Steve Katz & Greg Hrinya06.03.15
Consumer forecasts, spending habits, brand protection solutions and interactive packaging trends were among the topics discussed in the opening presentation, “Upside Down or Inside Out: What’s Next in Packaging?”
Lori Campbell, president of The Label Printers, explored how smart labels can protect brands from the estimated $1.8 trillion global loss in counterfeit goods. Due to the nature of more serious crimes like bombs and weaponry, agents only inspect 5% of the roughly 67,000 containers that go through customs on a daily basis,” she said.
“What I want to try to convey to the packaging and label converters is that the scope is so big, that chances are some of the customers are being attacked in some shape or form as we speak,” said Campbell. “We’re all trying to sell ourselves as solutions providers and we want to set ourselves apart from our competition and bring value to the table just beyond the label or the package that we’re selling.”
Colleen Twomey, assistant professor of Graphic Communication at Cal Poly, discussed potential solutions, including interactive packaging trends. Her presentation centered on emerging technologies, namely NFC, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), augmented reality (A/R), and printed electronics.
In addition to security, she said, smart labels can engage the customer and provide a new brand experience. “We’re engaging the consumer to take action with the package, and from a brand owner’s perspective, this can be very interesting in order to get loyalty and engagement with the consumer,” explained Twomey. “The premise is interaction is good, and smart phones are quite literally everywhere.”
According to Twomey, approximately 250 million phones come equipped with Bluetooth capabilities.
During the session titled, “From Tribal Knowledge to Technology: How to Understand the Needs of Your Workforce,” Clemson professor Nona Woolbright and Plastic Packaging Technologies’ Bob Coomes provided information on how companies can effectively train their employees despite generational differences and road blocks.
In addition to generational differences, there can be issues with both the participants and management. Participants can fight intimidation, motivation, impatience and pride, while management may not properly engage or communicate.
The second day of the Forum delved into the science behind inks, printing and research techniques for improving efficiency. “De-Geek the Geeks: From Cloudy to Clear” and “Research that Resonates” featured panel discussions with flexo industry veterans from various companies across the country.
The chosen speakers, which included Sun Chemical’s Danny Rich and SmileyColor’s Steve Smiley, focused on the importance of standards. They detailed how companies can benefit from FIRST (Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications & Tolerances) certification and adhering to ISO 12647-6, the flexographic printing standard.
Around INFO*FLEX
With more than 2,000 attendees, the FTA reported the 2015 edition of INFO*FLEX a “smashing success.” Here, exhibitors had the opportunity to showcase their specific products and technologies.
All Printing Resources (APR) unveiled its SupplySentry automated “real time” inventory management system at INFO*FLEX. SupplySentry monitors inventory at a printer’s locations for improved supply chain reliability, lower inventory carrying costs, and increased employee efficiency. SupplySentry is Automated Inventory Management using an RFID-Enabled Supply Cabinet with a Web-Based Interface, which allows the customer to see at a glance what they currently have in stock. When an item is removed from the cabinet, it is marked as expended. When the quantity of any item reaches or goes below its re-order quantity, an alert is sent to APR’s customer service department to let them know that replenishment is needed.
DuPont announced its new Cyrel plate technology platform, Cyrel Easy Plate Technology. This new technology platform simplifies the prepress process by building the flat top digital dot directly into the plate, resulting in increased productivity and consistency. This is part of an on-going effort by DuPont to drive progress in the flexographic printing industry by improving quality, sustainability and productivity.
Sun Chemical showcased its special effect coatings, HD-quality ink and plate solutions, and other products designed to enhance pressroom efficiency. “Our customers want solutions that both improves pressroom efficiency and makes packaging pop on the store shelves,” said Tony Renzi, vice president, product management, Packaging Inks, North American Inks, Sun Chemical.
A wide range of Sun Chemical coatings were on display during the show, including a variety of options for satin, matte and gloss printing, in addition to its SunInspire sensory coatings line which offers special effects that allow a customer’s product packaging to stand out on store shelves visually through high luster metallic, fluorescent, glitter, pearlescent, as well as iridescent finishes. SunInspire tactile coatings, ranging from coarse and gritty to soft and smooth, appeal to the sense of touch. Other coatings in the line can create an interactive experience with color shifting, reticulating and other aromatic coatings.
Sun Chemical also showed its SunLase laser marking system, a transparent or tinted coating that is printed onto a packaging substrate during the printing process. After the packaging has been sealed, variable coding graphic information, such as bar codes, QR codes, and “Use By” dates or branding, can be created using a low power CO2 or fiber laser to change the color of the patch to black where marked, with no risks to the packaged product.
Representatives from anilox supplier Harper Corporation of America showcased the company’s HEX division and the HIVE, or high imaging volume engravings, anilox roll series. The HIVE product line includes LaserKote and XLT engravings. The HEX division comprises plate sleeves and bridge sleeves that are manufactured in accordance with OEM specifications and feature numerous notable characteristics, such as a patent-pending replacement notch system.
