Greg Hrinya, Editor02.09.21
Wegmann Companies, a St. Louis, MO manufacturer of custom printed labels, has experienced success with the CEI BossJet “powered by Domino.” With extensive hybrid and digital production capabilities, the press is helping the converter serve most of the Midwest and even touch the coasts.
Mark Wegmann, owner of Wegmann Companies, details the benefits his company is experiencing with the CEI BossJet ‘powered by Domino’ hybrid press, which was installed in late 2019, and the positive impact it is having on Wegmann’s business and customers.
“When we talk about Wegmann Companies, we talk about technology," says Wegmann. "When you look at our technology, it far exceeds 95% of the marketplace. There’s a number of people that have digital, but they don’t have the digital that we have. We do a lot of products that the typical label companies don’t do. And a reason why customers want to do business with us is our capabilities, both in the converting world and the printing world. And we are focusing on markets such as food & beverage, medical, electronics, and others where variable imaging, variable information, any kind of variable data is critical – and we are having great success with it."
Alex Wegmann, operations manager of Wegmann Companies, says, “What excites me most about this business is the technology. And to see things like the Domino blow the doors off everything else that I have seen is awesome.”
This hybrid press, which combines flexo and digital UV inkjet with printing and converting in a single pass, has increased production efficiency at Wegmann Companies.
“There have been multiple times where I’ve had 27 hours’ worth of production that would have been traditionally on a flexo, and now I do it in one shift," explains Alex. "From a production standpoint, come hell or high water, our customers need their products delivered on time, so we don’t have time for downtime. I can receive artwork from a customer at 8 am, have it on press within one hour, and have labels printed and delivered to them by the end of the day. It’s impressive.”
Mark and his team did their due diligence in selecting a hybrid press, too. “To start the process on choosing a digital partner, we sent out materials. We had them printed, we had them sent back. We eliminated a variety of manufacturers right out of the gate, based on the quality. And then from there we went in and we produced products that were variable image, variable data, just so we could see the quality through the process. Domino shined all the way through it, while each of the others seemed to drop off as we went. And so that ultimately led to the purchase of the Domino unit.”
The CEI BossJet "powered by Domino" features a 40” unwind, web cleaner, corona treater, foil, two flexo stations, a turn bar to print the back of the web, and the 7-color Domino, which enables white or black to variable imaging or information into full color. Wegmann's press then has two more flexo stations, semi-rotary diecutting, full rotary stations, scrap take-up, and at the last station can either go roll-to-roll or roll-to-sheet.
"This allows us to maintain the quality run to run. This is the quality of Domino," says Mark. "This is the quality of Wegmann.”
“I have a sincere appreciation for graphic designers and artists, and they work really hard to bring their customers’ visions to life," explains Alex. "So, when I receive that artwork, I know that the Domino’s quality coming off the press will exceed their expectations. The most surprising thing that I’ve seen with the Domino is how accurate the color is, and how consistent it is over time. Clearly, the Domino gives Wegmann Companies a competitive advantage, not just with turnaround times but with print quality, and the flexibility that we can offer our customers.”
"For our customers and our prospects, the most important thing to understand is the label world is changing rapidly," adds Mark. "And being with a partner that can keep you ahead of the game and differentiate your product on the shelf, or help you track and trace a product, is very important. So that gives us an edge in the marketplace, not only for today but for well into the future."
Mark Wegmann, owner of Wegmann Companies, details the benefits his company is experiencing with the CEI BossJet ‘powered by Domino’ hybrid press, which was installed in late 2019, and the positive impact it is having on Wegmann’s business and customers.
“When we talk about Wegmann Companies, we talk about technology," says Wegmann. "When you look at our technology, it far exceeds 95% of the marketplace. There’s a number of people that have digital, but they don’t have the digital that we have. We do a lot of products that the typical label companies don’t do. And a reason why customers want to do business with us is our capabilities, both in the converting world and the printing world. And we are focusing on markets such as food & beverage, medical, electronics, and others where variable imaging, variable information, any kind of variable data is critical – and we are having great success with it."
Alex Wegmann, operations manager of Wegmann Companies, says, “What excites me most about this business is the technology. And to see things like the Domino blow the doors off everything else that I have seen is awesome.”
This hybrid press, which combines flexo and digital UV inkjet with printing and converting in a single pass, has increased production efficiency at Wegmann Companies.
“There have been multiple times where I’ve had 27 hours’ worth of production that would have been traditionally on a flexo, and now I do it in one shift," explains Alex. "From a production standpoint, come hell or high water, our customers need their products delivered on time, so we don’t have time for downtime. I can receive artwork from a customer at 8 am, have it on press within one hour, and have labels printed and delivered to them by the end of the day. It’s impressive.”
Mark and his team did their due diligence in selecting a hybrid press, too. “To start the process on choosing a digital partner, we sent out materials. We had them printed, we had them sent back. We eliminated a variety of manufacturers right out of the gate, based on the quality. And then from there we went in and we produced products that were variable image, variable data, just so we could see the quality through the process. Domino shined all the way through it, while each of the others seemed to drop off as we went. And so that ultimately led to the purchase of the Domino unit.”
The CEI BossJet "powered by Domino" features a 40” unwind, web cleaner, corona treater, foil, two flexo stations, a turn bar to print the back of the web, and the 7-color Domino, which enables white or black to variable imaging or information into full color. Wegmann's press then has two more flexo stations, semi-rotary diecutting, full rotary stations, scrap take-up, and at the last station can either go roll-to-roll or roll-to-sheet.
"This allows us to maintain the quality run to run. This is the quality of Domino," says Mark. "This is the quality of Wegmann.”
“I have a sincere appreciation for graphic designers and artists, and they work really hard to bring their customers’ visions to life," explains Alex. "So, when I receive that artwork, I know that the Domino’s quality coming off the press will exceed their expectations. The most surprising thing that I’ve seen with the Domino is how accurate the color is, and how consistent it is over time. Clearly, the Domino gives Wegmann Companies a competitive advantage, not just with turnaround times but with print quality, and the flexibility that we can offer our customers.”
"For our customers and our prospects, the most important thing to understand is the label world is changing rapidly," adds Mark. "And being with a partner that can keep you ahead of the game and differentiate your product on the shelf, or help you track and trace a product, is very important. So that gives us an edge in the marketplace, not only for today but for well into the future."
