Label Technology invests to beat high material costs

Related tags Printing press

Pressure-sensitive labels and flexible packaging manufacturer Label
Technology has installed two of Advanced Vision Technology (AVT)'s
PrintVision/Jupiter automatic inspection systems to improve quality
for their narrow web applications.

The new AVT systems are installed on Label Technology's 20-inch Mark Andy press and on a new 26-inch PCMC Evolution press.

"We went with AVT because they have more experience with defect detection,"​ said vice president of manufacturing, David Bankson. "They have numerous systems installed actually doing defect detection, and we felt comfortable with their technology and reliability."

Label Technology claims that the PrintVision/Jupiter systems have been instrumental in enabling it to run the two presses faster for a substantial gain in productivity.

"The inspection systems pick up defects either too small or too light for our operators to see running the presses at 400 feet per minute,"​ said Bankson. "The Jupiter installations went hand-in-hand with the dryer upgrade we made on the 20-inch Mark Andy and the Extreme Drying System we had installed on the new PCMC Evolution.

"They save critical amounts of material waste and press time for us."

Achieving greater efficiency within the printing and packaging sector has become a key objective due to rising costs. Flint Ink North America for example announced a price increase for packaging ink products ranging from 5 to 7 per cent depending on ink type. The increase, effective of 1 December 2004, came in response to the rising costs of transportation, energy, and raw materials that are integral to printing inks.

Limited raw material supply, an escalating issue worldwide, has exacerbated the problem. Since the beginning of 2003, raw material feed stock costs have increased from 9 per cent for ethylene to 190 per cent for benzene. Crude oil costs are up 65 per cent and natural gas is up 67 per cent.

These costs have consistently been passed on to printing, packaging and manufacturing firms. With retailers reluctant to increase consumer prices, those stuck in the middle have had little choice but to absorb increased costs.

Label technology therefore believes that investing in production efficiency will lead to cost savings in the long-term. Bankson notes that fewer re-runs on the two Jupiter-installed presses have equated to more capacity on them. Valuable press hours that otherwise would have been completely lost without the inspection systems have therefore been achieved.

Advanced Vision Technology (AVT) is a leading provider of machine vision-based automatic optical inspection systems for the printing industry.

AVT is a public company listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company is based in Israel, with marketing, sales and support offices in the United States and Europe.

Related topics Processing & Packaging

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