Grafikontrol confirms its leadership in control technology for the converting market

3 March 2017


Grafikontrol confirms its leadership in control technology for the converting market

Grafikontrol has  always distinguished itself by its commitment to the development of industrial control systems. All around the world in the publishing and converting markets, the company has seen a significant increase in turnover year over year, above all in the converting and packaging industry. This commercial growth has been married to its technological expertise, factors that together make it the industry leader.

 

Growth in 2016

The year 2016 ended positively for Grafikontrol, with an increase in turnover of 14% (10% in direct sales to end customers) compared to 2015. “This has been a year packed with trade fairs all around the world,” says Paolo De Grandis, Grafikontrol’s Sales Director and Partner. “In particular, we took part in two of the most important trade fairs, drupa and K. Though they took place within a few months of each other, we met our goals and then some, thanks to the many visitors to our stand.”

More specifically, Grafikontrol has increased sales on the Italian market for new orders of printing machine systems. In addition, our strong growth has been accelerated by the retrofit sector, especially installations on already operational printing presses. In these situations, adding Grafikontrol’s control systems has shown customers how to increase the quality of finished products and improve the productivity of their existing machines. Many customers have invested in Grafikontrol’s technologies, including the Goglio Group, for one of its plants, and SITITALIA, where Grafikontrol’s control systems are used for the gravure facilities in Pesaro, and the flexographic plants in Padua.

The second-largest market in terms of importance for Grafikontrol products is undoubtedly the United States. Our previous year’s success was repeated, as new machine sales were complemented by a great many installations on already operational presses. “Large American companies, such as Bemis Company, PrintPack, Constantia, and Sonoco have been impressed by our cutting-edge technology and performance in terms of inspection and quality control. These qualities led them to choose Grafikontrol as their preferred vendor”, as De Grandis puts it.

One market that started booming in 2016 was Spain. Grafikontrol was able to display the new inspection and defect tracking systems, as featured in our latest demonstrations. Even in the Far East, where the company is not as well known, Grafikontrol has caught the attention of major printers, thanks to its commitment and devotion to those markets. “We are pleased that our efforts have paid off; customers have trusted our technology for new investments, both immediately and when planning for the future. The only market that remains static is Latin America, where no significant progress has been made.”

 

Grafikontrol: An all round provider

Grafikontrol’s technological makeover culminated in 2016 with the development of the TQC-360° platform, which was launched globally at the 2016 drupa fair. With TQC-360° Grafikontrol can reach a broad spectrum in the printing and converting industry sectors, as an ‘all-round provider’, which combines high-performance products with excellent services.

 

TQC-360° products can be integrated into any printing process. They also feature a modular design, which means you can start with a simpler configuration that can be supplemented at any time. Grafikontrol’s control systems allow you to improve print quality, reduce machine downtime, and minimize waste.

 

The products developed for the TQC-360° range include systems and products that meet all our clients’ needs in terms of controlling the printing process:

 

  • MATRIX, web viewing and print inspection system, that reproduces the image of the printed web in extremely fine detail at full production speed. The system’s features allow the analysis of the barcode and delta color monitoring;
  • LYNEX, 100% print inspection system, that assures real time control of the entire print repeat, categorizing and storing every defect detected during production;
  • PROGREX, combination of 100% inspection and web viewing system; it is able to help press operators that need a tool to guarantee total control for the highest quality;
  • PROCHECK, unique and innovative system for real waste tracking through the entire production process, from print to slitting. The system collects information during inspection and transfer them to following processes to allow waste removal;
  • CHROMALAB, in-line spectrophotometer, that provides real-time measurement and color correction on start-up and during production; it uses a motorized traverse for automatic positioning on the color bars or directly on selected areas of the image;
  • CR33-CR34, color register controls for packaging rotogravure and flexo presses, that guarantee register stability throughout the production, reducing waste during start-ups, ramp-ups, splices and re-starts.

     

    Partnering with suppliers for packaging control

“Even more than other sectors, packaging  needs quality controls on the printed product, given that the machining process is reel-to-reel and the operator is unable to carry out, in real time, the checks necessary to intervene promptly to prevent damage and costs,” says De Grandis.

With the current quality regulations, printers now need to equip their machines with automated complete quality control systems. “Starting from the customers’ needs, we have created equipment using high precision, reliable cameras, which are capable of covering the entire workflow. We also co-operate closely with printing press manufacturers to make products that integrate seamlessly with the machine,” explains De Grandis. “Current negotiations for the purchase of new machines involves adding control systems, which is very positive for us. Sales through manufacturing channels were up 4%.”

Specialised engineers and technicians in Grafikontrol’s R&D department are committed to developing products that use the latest technology and provide maximum precision and reliability. “The latest innovative solutions for quality control in printing, such as the advanced PROCHECK system, mean that you can track defects, which opens up excellent prospects for 2017.”

“With the opening of our new showroom in Milan, followed by a demo centre next year in our United States office, we want to show the tangible benefits of adopting innovative solutions for controlling print quality. This will allow Grafikontrol to be among the global leading players in the packaging and converting industry.”



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