Flint Group Symposium Focused on Key Market Trends Within the Flexo Industry

STUTTGART, GERMANY—June 6, 2012—About 80 participants from all over the world accepted Flint Group Flexographic Products’ invitation to a distributor symposium on May 2, 2012 here. Shortly before drupa, they welcomed the opportunity to receive first-hand information on current technologies and developments within the flexo industry.

Experts from the printing industry gave an insight into the latest trends within the packaging industry and laser technology. Flint Group specialists informed the audience on novelties in the field of sleeves and adapters, as well as printing plates, especially on the latest development, the high-durometer flexographic printing plates nyloflex® ACE NEW and nyloflex® ACE NEW Digital, which will be launched in quarter 3, 2012 thus setting a new standard in efficiency and productivity. Presentations on the themes “automation and standardization,” as well as “exposure technology” rounded off the series of lectures.

The event was concluded by a live-presentation of the latest generations of equipment in the Flint Group demonstration center in Stuttgart. For the first time since market introduction of the nyloflex® NExT Exposure FV in November 2011, it was shown in action to a wide audience. The high performance UV exposure technology, nyloflex® NExT, allows an easy and sharp reproduction of finest elements, screens, text and fine line work onto flexographic printing plates. The combination of latest generation UV-A LEDs with high output UV-A tubes enables maximum production consistency. At the same time, all advantages of the flat top dots and surface screening can be utilized. nyloflex® NExT can be easily implemented into the existing digital workflow, it is compatible with all standard prepress software as well as HD Flexo and there is no need for additional consumables.

High interest was also raised by the nyloflex® Automated Plate Processor (APP), a fully automated processing line with premium equipment and outstanding productivity and consistency. The efficient automation and high level of standardization leads to a considerably improved plate and thus printing quality. Waste and failure rates can be reduced to a minimum resulting in significant cost savings. The high performance processing line has a capacity of up to 120 printing plates/320 m² per day.

Visitors were excited about the lectures and live-demos. Tuti Buntaran, director at PT Tosi Jasindo in Indonesia, was very pleased to participate in the distributor symposium of Flint Group: “At this event I did not only receive the latest information on the flexo and letterpress market, I also got a lot of input how to do things better and mainly, how to set Flint Group apart from the competition.”

Andrezj M. Gosk, business development director at SCORPIO Sp. zo.o in Poland added: “It was very interesting for us to learn at first hand how the flexo printing market develops globally; the presentations demonstrated how complex this market is.” And he adds: “Now we are eagerly awaiting the new nyloflex® ACE printing plate, we think it is a great challenge to improve a product, which is already very good.

Abou the Flint Group

Flint Group is dedicated to serving the global printing and packaging industry. The company develops, manufactures and markets an extensive portfolio of printing consumables, including: a vast range of conventional and energy curable inks and coatings for most offset, flexographic and gravure applications; pressroom chemicals, printing blankets and sleeves for offset printing; photopolymer printing plates and sleeves, plate-making equipment and flexographic sleeve systems; pigments and additives for use in inks and other colorant applications. With a strong customer focus, unmatched service and support, and superior products, Flint Group strives to provide exceptional value, consistent quality and continuous innovation to customers around the world. Headquartered in Luxembourg, Flint Group employs some 6900 people. Revenues for 2011 were € 2.2 billion (US $3 billion). On a worldwide basis, the company is the number one or number two supplier in every major market segment it serves.

Source: Flint Group.