High-Tech Hero

Many a superhero has relied on the power of advanced equipment—such as Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth, Green Lantern’s power ring, and Captain America’s shield—to help perform their extraordinary feats.

For today’s narrow-web printers, technical heroism is often required to meet print-job demands, and advanced equipment can also hold a pivotal role in “saving the day” for a customer.

At Rotocolor Inc., playing the hero—through a willingness to go where other printers won’t—has helped the 16-year-old flexo printer become master of its own unique corner in the narrow-web universe. “We find a way to get it done when everyone else says, ‘We can’t do it,’” General Manager Tom Vargus explains. “We make the impossible possible.”

With the recent installation of Mark Andy’s LP3000 productivity platform press with servo infeed, Rotocolor now has additional tools to fulfill its “We can do it!” attitude—advanced technology designed to help it rise to even more exceptional levels of efficiency, versatility, and performance—and resolve battles with printing challenges for a host of new customers.

Strength in problem-solving

Operating in a 28,000-sq.-ft. facility in Hayward, Calif., with 11 employees and four 7˝-13˝ presses, Rotocolor has made a name for itself by taking on label jobs that haven’t previously met success at other printers—trying different approaches and conducting test runs until a solution is reached. The printer focuses primarily on very high-end, pressure-sensitive prime labels; signature services include 200-linescreen work, as well as inline foil stamping and embossing/debossing. Rotocolor also specializes in managing very complex jobs on customers’ behalf; for one health and beauty aid client, it manages the production of printed labels for more than 250 SKUs.

Rotocolor’s problem-solving panache has captured a large share of customer loyalty in nutraceuticals, automotive, and food/beverage labels, and generated steady gains in flexible packaging and folding carton work. The company also strives to operate in a manner that minimizes potential problems from the start, employing strict standards for using highest quality materials, regardless of cost. This philosophy has helped Rotocolor forge a nearly flawless customer satisfaction record. The only time Vargus remembers a customer calling him on the quality of a label was when a contract packager couldn’t get the label to work on its packaging equipment.

These operating strategies have kept Rotocolor going strong in the face of the difficult business climate. Vargus reports that while marketplace pressures have left other northern-California printing firms struggling to keep their doors open, Rotocolor’s business has remained brisk and vigorous enough, in fact, to warrant the purchase of a new press that could further cement its staying power.

Technology to fly higher

Rotocolor’s need to add capacity and enhance productivity couldn’t be ignored when, in mid-2005, customers accustomed to the printer’s heroics were running into headaches. The converter found itself nearly eight weeks behind on work, “and customers kept loading the boat on us,” recalls Ron Close, president. Delays led some to threaten to take their business elsewhere, he relates. Adding a second shift wasn’t feasible because of challenges finding staff in the Bay area. Close focused on solving the issue with a new press that would not only relieve the immediate bottleneck, but also open up opportunity in target expansion markets, particularly unsupported film.

Rotocolor found the advanced technology it needed to resume exceeding customers’ expectations, and reach new heights, in Mark Andy’s LP3000 press. The company installed the 13˝ LP3000 in January 2006. It features eight print stations; laminating, diecutting, embossing, and foil stamping units; and UV printing capability. Among the press features that draw raves from Vargus and Close are a high-performance air drying system that provides efficient drying at speeds up to 750 fpm; a short 150-foot web path that enables quicker start up and register with minimal waste; and a camera-based web-inspection system that provides 100 percent label inspection at speeds above 500 fpm.

Vargus estimates that another valuable feature, drop-in plate capture, saves Rotocolor three minutes of makeready time per station, resulting in a 24-minute savings for a typical 8-color job. The cylinder is simply locked down, dropped into the press, and set to position.

Vargus and Close also champion the incorporation of servo technology on the LP3000’s infeed and exit systems. The closed-loop, servo-driven infeed and exit with transducer feedback maintain constant tension throughout the press, providing faster recovery during acceleration and less waste. This allows the system to adapt to different converting, laminating, and folding applications without the need to change or modify the exit pacing roll.

The servos’ ability to control tension provided Rotocolor the gateway it sought to print on thinner, unsupported film. Typical film substrates currently on press are in the 80-gauge range, Vargus reports, and Rotocolor recently began running pouches for an existing health and beauty aid label customer.

The LP3000 also brought Rotocolor three inches of added width capacity, a gain that allows it to add one more item on the plate roll while running at two to three times previous press speeds. For one customer requiring two million labels to be printed every three months, turnaround time was narrowed from one week to two days or less by moving the job to the LP3000. The label was transitioned from a two-up configuration to a three-up, and print speeds were increased due to the LP3000’s 750 fpm capability. Though the change in configuration required the purchase of new plates and dies, the uptick in productivity paid for those expenditures in the first run of the job, Close relates.

While Rotocolor’s existing customers are enjoying shorter turnaround times and an increased spectrum of printing services through the LP3000, Vargus anticipates the press “will make a difference with new customers evaluating our capabilities.” He plans to take advantage of its quick setup for R&D work, allowing Rotocolor to show customers actual stock and color on press proofs rather than digital proofs.

The large capacity boost from the LP3000 has satisified Rotocolor’s new equipment needs for the foreseeable future. “It’s already built, now we just need drivers to race the car,” Vargus says. n