Networked solutions

Apr 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Denise Kapel

The PrintCity Alliance hosted a pre-Drupa media summit in picturesque Tegernsee, Germany, this February. The group announced its new theme and plans for Drupa 2008, including seven Competence Centres focused on various segments of the print industry. “Connection of Competence” is PrintCity's core strategy for the quadrennial trade fair, emphasizing its focus on networking between alliance members and their shared customers. Several member companies presented previews of their plans for the show and for participation in the PrintCity Alliance Competence Centres in Hall 6.

Seven core competencies

The seven Competence Centres bring together PrintCity Alliance member companies whose technologies are complementary and can be integrated into comprehensive solutions.

Brand protection

“Effective security comes from a multilayered approach to the challenge of counterfeiting.” The PrintCity project team created a new pharma box to demonstrate the combination of a variety of techniques on one package. Samples and information will be available.

Participating PrintCity members: Jura, Kurz, MAN Roland, Merck, Sun Chemical and Weilburger Graphics.

Food packaging

“The food industry requires packaging that does not impact the contents during their life cycle, and which remains inert to the environment and the food packaged inside.” Specialists from PrintCity members will be available to help visitors address the complex challenge for food packaging printing and converting.

Participating PrintCity members: Adphos Eltosch, Kurz, M-Real, MAN Roland, Merck, Sun Chemical and Weilburger Graphics.

Value-added UV printing

“UV printing and coating is the core technique for value-added printing because it provides the widest range of techniques and substrates to increase product differentiation in the packaging, publishing and promotional sectors.” PrintCity will offer a fully revised second edition of PrintCity's “Optimised Sheetfed UV Printing & Coating” best practices guide. The UV Expert Point ensures that existing and interested new users are fully informed on the process and its opportunities.

Participating PrintCity members: Adphos Eltosch, MAN Roland, Merck, Sappi, Sun Chemical and UPM.

Value-added web offset

“The meeting centre for web offset printers, publishers and print buyers to update on new trends and technologies from leaders in the industry.” PrintCity members will be on hand to explain cross-process projects. “Value-added printing on newspaper presses” will cover the performance of various process choices. Energy efficiency and ultrawide web offset also will be covered.

Participating PrintCity members: Axima, MacDermid, MAN Roland, Megtec, Sun Chemical, UPM and Web Offset Champion Group.

Workflow integration & networking

“The graphic industry is becoming a fully integrated and automated business and manufacturing process. The ultimate goal is the smart printing factory in which each production step responds automatically to the outcome of the preceding one.” This discussion starts with the digital workflow order cycle and ends with the client, encompassing all of the players as well as supporting systems and software for automation and lean manufacturing.

Participating PrintCity members: MAN Roland, Fujifilm and Optimus.

Digital transpromo

“The arrival of cost-effective digital color printing now enables companies to transform transaction documents from cost drivers to value-adding promotional tools. This enables companies to leverage their transaction documents into effective, marketing tools that promote dialogue with customers.” PrintCity experts will discuss how to implement digital transpromo printing successfully.

Participating PrintCity members: Océ, Böwe Group, Lasermax Roll Systems and UPM.

Print meets electronic media

“Print and electronic technologies work alongside each other as complementary choices in the media mix. The next development step will be the convergence of these currently parallel technologies into new hybrid devices that potentially combine the best attributes of both worlds.” PrintCity members will discuss hybrid workflows and future applications, including intelligent packaging, smart inks on printed publications, interactive communication links and RFID.

Participating PrintCity members: EPYXS, Kurz, MAN Roland, Sappi, Sun Chemical, Upcode, UPM, VTT and the Welsh Centre for Printing & Coating..

These Competence Centres are all located in Hall 6 and manned by dedicated teams of PrintCity Alliance member personnel. They will be there to share their knowledge and explain to visitors how networking companies work together to provide customer benefits and add value.

Step into a virtual forest

UPM (Helsinki, Finland; Westmont, IL) will showcase a wide variety of paper grades for different end uses and printing methods as well as innovative service solutions in Hall 6, stand C43. UPM is a major paper supplier for several print machine manufacturers during the fair. With the market introduction of new XXL sheetfed machines such as the KBA Rapida 205, UPM marketing vice president Jussi Toikka noted that demand for the company's extra-large paper formats is expanding massively.

At Drupa, UPM Technical Services will launch new concepts including a UPM Printing Simulator for training use and a new iRoll “Tape Solution” for press troubleshooting. iRoll brings the tools used in papermaking to printers, providing tape-based analysis for fixed-width rollers.

Juha-Pekka Juuti, director of energy asset management for UPM, highlighted the company's efforts on the environmental front. These include sustainable forestry, improved energy efficiency in production, use of renewable fuels, reduction of fossil carbon dioxide emissions, and recycling. Drupa visitors can step into the UPM stand's “virtual forest,” created with interactive digital presentation technology. UPM's stand also will feature the new ProFi deck made from recycled wood fiber and plastic.

The company also introduced WISA-Image, a coated plywood substrate for large-format inkjet and silkscreen printing. Designed for long-term outdoor end use, the durable, rigid panels can be reused or recycled.

‘Working for you’

Sun Chemical (Parsippany, NJ) unveiled the first details of its plans for Drupa, which will involve innovations covering publication, packaging, commercial and industrial sectors.

Felipe Mellado, corporate vice president of marketing for Sun Chemical, said, “Our customers' needs are driving the way forward. These days, it's not just about having the best products, it's about having the complete customer-focused value-added package. Sun Chemical exceeds, not just aims to meet, its clients' needs. Our global footprint enables us to deliver solutions in local markets worldwide.”

A subsidiary of Dainippon Ink and Chemicals (Tokyo), Sun Chemical has a global network covering 300 locations in 56 countries, 12,000 employees and 10 research and development centers. “We have patented one innovation every two weeks, on average, for the past four years,” said Mellado, “and our intention is to increase that pace.” He also announced Sun Chemical's parent company will launch a new name, DIC Corp., and logo as it celebrates its 2008 centennial.

Quality, service and innovation — as well as environmental issues — top Sun Chemical's Drupa agenda. The company's inks will be used on many of the presses that will be running at the show, and its theme in Hall 6, stand B75, is “Working for you.”

“Drupa will be the perfect showcase to demonstrate our latest innovations as part of the strategic direction driven by Rudi Lenz, our new CEO and president,” said Mellado. “These will range from the latest low-migration products in packaging to new technologies for newspapers, new environmentally friendly sheetfed inks in the commercial market, and new products for very-large-format graphic printers. We also will be unveiling the latest developments in color management, such as SmartColour.”

Stay tuned, as Mellado noted that a new ink series for straight and perfecting presses will be introduced at Drupa, in response to market demand for a versatile, high-productivity ink with a low carbon footprint.