Print Factory located in Sheshadripuram, Bangalore, is always looking to the future. Several years ago, the company overhauled its prepress operations with investments in Kodak thermal CTP technology and workflow solutions. Following this move, according to Sudhir MK, director, Print Factory, press room efficiency increased, allowing Print Factory to add a second 4-color press to increase commercial jobs such as brochures, annual reports, and books.
Recently, Print Factory installed a printer that specializes in preliner printing for the corrugated packaging industry, giving Print Factory a foothold into India’s burgeoning packing sector. With a turnover of $24.6 billion and a growth rate of 13% to 15% annually, the Indian packaging industry is expected to reach $32 billion by 2020. And according to a recent Mckinsey report, there will be a ten-fold increase in India’s middle-class population by 2025, which will further trigger the consumption of packaging materials. This will bring another growth spurt to packaging, says the Mckinsey report, which also notes that the country needs more packaging professionals.
As Print Factory prepares to take advantage of this growing packaging market, they have integrated a Kodak Flexcel NX Wide Hybrid system alongside the two newly acquired offset machines. This new set-up will enable Print Factory to print directly on corrugated sheets. It will also deliver significant cost savings compared to their previous reliance on film with the introduction of thermal plates. With strong cost pressures in corrugated packaging segment, Kodak Flexcel technology delivers superior quality and lower and cost-effective post-print results on lower grade liners.
Kodak has commercially released new extensions to its popular Kodak Flexcel NX System. The new Kodak Flexcel NX Wide System and a new range of Kodak Flexcel NX Digital Flexo Plates (Kodak Flexcel NXC plates) extend to the corrugated sector the print excellence customers expect from Kodak flexographic solutions. Flexcel NX System allows pre-press providers and printers deliver highly impactful quality packaging and streamline production costs. Along with technologies such as Kodak SquareSpot Imaging Technology and Kodak Digicap NX Patterning, corrugated producers will now be able to take advantage of a solution that enables expanded tonal range, higher line screens, more efficient ink transfer and improved print quality on lower grade boards.