Tapecon is a supplier to OEMs of contract manufacturing of prototypes, components, assemblies and full production services. The Buffalo, NY-based company's work involves custom materials converting and specialized application printing. 

With several milestones, successes and production increases in its business, Tapecon needed to expand its print quality processes as well. To do so, the company turned to Flexo Wash back in 2007, wanting to clean anilox rolls more efficiently and thoroughly without damage or increased downtime on press. Following the purchase of a single roll Flexo Wash Anilox Cleaner, Tapecon saw immediate increases in productivity and efficiency.

While that single station Anilox Cleaner served Tapecon well, business was growing, thus prompting a need for further process improvements. Being a rapidly growing company, Tapecon's printing needs included more changeovers, so, once again, the company turned to Flexo Wash and bought a FW Handy 2x2 Anilox Cleaner  – a unit large enough to clean four anilox rolls at a time. Here are some resulting statistics from this investment:

• Printing 253 days a year.
• Tapecon used to spend 15 minutes cleaning per roll, with setup and placement. Now they spend about two minutes cleaning each roll, and that includes walking time to get the cylinders out of the printer to the cleaner.
• Cleaning supply cost is too minimal to categorize, the company says.

Beyond this data, there are larger results most telling to Tapecon.The company utilizes the 6M Method of Cause and Effect Analysis in all of its operational processes: Manpower, Materials, Measurements, Mother Nature, Methods and Machines. If any person or process is down for 15 minutes, they write down name, date and issue and post on a public message board that gets addressed weekly by a group of Tapecon engineers. They analyze and solve the problem, using this 6M process. Since the purchase of the new FW Handy 2x2, dirty anilox rolls have never come up as a problem.

“This is a testimony to the new system because before, it was a pain point,” says Michael Gerbera, Tapecon's Director of Operations. "Our Flexo Wash cleaner is able to clean obscure inks off our anilox rolls with great success."

Gerbera describes his new Flexo Wash system with a common analogy. He says, "If you walk into a messy room, you realize it’s messy. If you walk into a clean room, you don’t realize it’s clean and that’s because you expect it to be clean. That’s the way it is when the anilox cleaning system is working. You expect it to work and for your anilox rolls to be clean. It just works and you expect that every time."

Tapecon is committed to data and process improvement and is always looking for new ways to grow and develop. The company is also committed to improvement. Flexo Wash was Tapecon's solution to their pain point of dirty anilox rolls, too much downtime and reduction of productivity. "Flexo Wash was the right technology at the right time, and they are committed to improvement as well," Gerbera adds.

Flexo Wash is a piece of the bigger puzzle for Tapecon. Concludes Gerbera, "Constant evolution and growth have been the key to this company that has stayed in business and remained a relevant, industry leader for a century. With our commitment to investing in the company, keeping it ahead of the curve with the implementation of the latest technology and a forward-thinking company culture, Tapecon will be here for another century as well."