Three label and packaging industry suppliers have announced the formation of a strategic partnership. Cyngient, Imageworx and MPS have joined forces to provide labels and packaging converters a comprehensive resource that covers several important elements of the workflow and supply chain, leveraging the newly renovated 31,500 square foot Imageworx facility in Levittown, PA, USA, just outside of Philadelphia. The location doubles as the site of the new MPS North American Demo and Applications Center.

Headquartered in Fairfield, NJ, Cyngient is just a short drive from Levittown, thus, the three companies in the same geographic location can provide converters with products and services from three critical print process components – Imageworx prepress, Cyngient’s technology-driven custom inks and coatings, and MPS flexographic and hybrid press technology.

Cyngient has taken on the role of supplying inks, coatings and adhesives to MPS North America. Andrew Wasserman, managing partner of Cyngient, comments, “Being the primary supplier of inks, coatings and adhesives to MPS North America, coupled with Imageworx state-of-the-art prepress, label converters have the ability to achieve real life demos that can be easily transferred to their production environment without losing valuable production time.”

The benefits of the strategic partnership are numerous, sparked by familiarity and a successful history the three organizations have with one another.

Jeff Toepfer, president of Imageworx, says, “Product development regularly requires input and support from a wide number of vendors and industry experts in order to truly become successful. In October of 2017, Imageworx began supporting MPS with front-end technical services for printing and R&D projects at their former Green Bay facility. It was quickly realized that the combination of high-end prepress solutions and the sharp print quality of the MPS EF flexo press complemented the technologies of both companies.”

Cyngient began working with Imageworx in 2018, with Cyngient adding significant value on a project that required a solution for laminating a micro optical lens to various flexo-printed PS materials, using a UV adhesive while curing through the lens with diecutting inline.

Toepfer recalls, “We tried many products for the application, but Cyngient’s HYPERcure adhesive cured without micro air bubbles, crystal clear, and bonded the multi-substrate materials together dynamically and without any edging issues when diecut and stripped. Since our first project together, Cyngient has been an essential partner in our product development ventures.”

Wasserman adds, “One of the principles driving Cyngient is our commitment to true collaboration in developing custom solutions for the flexo industry. Imageworx and MPS share our customer-centric values, and having the press and prepress experts on-site, together, offers tremendous value for innovation-driven flexo converters looking to differentiate in order to best serve their brand owner customers.”

Dilip Shah, senior technical sales consultant for MPS North America, appreciates the benefits stemming from this unique partnership. He comments, “We’ve worked closely with Imageworx over the years for many press demonstrations – even teaming with them at Labelexpo exhibits. We showcase jobs that every print facility would struggle with, and produce them flawlessly at high speeds.”

Shah continues, “Similar to us, both Cyngient and Imageworx like to push the limits of flexo print capabilities. For example, working with Cyngient has allowed MPS the ability to showcase label embellishments utilizing their high performance inks, coatings and adhesives with high-resolution results. The combined approach with Imageworx and Cyngient offers a unique, collaborative experience for label converters. In addition, MPS supports customers in maximizing their productivity levels with our data-oriented MPS Performance Programs. We enjoy proving that not every press is capable of achieving the same top quality results.”

This fall, MPS will be installing at the facility its new hybrid EF Symjet 430 UV flexo press with a new 17” Domino UV inkjet print engine in the middle of eight flexo stations.

Cyngient’s Wasserman notes that his company is coming off its most successful month ever. He says, “Even during a global pandemic, we've gone above and beyond in supporting our essential labels and packaging businesses. This strategic partnership is another example of Cyngient’s commitment to improving the process and raising the bar for narrow web converters with truly innovative products.”

Toepfer concludes, “As a team, we are available to develop technology that is specifically intended to improve and enhance printing and converting processes while offering a comprehensive solution for how to tackle the toughest print jobs.”