Throughout the course of FTA Forum and INFO*FLEX, industry experts sought to dispel the notion that digital versus flexography has to be an either/or proposition. In a presentation entitled, “Enhancing Digital Print with Flexography,” Mike Gore, vice president of operations at Discount Labels, and Sharon Zampogna, vice president of sales at McCourt Label, discussed how digital presses have complemented their existing flexo workflows.

In addition, Matthew Condon, digital print product manager at Domino Printing Sciences, delivered a supplementary presentation on the topic at the INFO*FLEX Solutions Theater on March 7, 2016. Forum and INFO*FLEX were held concurrently from March 6-9 at the Omni Fort Worth and Fort Worth Convention Center, respectively, in Fort Worth, TX, USA.

All three presenters acknowledged current challenges facing the print industry, including the proliferation of multiple SKU’s, a wider range of substrates, quicker changeovers and faster throughputs. All of this must occur while providing higher quality and color consistency, as well as decreasing costs and increasing profits.

According to Condon, 51% of converters say that run sizes are decreasing, while 43% of converters admit that they will purchase a digital press. That number has increased by 20% since 2012. Printers also have more digital options than ever before.

“Digital technology is here to stay, so the question is how does this work and balance with digital and flexo working together?” said Condon. “Some of the things we’re seeing are digital choices are many. There are a lot of different technologies out there at different prices that do different things. ... Digital can complement flexo and help with efficiencies by making printing simpler and more popular. It’s not trying to take that stuff off the flexo press. It’s trying to take the right jobs and put it in the right position on the right technology.”

Zampogna and Condon both emphasized that the hesitancy regarding digital emanates from long-held beliefs regarding flexo. Many converters think adding digital will negatively impact their current flexo business and that digital is still a young and unproven technology. However, digital does not need to replace flexo. For McCourt Label, digital has freed up capacity for flexo press jobs. “Since the transition to digital, the number of jobs we’ve run has increased significantly,” said Zampogna.

Digital printing ensures that the right job is run on the right press, specifically in regard to short runs and on-demand printing. There are also changes in labeling and packaging that are better served with digital like serialization, barcoding and security. Inline digital can also be used on flexo equipment.

McCourt Label, which got its start in 1896, experimented with a short run program on 6.5” narrow web flexo equipment. The trial process proved insufficient as platemaking and job changeovers proved timely and costly. Zampogna noted that many of McCourt’s customers were seeking out the company’s competitors to better handle shorter lead times for smaller orders. By adding digital, McCourt is better served to help clients of all sizes. The company has attracted new clients, as well.

“If you’re an older company, one of the biggest things is changing your company culture,” said Zampogna. “We have some employees who have been there, 30, 40, 50 years, and they say, ‘but we’ve always done it that way.’ You have to change that mindset a little bit, and show them that change can be a good thing, and it can make company stronger and healthier. Once they see that, the adaptation to new ideas becomes a little bit easier.”

Gore described the integration of digital and flexo as the “Power Duo,” which has enabled Discount Labels to handle over 400,000 orders per year. Gore looked at eight case studies his company has conducted since investing in an HP Indigo digital press in 2009. The company subsequently added inkjet capabilities in 2012, as well as additional Domino and HP presses in 2015. Later in 2016, Discount Labels will install a Nilpeter FA-4* to optimize prime label production.

Discount Labels has seen a shift toward converter outsourcing, a focus on color management and expanded color gamut, personalization, security and multiple SKU’s. “It’s really fun to showcase what you can do when you add both technologies together,” said Gore. “They complement each other and help us grow our sales.”

Flexo International: 60 Minutes Around the World
Alexander James of Kodak and Marek Skrzynski of Bridge Premedia explored the trends, training practices, and future forecasts for the label and packaging industry across the globe. The panel discussion also touched upon the growing presence of digital and sustainable practices.

According to the panel, labels have gained “tremendous” traction in Latin America, with growth coming in more sophisticated and seasonal labels. Labels and packaging make up 44% of the Latin American printing industry, while Brazil accounts for 48% of the Latin American flexible packaging demand.

The panel echoed the earlier morning session, suggesting that digital will complement flexo in both the Latin American and Asian markets. Digital is growing at a fast pace in these regions to keep up with demands for shorter runs and customization needs. While digital is seeing growth, new plate technologies have opened up more possibilities in flexography.

They also noted that more companies are going green for savings, regulatory compliance, customer demand, ethics and to grow business. Other global trends include new measurement devices and software intended to set industry standards. There has also been a concerted investment in expanded color gamut.

For more pictures of INFO*FLEX, click here for the slideshow.