H&P Etiketten, a label printer based in Salzbergen, Germany, has streamlined production and boosted responsiveness for complex color work with the installation of a Colorsat Match system from GSE Dispensing.Operating three MPS flexo presses, H&P Etiketten supplies labels and multilayer, flexible and carton packaging for fast-moving consumer goods markets. According to managing director and company partner Norbert Hollermann, greater competition in all sectors of the retail goods market has meant brands need high impact to catch the attention of consumers: ‘One knock-on effect has been the greater requirement for unique, spot colors, and demand for as many as eleven colors on a single label. We were relying increasingly on an external resource to prepare special colors, which not only extended lead times – sometimes delaying the job for up to two days if there was an error – but also ate into our margins. So, we decided to bring the ink mixing operation in-house.’
The Colorsat Match gravimetric system enables preparation of special and patented house colors in batches of 1 to 5 kg. Windows-based for ease of use, the Match can dispense in less than three minutes, to an accuracy of one gramme. Waste has been reduced by almost 90 percent at H&P Etiketten, as ink volumes match the production run requirements. The IMS software also allows surplus ‘press return' to be incorporated into new jobs and the company has been able to reduce ink stocks by a third. As added back-up, an extranet link to the Brummen headquarters of GSE Dispensing provides remote diagnostics to deal with any technical problems.
Hollermann is confident the system will easily cope with the extra workload from a fourth MPS flexo press, to be installed shortly. ‘The ability to have a recipe available virtually on demand gives us certainty that all the components will be ready for press on time,’ he said. ‘The Colorsat Match has enabled us to protect our margins and deliver with greater flexibility and according to the exacting quality demands of our brand owner customers.’
