Packaging
New factory and 3rd new Alpha Flexo press for Kostendrukkers BV
Monday 04. August 2008 - Ferry Zoutendijk, 2nd generation owner/CEO of Kostendrukkers BV will soon open his new factory in Rotterdam. He explains, "We have been in this location since 1989 initially starting with sheet offset printing in 1976, then adding reel to reel screen printing. Flexo was added next, and finally digital printing which today counts for 30% of our work.
“Our business focus is on self-adhesive labels in the petrochemical and agrochemical markets. Being a market niche player lead to a number of specialities, especially booklet labels. Today, the company employs 35 people and export to many EU countries amounting to 60%.
“The explanation to all these printing processes lies in the continuous progression and close collaboration with our customers, initially offering the whole range of sheet offset printed services. Over the years, wet glue labels became a key part and when moving towards self adhesive labels, our first reel to reel screen printing press was installed. This was because chemical labels demanded screen printing ink resistancy towards abrasion, sun, rain and a wide range of temperatures from extreme hot to extreme minus temperatures.”
With the overall improvements in Flexo, the first Edale E-250S 6 colour flexopress was installed in 1997. The E-250S gradually took over screen printed jobs due to its improving ink performance characteristics and increased print quality. There was no surprise then that a 2nd E-250S followed within five years.
The jump into digital printing became a must due to the increasingly shorter production runs and repeat jobs. Kostendrukkers opinion is that digital is a good step to produce high-quality labels, especially in shorter runs, and this would help us to reach markets we couldnt reach before. Ferry Zoutendijk comments, “we introduced a new marketing and sales strategy of growth which lead to new customers on the domestic and export front. We realised then that as a medium sized, family owned market-niche business, we have opportunities we did not expect or even knew. Increasing our customer base on a more international scale lead to a huge increase in new orders, many of them again back to larger volumes. The first Edale Alpha 5 colour fully UV press was installed in 2004.
“The success of our machine investment policy is mainly due to the fact that we purchased what we needed, i.e. compact, high performance, low waste, high print quality presses which are mainly used to 90% of their technical specification. In other words, there is no over-specified press being under-utilised in our plant. This gives us maximum productivity, profitability and faster return on investment. All this allowed us to purchase the 2nd 5 colour fully UV Alpha two years later and again in 2008, the 3rd 5 colour fully UV Flexo Alpha.
“Flexo is our easiest and most cost-effective production process with very little maintenance service and spares. We also believe in strong long term supplier collaboration and Edale is a prime example.”
“Maybe our presses are designed and built to last forever,” says Bernhard Grob, Export Director of Edale Ltd., “but this is a trademark one does not want to give up and helps to counter the low cost copies coming from the Far East and China. Printers require reliability and day-in, day-out production without teasing problems attached with machines.
“Kostendrukkers BV is a prime example of the many of our Alpha customers who have more then one Alpha due to its overall performance in quality, profitability and return on investment.”
The Alpha 5 colour fully UV flexo press requires just 2.5m2 of floor space. Job set-up and change-over are carried out quickly and with ease with the operator not having to move about as on larger modular presses. Once the job is set, the operator can control the press from one point and therefore give more attention to the production performance. Due to all this and the short distance between the unwind and rewind, important waste can be reduced dramatically – a great advantage when it comes to daily profit margins. Bernhard Grob continues, “We educate our customers not just to look at the initial purchasing price but even more on the daily savings and price advantages which are both more instrumental in the annual performance and profitability of a company.”
With nearly 150 Alpha presses sold since its launch in 2001, many label printers with larger, multi-colour presses have downloaded their 1 to 5-colour jobs onto an Alpha so that each press can be used to its full technical potential most of the time.
Bernhard Grob summarises, “Many sheet offset printers who have needed to move into reel production, because of wet-glue labels migrating to self-adhesive labels, have chosen the Edale Alpha as their first flexo investment. This move has improved their profits and often seen the expansion for a second Edale Alpha, a larger modular flexopress or even a combination Edale press.
“Kostendrukkers Alpha flexopress which is shown at the Drupa show will hopefully encourage many Drupa visitors to have a closer look.”