Interflex expands flexo capabilities

South African label converter Interflex has strengthened its long-standing partnership with Rotocon by installing a new RFP 450 10-color flexo press, expanding the converter's production capabilities and supporting its strategic growth into higher-value packaging applications.

The new press enables Interflex to produce labels, shrink sleeves, unsupported films and board up to 400gsm. It also consolidates processes that previously required multiple passes or external finishing. In-line sheeting and die-cutting are integrated into the press configuration.

For more than 20 years, Rotocon has supported Interflex's growth. From its first rewinders in the mid-2000s to the new RFP 450 press, the partnership has evolved alongside the business. Rotocon Durban branch manager Akhmuth Sayed has been part of that journey from the beginning, initially on the engineering side before moving into customer-facing roles, helping build a relationship that has matured alongside Interflex's growth.

With running speeds of 150–200m/min on film, the press is well-suited to Interflex's long-run production model. 'On the RFP 450, configured the way we've specified it, we can print, laminate, foil, varnish and die-cut in a single pass,' said Interflex CEO Eric Singh. 'Our model is volume. Hundreds of thousands into the millions. That's where flexo makes sense.' 

The investment is also strategic. Singh is looking upstream, towards greater involvement in the value chain. Interflex's two-year plan includes developing an in-house studio capability for both design execution and intellectual property ownership.

Live demonstrations of the Rotocon RFP cylinder-based flexographic press will be presented on their booth 719 at Loupe Americas (formerly Labelexpo). Also featured will be a non-stop unwind with a butt splicer and slitter/rewinder finishing system for a fully integrated label production line focused on productivity and automation.