Swedish 1st reaps rapid rewards

The installation of the first Kodak Flexcel NX System at Sweden’s Okab Intergraphic has been so successful that the packaging specialist expects to achieve payback in just nine months.  ‘We wanted to be unique and offer something special to our customers. Being the first company in Sweden to install this technology allows us to do that,’ stated Mats Esbjornsson, VP of the €6.6m turnover operation, whose client portfolio includes Kavli, Arla, and Electrolux.  He added: ‘We are still working towards full production, but we already expect the system will have paid for itself by the end of the year.’

The new Kodak system produces plates that deliver high on-press performance, achieving near gravure-class print quality on a wide variety of substrates.  It enables customers to grow their businesses through enhanced print quality, helps reduce costs through production efficiency, and supports sustainability goals through reduced waste.  It also delivers imaging stability and predictability, true 1:1:1 image reproduction, stable flat top dot structure providing consistent quality, repeatability on press, smaller minimum dots, excellent ink transfer, and impression latitude with full tonal range.

Quality is not the only gain, according to Esbjornsson: ‘We are 25% more productive, and where other systems require full separation on a job to get dot and full-tone plates, with the Flexcel NX System these are combined.  So instead of five color separation we need only four – and that can save as much as 15 minutes or
€90 - €100 per job.’