Ohtomi installs first MPS flexo press

Indonesian printer Ohtomi has installed a 10-color EF 430 multi-substrate flexo press from MPS.

Ohtomi operators and MPS commissioning engineer during training at the MPS factory in the Netherlands

The machine – equipped with the Dutch press manufacturer’s Automated Print Control (APC) package – is Ohtomi’s first MPS machine investment and fourth flexo press. 

The converter moved into flexo printing 10 years ago, having previously used letterpress exclusively. Hiroyoshi Oshima, marketing director at Ohtomi, explained: ‘In our manufacturing facility, we have 25 letterpress machines, running production of 50-60 percent of the total print jobs. We embraced flexo as a better alternative for longer print runs.

‘Automation and pressure control has improved considerably in flexo. Nowadays, flexo offers offset quality, which is a great advantage combined with higher productivity compared to letterpress.’

When demand for an additional new flexo press developed, Ohtomi was open for consideration between the leading flexo press manufacturers. Keeping in mind that presses are difficult to maintain due to high temperatures in Southeast Asia, important to Ohtomi was a manufacturer with a solid and local service infrastructure. 

‘Service was one of the main reasons we chose MPS, next to their proven reputation of offering the highest print quality and productivity,’ said Oshima. ‘The MPS service organization is very organized and customer-focused, with their offering the Red Box with spare parts, remote support, as well as local expert engineer service from their regional office in Kuala Lumpur. We also have a good relationship with Ahmad Sopian, the local MPS agent in Indonesia.’

Ohtomi said it plans to purchase at least one additional MPS press within the next year.

During the Factory Acceptance Test in November 2018 at MPS headquarters in the Netherlands, two Ohtomi press operators received extensive flexo training in machine operation, maintenance and troubleshooting, to assure maximum results from their new MPS flexo press. Both operators successfully completed the training program and are now certified MPS flexo operators. 

Ohtomi is a family business founded in 1971. The company began its origin when Hiroyoshi Oshima’s grandfather started a trading company between Japan and Indonesia in the 1930s, before World War II. The trading company was the first to bring label presses to Indonesia. Responding to a growing demand for labels, Oshima’s father began printing labels himself, resulting in the Ohtomi label printing business. 

Today, Ohtomi is a flourishing company with three locations. The main factory is located in Jakarta, Indonesia and employs around 200 people. In October 2017, a small second printshop was opened in Surabaya, and Ohtomi is also a shared owner of a printing company in Vietnam and Thailand.