INX International Ink Co. featured water, solvent and UV-based flexo inks. Described as low cost, high performance inks, they include multiple substrate options for Tag & Label, Pouch & Sleeve, Corrugated, Envelope, and Carton and Bag. Among the company’s featured UV flexographic products were INXFlex UV ITX-Free Shrink 70 and INXFlex UV CLM II. INXFlex UV Shrink inks provide minimal swell for flexographic printing. A premium ink, it is specifically engineered for high strength and extreme shrink up to 70%. Suitable for most tag and label, pressure sensitive and in-mold label applications, they have excellent adhesion to a wide variety of substrates and are V-Pyrol free. These inks also can be printed with aniloxes up to 1800 line screen with 1.0-1.2 BCM
Solutions Theater
In order to showcase some of the newest products and technologies hitting the flexo and package printing industry, INFO*FLEX hosted the Solutions Theater. The complimentary 15-minute sessions featured flexo and package printing leaders from ten companies. Among those who presented were Flint Group, Xeikon and Sun Chemical.
P.J. Fronczkiewicz, product manager, Flexographic Products, Flint Group, highlighted his company’s newest plate technology. He examined the shift from round-top to flat-top dots in platemaking and also introduced the company’s newest product, nyloflex FTF.
“One thing we know for sure is that flat-top dots give us an opportunity to do some things in flexible packaging that are quite remarkable,” said Fronczkiewicz. “When it comes to contextualization that we put into the plate, it really helps to print a fluid ink onto a smooth film.”
Flint Group’s new product is designed to enhance the applications where flat-top dots have the most use. The nylo FTF (flat-top for flexible packaging) features 1:1 imaging and a 62 Shore A plate that works with high resolution imaging.
Digital solutions provider Xeikon also presented at the Theater. Rick Mix, channel manager, ThermoFleXx at Xeikon, discussed the company’s latest line of press offerings, along with prepress and digital imaging solutions.
“In addition to the plates themselves, we do talk quite a bit about high resolution printing and how we can improve overall quality,” said Mix. “We can image 4,800 dpi files and we can also rip or image at 5,080 dpi, which is our high resolution response.”
The Xeikon prepress system accepts 1-bit TIFF files from any workflow and has sliding vacuum capability with a simple interface. Mix emphasized that Xeikon has the ability to work on digital printing and digital prepress together.
Vivian Ramsey, field product manager at Sun Chemical, detailed her company’s laser marking systems. She discussed traditional marking systems, including thermal transfer, laser marking and ablation, and how new technology has improved this process. “It’s a readily available technology,” explained Ramsey. “I’m not saying one or two years from now. We have it today.” According to Ramsey, the brand owner does not need to buy ribbons, preprinted labels, preprinted boxes or ink pads. There is no cross-contamination, and Sun Chemical states that the process is clean, fast and green. “There is no ablation and the laser maintenance is negligible,” Ramsey added.
According to the FTA, a late surge in entries resulted in some of the fiercest competition in the 55-year history of the Excellence in Flexography Awards. Winners were unveiled on May 3, 2015, before an audience of hundreds at FTA’s Annual Awards Banquet at the Omni Nashville Hotel.
During the event, 106 awards were presented, including six Best of Shows. More than 450 entries were submitted into the competition, and they were appraised for their vibrant color, fine dots, seamless fades and exacting registrations, just to name a few winning characteristics.
The awards also consisted of 38 gold medals, 37 silver medals, 29 bronze medals, one special achievement award and one non-traditional award.
Taking home “Best of Show” honors in the 2015 Excellence in Flexography Awards were: Sunshine FPC, Inc., for its Smoke Salmon Red Caviar Wrapper; Golden Era Group, for its Kellogg’s Ke Festive Nine-9 Coco Pops Cereal Box; Great Little Box Co. (GLBC), for its Vega One All-In-One Nutritional Shake Label; Wellpappe Auerswalde GmbH, for its Samsung Curved 55" UHDTV Box; International Paper Preprint Liner Division, for its Avocados 5 Down Tray; and Mac Papers Envelope Converters, Inc., for its Dish Game Of Thrones Envelope.
The FTA also named Gidue the winner of its 2015 Technical Innovation Award in the Heavy Metal category for its Digital Flexo Excellence technology. Digital flexo aims to optimize the flexo print process, accomplished by a design that automates common, time intensive and operator dependent press tasks, which results in higher productivity, lowered costs, greater production flexibility, consistent quality and ease of operation.
Federico d’Annunzio, Gidue’s president, commented, “We are honored that the efforts of the whole Gidue team have been awarded with such a world-recognized prize. Since the birth of our company, Gidue technologies have introduced revolutionary concepts and innovations, which today, after 15 years, have become some of the technology standards in our industry. This award is a further incentive for Gidue to continue developing new technologies for the benefit of the labels and packaging industry.”
Also at the banquet, FTA inducted Paul Lancelle, technical specialist for All Printing Resources (APR), into the association’s Hall of Fame. He is the 53rd inductee and currently serves as the Excellence in Flexography Awards chairman.
In addition, the FTA named Jennye Scott, VP of creative services at Berry Plastics Corp. and Richard Black, director of digital solutions at All Printing Resources, Inc., as the recipients of its 2015 President’s Award. The honor is given annually to one or more individuals who understand the philosophy of leadership and who commit to taking on the responsibility of being an industry driver.
In bestowing the awards, FTA president Mark Cisternino praised the two for their unwavering support and tireless efforts that have contributed to the advancement of the flexographic industry and the Association as a whole