Xeikon claims success at Labelexpo and gears up for China

Xeikon, owned by Punch Graphix (PGX), has claimed significant success following the company’s exhibit at the LabelExpo show in Brussels at the end of September.

During the event, Xeikon produced some 16,000 meters (> 5,000 sqm) of printed material from its demonstration machine. This volume of printing included regular job changes each day of the show, and featured realistic demonstration jobs from the label market. Filip Weymans, business development manager for labels at PGX, said: ‘These numbers demonstrate that the Xeikon 330 is THE real production press. The show highlighted that digital really has arrived in the label market – it has left the “kindergarten” and has claimed its spot on the shop floor – a fact that has been proved by many customers throughout the world in recent years.’

Whilst printing this massive amount of demonstration work, the Xeikon 330 also incorporated over 1,000,000 unique barcodes, thanks to the computing power that now resides within the product’s powerful X-800 front-end system. ‘We were able to demonstrate 1D, 2D and even combination barcodes, generated on the press thus reducing the threshold of variable data printing, as an integral part of our demonstrations,’ added Filip Weymans. ‘This ability to produce unique images on every pass is only possible on a digital press, and we were able to demonstrate just how easily this can now be accomplished with the Xeikon products.’

A number of orders for Xeikon label presses have been announced so far as a result of the exhibition. An order for Italian label printing specialist Indet was announced during the event, and orders were taken for machines to be delivered to USA, Poland, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, and UK.

The Danish company Ganket has become the fourth new Xeikon 330 owner in Scandinavia this year. Ganket is a family owned business that has been an established provider to the label market in Denmark for 30 years. The company currently employs eight conventional printing machines and a staff of 18 personnel. ‘Ganket is a typical type of customer that we are now gaining for the Xeikon 330,’ said Filip Weymans. ‘They know the label business very well, and are equipped for long-run production. They also see, however, the need for a high-quality system to produce shorter run work and work that incorporates unique features, such as regularly changing barcodes and individual numbering.’

Per Andersen, managing director of Ganket, added, ‘With focus on economy, less capital tied up in stock, and easy adjustments to small market segments, digital print is the solution for our customers for small and medium print volumes. A digital press means that we can put customer files straight onto the press, without repro or set-up costs involved.’

PGX has also recently announced that it will be present at LabelExpo Asia, taking place in Shanghai from December 7th to 9th.

The web-fed Xeikon 330 is able to print on label stock, paper and synthetic media in widths up to 330mm and weights up to 250 gsm. The variable data capability of the X-800 digital front-end means that files can incorporate regular changes in image. The digital press can be completed with post press equipment suitable for varnishing, laminating, cutting, slitting and re-reeling.