Servo Advantage

The Control Group uses SOP-driven manufacturing discipline and state-of-the-art press technology to meet the demands of the pharmaceutical market.

SUPPLYING THE PACKAGING material needs of pharmaceutical customers demands the utmost from equipment, materials, systems, processes, and procedures. The Control Group knows this well—it's been serving the pharmaceutical market since its inception in 1971.

The Control Group started its corporate life in offset printing, serving commercial and pharmaceutical customers with such items as packaging inserts and labels. It branched out into flexo printing in 1987 when it acquired a Propheteer press. By 1992, it had added two additional Propheteer presses and used this flexo-printing capability to supply pressure-sensitive roll labels to markets that now included branded and generic pharmaceuticals, vitamins, and neutraceuticals.

The company continued its steady growth in the flexo-printing arena at the turn of the century with a series of additional press acquisitions. Late 1999 brought with it a 20˝ Mark Andy 4150 film press that allowed the company to begin running flexible packaging materials. This capability helped The Control Group increase its pharmaceutical business, along with opening up other opportunities, especially in cosmetics, said Jeff Levine, CPA and partner.

This press was joined in quick succession by two Aquaflex 10˝ InstaPrep presses. One 6-color unit was installed in 2000 and Levine said they liked the press so much that they added a second 6-color InstaPrep just six months later.

With the increased productivity and capabilities from these new investments, The Control Group was able to retire its three original flexo presses. However, to keep up with its business growth, the company installed another InstaPrep press in 2004. All three 10˝ Aquaflex InstaPrep presses include full UV and conventional drying systems. Also, to further augment its flexible packaging capabilities, it recently added a 20˝, 8-color Aquaflex LX multi-substrate press that is also equipped with full UV and conventional drying systems.

Currently, the company operates from two facilities in Norwood, N.J., with 10 presses (both flexo and offset) and 50 employees. It operates a two-shift, five-day schedule with overtime as required to meet customer demands.

Pharmaceutical discipline

The Control Group is led by partners, Levine and Bill Cheringal. Their business philosophy is built around the service they provide to their customers. This is supported by significant investment in R&D, which is directed toward helping its customers solve problems and implement process improvements.

Having a majority of its business in pharmaceuticals has enabled the company to expand in other industries such as cosmetics and food and beverage. Levine says that everything that goes through their facilities are governed by SOPs and the cGMPs [Current Good Manufacturing Practices] that drive them.

"Pharmaceutical manufacturers are governed by cGMPs. Our SOPs are part of our total commitment to cGMPs that support the needs of our customers," he says.

The discipline that is inherent in a manufacturing operation driven by SOPs of this magnitude is appealing to other customers, and The Control Group has benefited from this business approach. "Other customers and other industries that may not be directly regulated by cGMP requirements appreciate our pharmaceutical mindset," said Levine. "They know they will get the same benefits in quality and service that are an outgrowth of these efforts."

Supplying packaging materials for pharmaceutical customers brings other process requirements. Lamination over the base substrate is needed to protect the inks from scuffing and spillage. Another major requirement is the ability to print on a wide range of substrates, from films at less than 1 mil to 24-point board stocks. Because of this, The Control Group runs a wide array of papers, foils, and films, including metallized PP, BOPP, and PET.

The Control Group uses both water-based and UV inks. They have been a big proponent of UV inks since 1999 and have converted many of their customers over to UV.

"UV inks provide great color consistency and we have found that we have much more flexibility for quick turnaround jobs," explains Cheringal. "We keep cassettes with UV inks ready to go into the press. Makeready and clean up takes much less time."

Continuing investments

Not surprisingly, a big issue for their customers is pricing. The Control Group strives to give a fair price for the high value that they deliver. "The marketplace determines the price," says Levine. "We are competitive in the markets we serve—not the least expensive, not the most expensive."

To maintain its competitive standing, the company is continuing to invest in new press technology. They have recently purchased a 28˝, 8-color Aquaflex FPC multi-substrate servo press that will provide significant competitive advantages on two fronts—web width and servo technology.

Web width is a huge factor that impacts costs for both themselves and their customers, says Levine. "A 28˝ press is a good fit for our customer base. We surveyed our customers, and with the capability for 28˝ web widths, we can meet 95 percent of their needs."

The use of servo technology on printing presses is something they have been considering for the past two and one half years. They investigated its use with central impression (CI), stack, and inline presses and selected an inline configuration because it provided the flexibility they needed for their product mix.

Servo technology comes with a number of advantages, but Cheringal lists two benefits right at the top. "With servo technology on the press, you have the capability for infinite repeats, with measurements in either English or metric units," he says. "This is especially important for customers that are using European equipment that specs out repeats in metric units."

The other significant benefit plays right into the hands of package printers. With servo drives on the print station rolls, the press can run on thin or thick substrates without any need to change or adjust the impression rolls, says Cheringal. "We could run half-mil film in the morning and 24-point board in the afternoon, with no mechanical changes needed."

The decision to purchase the servo press from Aquaflex came down to two main reasons. One was the positive experience with Aquaflex presses and service over the past five years. "They build a high-quality, operator-friendly machine, and back it up with great support for any problems or even when we are pursuing new opportunities," says Cheringal.

The second reason was the confidence they had in F.L. Smithe's long history using servo technology in its equipment for the envelope industry. When F.L. Smithe acquired Aquaflex last year, it combined this servo experience with Aquaflex's flexo printing presses.

This was exactly what The Control Group was looking for. "We wanted a supplier with extensive experience in applying servo technology to printing equipment. F.L. Smithe brought this to the table, and it gave us the comfort level we needed," said Cheringal.

From an operational standpoint, training will be the key. "Operators need to become familiar with the press interface," says Cheringal. "It's like running a big computer."

Additional benefits will come in the maintenance area. The high-tech press comes with sophisticated self-diagnostics for easy troubleshooting. With no mechanical components, such as gears, oil baths, and clutches, downtime will be less and there will be no degradation in machine performance that occurs when mechanical components begin to wear out.

Not standing still

The Control Group has long been providing leading-edge products and services to its customers, and Levine and Cheringal plan to maintain this edge. The company has a full-service art department and full prepress capabilities, making its own film and plates. They have moved into direct-to-plate technology supplied from an outside source, but will be incorporating this in their in-house prepress department in the near future.

The Control Group is completing its initial renovation of a new 60,000 sq.-ft. flexible packaging facility. This facility has been designed specifically to service the needs of the flexible packaging industry and will include among other features, its own in-house product stability laboratory. This laboratory will perform all testing required to support its customers' final packaged products, including sample storage, full analytical testing, and statistical analysis.

This approach is allowing the company to provide services its customers are requesting that go well beyond printing. As part of the corporate philosophy built around problem solving for its customers, The Control Group is striving to provide its customers the solutions they need to provide a complete flexible package.

Incorporating new technologies always has its risks, but for progressive companies like The Control Group, it is the nature of the beast. "You have to take the risks to meet increasing customer demands and to keep up with the higher quality graphics coming from that side of the business," says Cheringal. "You need the hardware and facilities to meet these challenges."

by Tom Polischuk

Editor-in-Chief