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Case Study - Mail-Well Label
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Success for custom web press
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Look almost anywhere in equipment today and the phrase 'state-of-the-art
technology ' is sure to appear somewhere. At Mail-Well Label, however, site
manager Guy Leger and manufacturing manager Claude Jean realize technology
is not so much a 'state' as a process of continuous improvement. As such,
it's theirs to modify, to direct, to drive. With it they have become the
technology flagship of Lawson Mardon Label.
Lawson Mardon Label comprises six printing plants across North America.
These plants include the facilities of erstwhile companies such as Lawson
Mardon Pacific, Widmeyer, Montreal Lithographing, and Crocker, which have
retained a fair amount of individual identity. Under the Lawson Mardon
Label umbrella, however, each now specializes in specific products - flexo
labels, conventional, specialty labels-for specific markets.
Until a few years ago, Mail-Well Label produced much of its work for
smaller more local customers. Today, Mail-Well Label runs specialty
products exclusively, primarily for the high end beverage and food markets.
In addition to three sheet-fed presses, they are running up to ten colours
including multiple varnishes in one pass on a new hybrid LG-200 press
developed by RDP Marathon. The press is configured in 10 units , both litho
and gravure, with additional flexo capability.
According to Guy Leger, targeting big international companies with
worldwide brands and distribution has sharpened the focus on specialty
products. Claude Jean explains that a lot of pressure is put on their
company to figure out production techniques in a hurry. Since most
consumers make purchase decisions in the store these days, labels have to
work harder to win the sale. As well, Leger explains that clients are
difficult to please. One process will not do it all, so they decided to
explore combination presses.
The search for a platform
The search for the right press was long and took several years. Jean,
who did much traveling, recalled: 'Our goal was to eliminate multi-pass
work; to obtain the highest possible quality, and to increase volume. Every
process and every press manufacturer was under consideration: offset,
letterpress, gravure, flexo. We asked if they could make us a piece of
equipment that could do what we wanted.'
'I got a lot of strange looks, he explains. 'Some manufacturers were
more sympathetic than others, but who can afford to support the R&D
required to come up with customisation on that level?'
Although their initial inquiries were into sheetfed, narrow web was
becoming more prominent at the time, and it soon became apparent that web
had the most potential.
Because RDP Marathon's initial customer base had been business forms /
promotional graphics printers, Mail-Well Label hadn't heard of their work.
When RDP gave Mail-Well Label a call, requirements were stated, ideas
exchanged and a new press was on its way to inception.
More than a platform
Jean commented, 'we needed more sophistication than RDP offered at the
time, like better distribution of ink. But that's where their engineering
skill delivered.' The key elements to the success of the new press were the
tie-ins that RDP engineered, making the litho and gravure process work
together. RDP uses gravure units designed and manufactured by W R Chesnut
Engineering in Fairfield, New Jersey, a long time leader in this technology
for narrow web presses. The gravure units were specified with flexo
inserts, although the litho units also offer flexo capability. Mail-Well
Label uses flexo primarily for coatings.
Another key was the open architecture control system. RDP Marathon uses
a complete software / hardware package provided by Honeywell Oy of Finland.
Honeywell is an independent third party developer of press control systems
for high end applications. They furnished a comprehensive system that gives
Mail-Well Label the Ability to control the process, not merely inspect the
product. Part of this system is the Aldec closed-loop colour control system
that measures and controls colour density, impression by impression, while
the press is running. Mail-Well Label worked very closely with Honeywell to
make sure they had the ability to modify the system on-site. Today an
Mail-Well Label electronics technician can design enhancements and
implement them.
Making the transition
It's also hard to ask your press crew to move into the web mentally when
they're used to sheetfed. That's what Leger did however. He felt it didn't
make sense to hire a new crew. The reputation for quality and service
starts with the press people and they know the customers. Several things
have made the transition easier, not least among them the control room and
the elimination of anti-offset spray 'dusting' inherent in the sheetfed
process. The whole software driven press is reliable. The people at RDP
were not content with delivering the equipment and moving on to the next
project. RDP and Mail-Well Label are still going through development
together.
The focus in the future will increase in specialty products. The sales
people are already selling Mail-Well Label's new capabilities and Leger
expects one third of the plant's work to come from new customers.
Any new press is a considerable investment, but Mail-Well Label has
further invested the time and energy to define the press technology that
will work best to meet their goals. 'Certainly, we will be able to handle
increasingly complex labels,' said Jean, 'but that's just the beginning.
The press is also waterless ready which will allow us to take our customers
to a new level of quality. You just have to know which products you're
going to use it for. They can also offer Corona treating. For us it's an
extra feature, but if you can do things your competition can't do, you have
an advantage in the marketplace.' Mail-Well Label was so optimistic about
their new capabilities that the installation area was designed with room to
accommodate a second web press.
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