First US patent for APEX North America: GTT gaining momentum through the American printing industry
Genetic Transfer Technology (GTT), Apex Group of Companies’ groundbreaking successor to traditional closed-cell anilox printing, received a major boost this month with the news that it has been granted its first US Patent.
The unique printing technology, which revolutionized the flexographic industry when it was first launched in Europe in 2008, has consolidated its position among progressive printers in North America since its initial introduction in 2010. The GTT family now includes GTTCORR (for the corrugated industry), GTTFLEX (for flexible packaging), GTTLABEL, GTTCOAT and GTTOFFSET, which debuted at DRUPA 2012. The US Patent (US-2012-0298002) came just in time for Info*Flex 2013, where Apex North America showcased its pioneering technologies to an increasingly receptive audience of brand leaders and key decision makers. Spearheading GTT’s new American revolution is APEX North America’s powerhouse sales force, which is led by North American Sales Director Aaron Lessing and supported by a strong team which includes newcomers David Root, David McBeth, Mark Sherk and Douglas Burich.
55 year old David Root concentrates on the Towel, Tissue and Napkin sector. An FTA Board Member with more than three decades of experience in the printing industry, his focus is on introducing APEX and GTT into the special niche market of Towel, Bath Tissue and Napkin Converting, along with Glue Laminations.
Says David Root: “APEX has special technologies which fit well into this niche market. These technologies will support a continued and advanced movement for improved print reproduction and glue applications.” 47 year old David McBeth, who specializes in the Corrugated sector for APEX North America, has been in printing since he was an 18-year old apprentice, and in Flexo since 1996. A former technical committee member of the EFTA (European Flexographic Technical Association), his primary goal is to bring in his contacts at Multinational and OEM levels, and to develop the GTT market from the ground up. Says David McBeth: “The push into the corrugated market in the US is going to be a challenge but I think APEX have the technology and vision to develop this market into multinational corrugated companies.” Key account manager Mark Sherk is a 33 year veteran of the printing industry, 10 of which have been spent in sales. As a result of his extensive knowledge of the printing and flexographic industry, aligned with his unwavering commitment to customer service, Mark has successfully increased revenue in large territories, and is confident that he can do the same for GTT in North America.
Recent addition to the APEX North America team is Douglas Burich, who joined the company to look after clients in the Northern, Central and Midwest arenas. He will also manage certain key accounts nationally. Throughout his career he has operated across a number of disciplines within the packaging industry, most recently selling flexo printing presses and gravure coaters. His knowledge of the printing and coating processes, combined with his technical ability, mean that Doug will be a genuine asset for APEX North America– and for its customers.