Stovec installment for Indian label printing industry

Stovec Industries Ltd Ahmedabad (Gujarat/India), supplier of screen and flexo printing consumable products, has set up the first engraving and re-imaging service for narrow-web electroformed nickel rotary screen cylinders in India.

The engraving facilities, supplied by Stork Prints, are based on the exposure method, and will support users of Stork's RotaMesh screens.

The company said in a statement: ‘The service enables India’s narrow-web printers to get their screens engraved at lower cost and faster than was previously possible. There is no need to import screens from abroad and pay expensive duties; furthermore, lead-times are as low as three days. As a result, users of the nickel rotary screen will be able to benefit more from the cost-savings the format offers, namely a long life and the ability to withstand many engraving cycles.’

Mr Kaushik Magiawala, from Stovec Industries Ltd, commented: ‘There is strong growth in demand for screen-printed labels in India. It’s fuelled mostly by the major grocery, cosmetic and pharmaceutical manufacturers, who want consistent standards of presentation globally. The opening of this engraving service enables the country’s label converters to provide a local source of high-quality labels, much more competitively, and with greater flexibility than before.’

The announcement follows a series of narrow-web rotary screen installations in the country. In Mumbai, the converter Essel installed a 10” RSI (Rotary Screen Integration) unit on their Ko-Pack press; also, Maharshi (Ahmedabad) and Pragati (Indore) have acquired Stork’s light, Easy Fit unit for their flexo presses. Update (Delhi) is in process of installing the RSI Compact model on a Rotatek press, while Meena Printech (Mumbai) is also planning to buy a Nilpeter machine, with a screen head.

Ger Roza, sales manager for Stork Prints, added: ‘The cost of ownership of the rotary screen printing process is falling. Not only is it less costly to get hold of the consumables, but new small-size units have been launched that help label printers gain a faster return on investment. These factors will drive up the use of rotary screen printing in India.’

When used for decorative applications, the rotary screenprinting process is used in-line, alongside other printing processes like flexo, offset, letterpress or gravure. The process is an option available to printers with relatively small budgets today.

Rotary screen printing’s unique ability to lay down up to 300 m (micron) in one go makes it ideal for printing many high-value effects that give a label a high-impact look and distinctive feel. Examples that are in demand include opaques – especially for the no-label look, metallic foil, tactile effects including Braille, dazzling coarse or fine-line varnishes, scratch-inks used to promote luxury items like perfumes, and glossy, bright colors. Dedicated ‘stand alone’ rotary screen printing lines are a very productive means of laying down RFID antenna.