The economics of flexible packaging are changing, particularly at the shorter end of the run-length spectrum. For converters handling short and ultra-short production runs – in some cases as low as around 50 kg – a conventional wide-web press can be more machine than the job actually requires. It is this space that Echaar is targeting with its new Flexocompact Series, a mid- and narrow-web CI flexo press designed for shorter and more diverse production runs.
Kirti Panchal, managing director, Echaar Equipments, says the machine has emerged from a requirement the company was already seeing in the market. “Nowadays there are many converters who require ultra-short runs, sometimes even around 50 kg. For such requirements, we believe this can be a better and more economical solution,” he said.
The proposition is not limited to flexible packaging converters. The CI configuration gives label converters an opportunity to move into flexible packaging using a press that can address both applications. Panchal also sees potential among rotogravure converters looking to introduce flexo into their production mix.
Echaar is offering the Flexocompact Series in both gearless and geared versions – Flexocompact HR 300 GL and Flexocompact HR 200 GD – with print widths of 700 and 880 mm and repeat ranges from 240/280 mm to 650 mm, depending on the configuration. The presses are available in 4, 6 and 8-color configurations. The shorter repeat is significant for short-run work, where plate and cylinder costs can quickly affect job economics. “Minimum repeat also plays a vital role in saving a lot of cost for these plates and cylinders,” Panchal said.
Beyond the shorter repeat, the compact web width and machine configuration are aimed at improving the overall economics of short-run production by reducing substrate wastage and optimizing plate and sleeve/cylinder costs, ink and energy consumption, changeover requirements and machine utilization.
The new machine adds a mid- and narrow-web option to a portfolio that has so far been largely focused on wide-web CI flexo. Echaar has been building CI flexo presses since 2020, with its current machines covering web widths from 1 to 2 meters and including the Flexo Master, Flexo Delight and Flexo Smart series.
Interestingly, CI flexo was not a later addition to the company’s portfolio. “We started with CI only,” Panchal said. The company’s initial three years were spent in technology transfer, followed by the first machine built in 2020. Since then, Echaar has installed eight CI flexo presses, along with two stack presses and one laminator.
The installed machines are being used across a fairly broad mix of applications. Flexible packaging laminates account for several installations, while others are producing hygiene products, milk packaging and paper. The presses have also been used for both breathable and non-breathable films, with solutions running at speeds of up to 500 meters per minute.
For a machine manufacturer competing in a market that includes both established international suppliers and a growing number of Indian manufacturers, Panchal does not see the expanding competitive landscape as a concern. In fact, he welcomes it. “If you say that some more manufacturers are also coming, I welcome them. The reason I tell you, there is a huge market. India is a huge nation,” he said.
His larger point is that India’s machinery industry has already demonstrated its ability to develop sophisticated printing equipment, particularly in rotogravure. He expects a similar evolution in CI flexo, although he acknowledges that the technology demands considerable manufacturing capability and precision.
Panchal believes that India has the engineering and manufacturing capability to emerge as an important global source for CI flexo technology. That emphasis on manufacturing also extends to Echaar’s approach to servicing its machines. The company says it manufactures its machines completely in-house and is now also manufacturing the critical CI central impression drums internally. Its service team has been built over the past nine years, while export markets are being supported through dealers expected to provide both sales and service.
In the near term, the company appears to be seeing enough demand to continue expanding production. Echaar is currently building five more machines, with another three orders under finalization.
For Echaar, the Flexocompact is therefore not simply a smaller version of its existing CI platforms, but an extension of its CI flexo portfolio into a new segment of converters and applications. The company now offers different CI platforms – Flexomaster, Flexodelight, Flexosmart and Flexocompact – addressing different production speeds, web widths, run lengths and application requirements.
For Panchal, the direction is clear – the CI flexo opportunity is no longer confined to large-volume flexible packaging. As converters deal with smaller jobs and increasingly varied applications, a more compact CI platform could give flexo a wider role in the production mix.