Flint Group invests in new printing press to drive developments of future ink technologies for Narrow Web printers
Flint Group Narrow Web has made the strategic decision to invest in a new Nilpeter combination printing press to be situated in the company’s Centre of Technical Excellence in Trelleborg Sweden. Guillaume Clement, Global Business Director Narrow Web, says, “Flint group has a strong commitment to continue to invest in its Narrow Web segment – today and into the future. This new press is another step to further develop this growing, and key market segment for us.”
He continues, “As a number one leader and global supplier, we are committed to support our customers’ growth. Our two Centres of Technical Excellence are fully equipped to satisfy our customers’ needs in all targeted regions. This new press is mostly dedicated to accelerate new product and business development in Europe, Middle East, Africa, India and Asia with a special focus on Pressure Sensitive, Shrink Sleeves and Flexible Packaging segments. Our second Centre for Technical Excellence in the United States is already supporting customers in North America and Latin America. We continuously strengthen our Narrow Web global infrastructure. This new press investment is part of it and proves our dedication to research and development – our drive toward continuous innovation.”
“By investing in an advanced narrow web press, capable of running all the latest technologies, Flint Group is creating a print centre with outstanding technical capabilities that will energise the innovation process of inks for the future,” says Global Product Director Narrow Web, Jennifer Joyce.
She continues, “Flint Group will continue to use the latest and most advanced technologies to further Narrow Web market growth; both in product development and in our technical centres. This investment is in line with our innovation strategy – further positioning Flint Group Narrow Web as a leader in innovation. As our customers are at the centre of all we do, we strive to co-develop products and services with them.”
“We are very proud that Flint Group is making this significant investment in the Narrow Web business segment,” says Narrow Web Global Brand Manager, Niklas Olsson. He continues, “We know the value of a printing press, which can be fully allocated for R&D and testing; we have enjoyed the benefits of our own press for the last 20 years. This now continues into the next generation; with a state of the art printing press, we can simulate real life situations that our clients are facing, and thus correct and fine tune ink formulations for ultimate press performance.”
Flint Group foresees market demands and the direction in which end applications are developing and have, therefore, designed the new press to be equipped with both inert gas atmosphere as well as UV LED lamps – enabling our ink chemists to experiment fully with the technologies for the future. The new Nilpeter press is equipped with five printing stations; platforms that can be changed into various print methods, including flexo, screen and offset. With multiple drying systems, Flint Group is able to handle all ink chemistries including water-based and solvent-based that are hot air or IR drying, as well as UV mercury lamps and the latest UV LED lamps.
The new press in the Centre of Technical Excellence in Trelleborg, Sweden will focus on running intense ink testing, often in cooperation with substrate suppliers, but also key accounts of Flint Group Narrow Web will be offered a platform for testing and training. Flint Group will host a series of training seminars starting in early 2014, involving both theory as well as practical “how to” training on subjects like short run packaging as well as an introduction to UV LED printing.
Guillaume Clement closes in saying, “This investment is a first move. Flint Group has a vision for sustainable growth and continuous improvement; this is another milestone to a very exciting future and our support of this expanding market.”