Asahi and Esko join forces to educate Chinese market

Asahi Photoproducts has extended its relationship with Esko through an installation of an Esko CDI Spark 4260 and an XPS Crystal 5080 plate imaging technologies at the Asahi Tech Center in Suzhou, near Shanghai.

Asahi Photoproducts has extended its relationship with Esko through an installation of an Esko CDI Spark 4260 and an XPS Crystal 5080 plate imaging technologies at the Asahi Tech Center in Suzhou, near Shanghai

The Esko plate imaging technologies are supported by an Asahi AWP 230W plate processor using Asahi AWP CleanPrint water-washable plates to showcase the flexo platemaking technology in harmony with the environment.

‘Asahi Photoproducts has worked together with Esko in China for a decade and this agreement takes the relationship to a new level in our ability to serve the rapidly evolving flexographic market in China,’ said Yuji Suzuki, Asahi’s senior manager of customer technical service.

According to Suzuki, high-end print quality is increasingly required in China, and many repro houses in the region still have difficulty making plates that deliver the best print quality. 

‘One thing we will be doing in our Tech Center with the new equipment, is creating test plates for potential customers so they can see for themselves that we can deliver the quality they need. We will also use the facility to do training and seminars for customers and potential customers,’ added Suzuki.

Esko will also have access to the Tech Center, offering the possibility for Asahi’s customers to learn more about how the Esko plate imaging system functions with Asahi’s AWP CleanPrint water-washable plates. 

‘We are pleased to continue to grow our partnership with Asahi, especially in the highly competitive Chinese market,’ said Rocky Zhou, general manager for Esko in Shanghai. ‘The solutions being installed at the Asahi Tech Center will benefit both of our businesses as we work to continue to bring the latest state-of-the-art flexographic solutions to this region.’