Scan-Figus invests to grow label business

One of the leading label printers in Sweden, Scan-Figus, based in Gothenburg, has completed a program of investment that has seen a move to a purpose-built 5,000 square meter factory and the installation of new technology including nine Gallus presses hooked up to a Matho waste extraction scheme, and pre-press technology for EskoArtwork. Nick Coombes reports

Scan-Figusis now in its second generation of family management, with P. Magnus Olsson taking over from his late father Sture, who founded the company in 1967. It wasn’t long before the company established contact with Gallus, another family business with whom it has remained on the closest terms for 40 years, beginning with the acquisition of Gallus R160B letterpress machines, and culminating in the most recent Gallus EM 410, which is one of four that works alongside five Gallus EM 280 presses. Flexo capability is from three to seven colors, and all the Gallus lines are fitted with ABG Vectra turret rewinders. 

‘We use the Gallus EM 280 presses for special products, while the Gallus EM 410 lines tend to concentrate on labels,’ explains Olsson, who claims to have spent in excess of SEK 50 million (USD 7.8m) on Gallus equipment alone, and now has a production facility in which no press is older than seven years. ‘Our business is 50:50 tags and self-adhesive labels, and all of our presses have water base/UV combination capability,’ he adds. 

With no print training school in Sweden, companies have to be self-sufficient for new staff. Olsson praises Gallus for the support and tuition it offers both onsite, and at its demonstration and teaching facility in St Gallen, Switzerland. It is no surprise, therefore, that it has been chosen by the Swedish Label Association as the location for its new Diploma course for the practical training of flexo printers. 

Olsson, who studied and practiced Law before joining the business in 1987, was instrumental in the recent factory move. The company’s previous site was the target of a compulsory purchase order, which enabled Scan-Figus to negotiate successfully for its new facility. It offers 2,000 square meters of production space, 2,000 square meters of warehousing, and 1,000 square meters for administration. 

The building is laid out to facilitate workflow, and Olsson is quick to comment on how much better the teamwork is at the new plant. ‘Working in a modern plant with the most modern flexo machine-park in northern Europe has really caught the imagination of the staff, and boosted performance,’ he says. 

The company has prided itself on its ability to handle special materials since the 1970s. If many consider tag printing simple, Olsson refutes this and points to the tonnage of ‘queue tickets’ he exports around the world as evidence that it requires special skills. 

For runs up to 10,000 running meters he uses the Gallus EM 280 presses, above that the Gallus EM 410 lines take over. Label markets currently served are predominantly industrial, but the food sector holds an attraction. ‘I need to be sure the margins are as attractive as the volumes suggest before pitching for the business – we are specialists and want to stay that way,’ he says, acknowledging that the trend towards more colors in food packaging would be attractive for his multi-color presses and would lift turnover beyond its current SEK 75m (USD 11.7m) level. 

To improve quality, the company has invested heavily in EskoArtwork technology over the past three years. The aim has been to overcome the perceived flexo drawbacks of tonal range and vignettes when compared with offset, and has resulted in a CDI Spark 2530 digital imager being installed. 

Capable of imaging plates up to 635 x 762 mm, it is designed for the label and tag market where plate volumes are typically small. Fitted with a one and a half square meter laser, high-resolution optics to 4000 dpi, and EskoArtwork’s Rip imaging engine, it produces unique HD-screens that combine to offer HD Flexo quality. 

The key element to EskoArtwork’s solution is its software and flexibility that allow upgrades as technology allows and demand requires. Olsson is looking to automate the whole workflow to reduce error and improve quality. This means high connectability to cater for the shorter run lengths. 

In line with the potential development into food packaging is the sophisticated Matho waste extraction system fitted to each of the Gallus lines. In addition to the matrix and edge trim, the system extracts the confetti to provide a cleaner environment and allow smoother press operation. Known as the Cuttopress CP-6000, the Matho system, which is manufactured in Germany, was tailor made for Scan-Figus and integrated with existing equipment. It has an air return facility with filter, and handles approximately 90 percent of all Scan-Figus waste, including difficult substrates. Usefully, the system is modular and can be adapted to accommodate additional presses in the factory. 

Olsson comments: ‘The new factory allowed us to look afresh at waste extraction and we quickly established a close rapport with the Matho management. We were impressed with the company’s long track record with Gallus presses, which we had witnessed in action first hand at the press production plant in Langgöns-Oberkleen in Germany.’ Once again, flexibility was a major factor, with Matho able to supply and install a bespoke system, and offer the benefit of subsequent upgrades to suit changing production requirements. 

The system features a single central pipe for extraction, which offers greater efficiency and requires less power, and the system ties up fewer staff in waste collection. The presses run smoother and more continuously, while the waste itself is recycled and converted into energy. Usefully, according to Olsson, the system is proving to be an important sales tool when customers visit the plant. 

Pictured l-r: Claus Nielsen, agent for Matho; Claus Jarning, Gallus Scandinavia; Magnus Olson, Scan-Figus; Matthias Thor, Matho; and Karsten Nygård, EskoArtwork 

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