04 January 2018

African converter opts for Kocher + Beck screen equipment

Situated in Paarl, Western Cape, Limitless Labels is a new entrant in South Africa’s label printing community. This family-owned operation is the brainchild of Nico Odendaal, businessman, entrepreneur and also – somewhat surprisingly – a South African Airways captain. But, while Odendaal is CEO, the day-to-day management rests in the experienced hands of his step-son, Jean van der Walt, MD, and a team of highly-skilled staff members, all of whom offer deep expertise in label printing and converting matters.

Visiting South Africa was K+B's TecScreen product manager, John Fehrenbacher

‘We specialize in UV flexo printing of labels, particularly for local wine and spirits producers,’ van der Walt explains.

This one-year-old business, according to van der Walt, has a distinct mission. Its primary purpose is to meet the largely unanswered call for very short lead times, and often short runs, especially for smaller wine estates. ‘We’re not trying to be the cheapest printer in town, but we are offering an unrivalled service when it comes to short lead times, coupled with superb quality,’ he contends. ‘Additionally, we’re passionate about what we do and give the business our best efforts all day, every day.’

Moving from the philosophical to the technological, however, a sense of déjà vu sets in, as pride of place in the factory goes to a 300mm-wide Nilpeter F280 12-station UV flexo press (ten colors plus screen printing and hot/cold foiling) that was originally transferred from a Rako site in Germany to Cape Town’s Rako-Tamperseal operation – now All4Labels – and later sold to Limitless Labels in a deal facilitated by Rotocon Consulting & Service, through its burgeoning business in refurbished equipment.

Print-ready screens

Again facilitated by Rotocon, Limitless Labels’ purchase of Kocher+Beck screen exposure and mounting equipment allows for in-house production of print-ready screens, using K+B’s TecScreen material.

This marks the first sale of this equipment in South Africa since Rotocon took on this important agency earlier this year.

With this installation, Limitless Labels is able to produce a print-ready screen in less than an hour – compared to waiting weeks for imported screens. ‘This is essential when we’re meeting very tight deadlines for labels and the simultaneous demand for top quality,’ says van der Walt.

As Rotocon’s Michael Aengenvoort adds, rotary screen printing remains a highly valuable feature when it comes to producing labels for marketers of leading brands: ‘To compete in highly competitive markets – such as wine and spirits – image is everything.

And screen printing provides effects that take labels to another level.’

Visiting South Africa was K+B’s TecScreen product manager, John Fehrenbacher, conducting training on screen-making techniques with members of the Limitless Labels production team, including Cecilia Steyn, now the chief screen-maker.

He explains that K+B’s TecScreen is a high-definition, precoated printing plate, made of a nickel-plated stainless steel material, coated with photopolymer and protected against mechanical damages with a carrier foil. It offers a number of design characteristics that make it stand apart, particularly register accuracy.

Additionally, as Jean van der Walt reiterates, costs are always an issue in the label market. ‘TecScreen allows us to use the advantages of screen printing at an affordable cost,’ he asserts.

And there’s no delay in answering L&L’s final question: what is the next investment likely to be? ‘We will be purchasing a new MPS press in the not-too-distant future,’ van der Walt responds. ‘We’ve had nothing but exemplary service from the Rotocon team – with the purchase of the refurbished Nilpeter press, and the installation of the K+B TecScreen system. We’ll have no hesitation in ordering the new MPS through Rotocon.’