North State Flexibles (US)
Flexo digital imaging significantly reduces process time.
Short turnarounds and rising costs
Founded in 1966, this North Carolina-based flexo printer was analog-based and using a front-end workflow solution from Barco Graphics. Increasingly short turnaround time and rising costs prompted North State to adopt flexo digital imaging. “Process time reduction was a major objective,” says Tim Mages, president and general manager. “We’ve also faced tremendous increases in our materials cost.”
In 2004 the firm installed Esko's CDI Advance 5080, including the Grapholas software, to produce high quality printed and laminated packaging materials – including bags, sleeves and pouches. Their customers are major manufacturers of diapers, textiles, lawn and garden products, and pet food products.
Smooth transition to digital
Esko's focus on complete packaging solutions and expertise in flexo clinched Mage’s purchasing decision. The transition from analog was remarkably smooth. “We basically flipped a switch and went digital,” recalls Mages. “We’ve been extremely satisfied with the level of knowledgeable service we’ve received from Esko.”
Cutting time and costs
Productivity increased at North State while effectively reducing costs. “Our bottleneck was making color keys,” says Mark Powell, technical manager. “With digital imaging we’ve eliminated a week out of production.” He estimates savings of US$5,000 to US$8,000 per month in labor and consumables. “The CDI Advance 5080 completely met our expectations,” concurs Tim Mages. “Implementing Esko's solutions have offset cost escalations.”
Consistent, impressive quality
Going digital has produced impressive gains in quality. “We generate high-quality plates that the pressmen appreciate, and customers are impressed that the files can be changed instantly,” says Mark Powell. “We’ve won new customers who favorably compare our quality to analog printers,” notes Tim Mages. “A textile customer who had been using offset is now using flexo because of the improved quality.”
A dual channel FlexProof drives numerous proofing systems, and a dual channel FlexRip powers both the Barco Graphics BG3800 ImageSetter and CDI Advance 5080 flexo digital imager. PackEdge offers prepress editing features such as trapping, screening and preflight, and ColorTone is used for color correction and retouching. Production equipment includes new 10-color quick-change presses and several converters.
Meeting new service demands
North State can now provide value-added sales and service offerings. “Many customers don’t have a development staff to investigate and implement new packaging approaches. They expect us to fill that role,” explains Mark Powell. “Our clients need to differentiate their products from the competition and packaging can literally make or break a product. That’s where we can help—being creative problem solvers for our customers," concludes Tim Mages. “Our digital capabilities are opening areas of new opportunity while ensuring strong customer loyalty."
Unique Esko benefits for North State Flexibles
- Reduced production time
- High quality plates: perfect press results and the ability to instantly change files.
- Cost savings: up to US$5,000 - US$8,000 per month.
- Wide range of applications: capability to handle complex or unique packaging jobs.
