FlexoPrint installs second Mark Andy Digital Series in Denmark

FlexoPrint has installed its second Mark Andy Digital Series press at its headquarters in Randers, Denmark.

The latest Digital Series HD UV inkjet/flexo line was chosen for being a ‘true hybrid,' according to CEO Lars Ole Nauta, who commented: 'We know the flexo process well and see UV inkjet as a stable production platform and the best match for the quality our clients’ demand.'

FlexoPrint, part of the Optimum Group of 19 companies spread across four countries, first installed a Mark Andy inkjet-flexo hybrid in 2018.

Nauta added: 'To be able to secure the best of both from one manufacturer made the initial choice of Mark Andy an easy one back in 2018, and as the first press has performed well, the new Digital Series HD version was the obvious way to go. The first Mark Andy Digital Series showed us the additional products we could offer our customers, and the second machine has enhanced that with improved quality and performance that we can now go out and sell to the market.'

This latest 13” (330mm) Mark Andy has a 5-color digital engine (CMYK+W) followed by two flexo print units. Fitted with two Vetaphone corona stations and a Teknek web cleaner, it also has cold-foil capability and a vertical semi-rotary die station.

Designed for high quality and productivity with both flexo and UV inkjet technology native to Mark Andy, it is capable of printing and converting at speeds up to 73m/min, including monochrome VDP. 

In addition, its modular design and construction permits changes to specification as the market requires. For instance, additional digital colors can be added up to a total of eight, and flexo stations and converting units can be added at any point in the line.

Currently, Optimum Group Nordic employs over 190 people across five sites in Denmark. 'We believe that to offer a high level of customer service we need to be close to them, both geographically and commercially,' Nauta said. 'Each of our five sites has its own specialist capabilities so we can satisfy demand for almost any type of label.' That includes a wide range of single- and multi-layer labels and tags on a variety of substrates from self-adhesive stock to film and foil, in up to eight colors.

The company’s business has been built on medium to long run work for large international commodity companies, where high levels of added value techniques are not always needed. This bucks the trend that many label converters are experiencing, where runs lengths are declining, and more complex labels are in demand.

'We are a highly commercial operation and see our job portfolio as a fundamental strength but are also aware of the variety and diversification that digital capability brings,' Nauta said. 'What we especially like about UV inkjet is the color consistency, where the last label is identical to the first – something we are unable to achieve with other technologies.'

One unusual aspect of FlexoPrint’s use of its Mark Andy digital hybrids is that no color adjustment is made on-press, with total reliance being on the quality of the pre-press. 'This makes repeat work so much easier and is our version of lean operations,' Nauta said. 'Around 70 percent of our customers supply us with files that go direct to production without any need for proofs. What they send is what we print and deliver – and you can only do that digitally with inkjet technology.'

Nauta also credited his longstanding relationship with Joakim Marcusson of Convertec, Mark Andy’s agent in Scandinavia.

Mark Andy recently hosted a Digital Symposium at its headquarters in Chesterfield, Missouri, offering an exclusive tour of its demo center and a firsthand look at the Digital Pro Max and Digital Series HD machines, as well as a P-7 machine featuring the DSiQ-R digital inkjet module.