Russia’s Okil-Sato installs sixth MPS press

St Petersburg, Russia based converter Okil-Sato has installed its sixth MPS press, a 14-colour EFA 430 in November 2021. The new fully automated multi-substrate MPS EFA press, equipped with converting and embellishment options, was purchased to increase capacity for printing self-adhesive labels. The installation was led by Ogard, the Russian representative of MPS Systems.

(L-R) Niels van Groenendaal, MPS regional sales director and Denis Okulov, CEO of Okil at the Factory Acceptance Test of Okil’s new MPS EFA 430 press
Okil was founded in 1995 and claims to hold 15 percent market share in the Russian self-adhesive labels and flexible packaging market.  
 
The converter services over 500 Russian and transnational brands including manufacturers of alcoholic and food products, beverages, cosmetics, household and chemical goods. The manufacturing unit houses more than two dozen machines. The group of companies has production sites in the Urals and Siberia, where MPS printing presses are also installed and operated.  
 
The automated MPS EFA flexo printing press is a multi-substrate press, designed for printing on polymer rolls and paper self-adhesive materials, aluminum foil, thin monofilms and light cardboard. The machine is claimed to provide stable registration, and any deviations in the printing and finishing process are automatically monitored and corrected. With full automation, the EFA can change orders with the proprietary Automated Print Control system (APC), which automatically sets the desired pressure settings (anilox to plate, plate to substrate).  
 
The features of the EFA press include MPS patented Crisp.Dot technology with a non-driven counter-pressure roller, which provides friction-free print momentum and ‘minimal dot gain’, AutoTeach for automatic pre-register for new repeat size or web path, Job Memory to save all job settings and load them during similar orders, iStop for job changes, iControl interface and Quick Change Die.  
 
MPS EFA presses can be installed in customized configurations with the required number of converting modules. With Ultraflex Rail system converting units can be moved and positioned. The rail units such as cross-over, delam-relam, in-register lamination, hot foil or screen printing can be moved to a different position or change the sequence. 
 
Over 50 printing presses manufactured by the Dutch company MPS Systems have been installed and currently operate in Russia. ‘With fast changeovers, highest reliability, consistent and predictable print quality, these presses provides the lowest cost per 1,000 labels in the industry,’ the company said.