Pharma Impurity Conclave 2023

Thursday, April 12, 2018

First Mark Andy Digital One installed in Mumbai’s Barcom Industries

Mumbai based Barcom Industries has become the first label manufacturing company to opt for Mark Andy Digital One label printing press in Asia. Installed at their factory close to Mumbai, the installation was done by Flexo Image Graphics (FIG), the distributor of Mark Andy presses in the Indian sub-continent.

A Mark Andy loyalist, Prasanna Sahu, chairman of Barcom Industries, evaluated Digital One and decided to partner with them because of the simple, approachable solution for making digital printing more accessible to narrow-web converters. Prasanna says, “Our digital commitment is growing. We were looking for a perfect production-level hybrid solution that combines digital printing with in-line converting. After a thorough research and evaluating our customers’ needs, we decided to invest in Mark Andy Digital One primarily for its ease of operation, quality output, and fast production. Compact design of this press is one of the major advantages in shrinking spaces and high land cost scenario.’

Digital One is an entry-level digital label press designed for short and micro run prime labels. The press is made up of 4 color dry toner printing process and a multi-function flexo deck for spot colors, laminates, adhesives or varnishes. Unlike many other small footprint digital devices, Digital One provides inline converting and finishing, delivering ready-to-ship label production.

With Digital One the possibilities are endless. Micro runs. Versioning. Variable data. Stronger competition. Shorter delivery times. These increasing demands are just a few reasons why Digital One is the solution for printing profitable prime labels. Designed for profitable short run prime labels, offering an optimal balance of digital and flexo, Prasanna said that one of the objectives of this investment is to deliver finished products to customers in short span of time. “We plan to print various short run jobs on this press which will help us to deliver them faster. This is primarily because digital printing eliminates several processes such as the need of making plates, registration, color matching, reduces wastage, time, and requires less labor.”

Segregation of jobs to be printed on existing flexo presses and new digital press is majorly based on quantity of labels required. ‘We have our benchmark to decide short run jobs, which includes various factors such as cost, time, amongst others,’ he explained. Company is further working on various requirements of customers including security labels, special screen printing, variable data and images, to be printed using Mark Andy Digital One label printing press.

“Barcom Industries is satisfied with smooth training and post sales service support received for this press,” says Prasanna. “FIG got its service team trained in the US before the installation and follow up visits were made by engineers from headquarters and Thailand,” he added.

Gourav Roy, managing director of FIG, said, “Investing in new equipment is a big decision, but investing in efficient equipment that will help you grow your business is a smart outcome for your big decision. The management of Barcom is very dynamic and willing to adopt new technology to achieve good results. We are pleased to be one of the long-term partners of the company.”

When reflecting on the value of Digital One, Prasanna concluded, “Barcom Industries is committed to its mission of providing high-quality labels that consistently exceeds customers’ expectations, while positioning them for growth into the future. The Digital One has been a great addition to our business and it ensures our customers receive the highest quality work at a competitive price.”

Barcom Industries started business in 2002 with a used Mark Andy 830 press, followed by Scout, a fleet of Mark Andy 2200 presses. Today, the company houses several Mark Andy Performance Series P5 presses alongside the Digital One. It also houses eight Rotoflex inspection slitter rewinders with 100 percent fault detection systems and will soon receive four new Rotoflex HSI label inspection, slitting and rewinding machines with 100 percent Nikka L1 inspection cameras. Barcom has also opted for Rotoflex bi-directional pharma inspection.