Inline Label Company has selected a Mark Andy Performance Series P4 flexo press for its operation in Middletown, OH, USA to support its growing business in the paper and film label market. In 2013, Inline was selected by Label & Narrow Web as a Company to Watch.

Introduced to the market in mid-2015, the P4 is designed to accept plate roll tooling from legacy (or traditional) flexo presses, which will allow Inline Label to easily transfer work from their existing Mark Andy 2200 presses to the new P4. But what really drew them to the press was the servo integration with auto-registration.

Dave Hechler, president of Inline Label, states, “I’ve always kept an eye on the equipment market. Mark Andy has taken many of the industry’s technology gains over the last few years and built an affordable servo machine which, conveniently, also allows me to take advantage of my existing tooling inventory.”

The selected P4 is also equipped with the award-winning Mark Andy ProLED UV LED curing system. Inline Label has been a full UV plant since it was founded, so the company is familiar with the benefits of UV curing, and is excited about this new implementation. Hechler says, “We can now use a modified formula of UV ink in a system that requires 50% less energy consumption, has no heat as a byproduct, requires no ozone ducting, and requires little to no maintenance. The cure is better and my run speeds will be higher. The initial cost is slightly higher, but the ROI will be very quick.”

The 10" (250mm), 5-color P4 will be the latest addition to an integrated pressroom representing both flexo and digital print technologies. With current equipment operating in two shifts, Inline Label is still trying to meet growing customer demands. The enhanced speeds and workflow benefits of the P4 will provide an opportunity for Hechler’s production team to more efficiently manage that current workload, transferring work to the new press and realizing operational benefits to accommodate additional work that comes its way.

Inline Label’s future looks bright, with facility expansion expected in the coming years. With regard to equipment, Hechler is not ruling out the addition of a hybrid flexo and digital machine in his operation, either. “After nearly 40 years in the industry, improvements to processes and equipment are very exciting to me,” he states. “I really think that type of machine will be an essential part of any printing company.”