Digital printer adds offset to grow business

Spanish wine label producer Etilisa has installed a Miyakoshi MLP13C semi-rotary offset press to complement its HP Indigo digital press fleet.

Digital printer adds offset to grow business

Founded in 2010 in Arnedo, Spain by Diego Castillo, Etilisa had previously produced self-adhesive labels for the Rioja wine region using digital printing. It has now added conventional press technology to offer a more rounded production portfolio. The machine chosen features five offset printing units and a flexo print unit to enhance the quality of metallic finishes.

Castillo, Etilisa CEO, explained: ‘We are maintaining our essence and manufacturing philosophy 100 percent, and we have seen that offset technology is the natural, and indeed, necessary complement to our existing manufacturing structure, since it offers us the options of expanding our client base and of offering new products to our existing clients. Our main market, wine labels, demands a very high printing quality in medium length production runs, and offset technology allows us to respond to these demands.

‘Our world is the world of wines, and always has been. Wine producers in this area have sampled our products, they know us and tell us that they like our quality and our service, and they want more. Why can’t we obtain these larger orders? From our stance of “try us, share us”, which is what we can offer with digital technology, we want to go on to “order everything from us”, no matter the quantity. Our digital press is productive, it’s fast, and it gives us quality, service and quick response, all valued by our clients, but it has its limits. In this context, we must head towards a much more complete and balanced print shop.’

Once the decision was taken, the manufacturer and model best suited to Etilisa’s needs had to be selected. The MLP13C semi-rotary offset press has been supplied by OMC, Miyakoshi’s exclusive distributor for Spain.

‘We looked at five different brands of semi-rotary offset printers,’ noted Castillo. ‘The main reason for choosing Miyakoshi is that its technology is very well known, with a lot of experience backing it up in the wine-label market both here and internationally, and in particular, they are working here in our area to serve the regional wine producers. So, for both technical and commercial reasons, we chose to go with the types of machines and technologies that are already known in our natural market. Also, whereas HP is synonymous with digital offset, Miyakoshi is synonymous with offset technology in the wine label market.’

Of this installation, David Lopez, Miyakoshi Europe’s sales area manager, said: ‘Its comprehensive configuration, with a feed reel, one flexography and five offset print units and the take-up reel, fits in perfectly with the mentality and vision of this label manufacturer. This semi-rotary press can achieve and maintain a maximum speed of 250 impressions a minute, independently of the repeat length up to a maximum of 356mm (71m/min). At the same time, its patented web-tension control system, based on dual servo-controlled pull rollers at the in-feed and out-feed reels, ensures accurate registration and stable web tension at maximum speed. The MLP is our flagship model, and has been very positively accepted, since its introduction, both in Spain and in the rest of Europe, with many installations in other countries such as France, Italy, Portugal, etc. Its productivity and reliability are its main features and are highly praised by our clients.’

The challenge now for Etilisa is to integrate and develop the potential of conventional offset printing. ‘This is not a new challenge for us,’ said Castillo. ‘When we started with digital technology, eight years ago, we had to learn to dominate it. Now we are in the same situation with Miyakoshi, but we have eight years of experience, an exciting project, and full cooperation and assistance from OMC and Miyakoshi Europe, whose teams are doing a great job, not to mention the professional commitment and “savour faire” of Etilisa’s staff, who are fully behind me, supporting me.’

Castillo continued: ‘We are planning various steps. In the first place, and after the initial learning curve, since we have only had the machine for a few weeks, we will start modestly by getting orders from our long-standing clients, who have confidence in us. When this stage is consolidated, we will expand in our market, the wine industry, seeking larger orders and moving into other wine areas such as Rueda, Ribera del Duero, Toro or Cigales. Unlike La Rioja, where wine producers produce many different wines, wine producers in these other areas often produce only one wine, and this is especially true in Rueda, so where a producer in La Rioja might order 25,000 labels, in Rueda the order might be for 300,000. With the new semi-rotary offset printer, we are now ready for Rueda.

‘In a globalized world, with good planning and a commercial structure familiar with the market, I believe that we will have an open road there when we demonstrate how well we produce labels in La Rioja. We are specialized in high-quality labels, and in Bordeaux, producers know that they sell excellence, and pay great attention to the added value of the final product.’