Wide-Web Presses: At Your Service
New demands are forcing wide-web printers to require augmented quality and capabilities from their presses. Press suppliers share what is driving these demands and how today’s offerings can help printers fulfill their customers’ heightened exp
June 2006 by Kate Sharon
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Wide-web printers are facing a transforming marketplace. The changes, however, are in many ways advantageous for wide-web print shops. For instance, consider the switch many brand owners have made in their packaging, swapping rigid packaging materials for retort and stand-up pouches. These packaging innovations have created a fast-growing market segment that benefits wide-web printers.
In addition, competition on store shelves has forced brand owners to require higher print quality in their packaging in an attempt to make their products stand out from the crowd. This, in turn, has required wide-web press manufacturers to produce equipment that enables printers to meet and surpass these demands.
To gain perspective on the evolving wide-web printing industry, packagePRINTING recently asked suppliers what they see happening in the marketplace and how they are responding to new demands for enhanced equipment.
pP: What is your business environment like in terms of customer interest and sales?
Johannes Stickling, vice president, BHS Printing Machinery—BHS has enjoyed continuous and sustainable sales growth over the past decade. The packaging industry has viewed BHS as a preeminent leader in terms of technology, print performance, and system capability specific to the inline production of packaging products. The packaging community views BHS as a manufacturer that delivers to expectation. This expectation always includes components such as print fidelity, quality, consistency changeovers, and overall throughput. BHS has grown slowly and with control, ensuring that our customers will benefit from our demonstrated capability and the security of our future.
Randy Wolf, product development manager, Comexi North America—I believe that the short term outlook for the converting industry is very positive. There will be some issues associated with higher prices for energy and raw materials, however, overall the flexible packaging market is still growing. The interest level is up dramatically for all Comexi products from last year. Our sales have greatly increased and we at Comexi feel that we are just at the tip of the iceberg in North America when it comes to activity associated with our product lines.
Currently interest is about the same as last year, which was a very good year for us. We have had quite a bit of interest, actually, and look forward to the rest of the year maintaining that interest level. Generally speaking interest in new equipment tends to be in two different areas.
Kurt Flathmann, vice president, Fischer & Krecke—The first I’ll call the standard flexible packaging machine, which is a roll-to-roll CI press, usually 8- or 10-color. The second is a more exotic variety of equipment including in-line or downstream stations and typically there is a great deal of interest in wider widths or higher speeds.
In addition, competition on store shelves has forced brand owners to require higher print quality in their packaging in an attempt to make their products stand out from the crowd. This, in turn, has required wide-web press manufacturers to produce equipment that enables printers to meet and surpass these demands.
To gain perspective on the evolving wide-web printing industry, packagePRINTING recently asked suppliers what they see happening in the marketplace and how they are responding to new demands for enhanced equipment.
pP: What is your business environment like in terms of customer interest and sales?
Johannes Stickling, vice president, BHS Printing Machinery—BHS has enjoyed continuous and sustainable sales growth over the past decade. The packaging industry has viewed BHS as a preeminent leader in terms of technology, print performance, and system capability specific to the inline production of packaging products. The packaging community views BHS as a manufacturer that delivers to expectation. This expectation always includes components such as print fidelity, quality, consistency changeovers, and overall throughput. BHS has grown slowly and with control, ensuring that our customers will benefit from our demonstrated capability and the security of our future.
Randy Wolf, product development manager, Comexi North America—I believe that the short term outlook for the converting industry is very positive. There will be some issues associated with higher prices for energy and raw materials, however, overall the flexible packaging market is still growing. The interest level is up dramatically for all Comexi products from last year. Our sales have greatly increased and we at Comexi feel that we are just at the tip of the iceberg in North America when it comes to activity associated with our product lines.
Currently interest is about the same as last year, which was a very good year for us. We have had quite a bit of interest, actually, and look forward to the rest of the year maintaining that interest level. Generally speaking interest in new equipment tends to be in two different areas.
Kurt Flathmann, vice president, Fischer & Krecke—The first I’ll call the standard flexible packaging machine, which is a roll-to-roll CI press, usually 8- or 10-color. The second is a more exotic variety of equipment including in-line or downstream stations and typically there is a great deal of interest in wider widths or higher speeds.
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