you have to make sure your flexo press can print it in the same quality.” When brand owners want bigger jobs and longer runs, trade shops must partner with printers to match the quality, using flexo, of the shorter digital runs.

“The way to stay lean and alive and relevant is to have close partnerships with printers,” Sheppard advised, “and together see what challenges need to be met. You can’t exist in a vacuum and just upgrade because you think it’s a good idea. Ask yourself, ‘What are my customers faced with?’ And let them guide you. Tell them what’s out there, but wait for the right moment.”