Page 16 - Print 21 Sep-Oct 2019

Label Printing
“I believe Xeikon and Flint are on the cusp of great things. We get great support from them, outstanding customer service, and it is really appreciated.”
Keeping free capacity: Nick Lowe says 25 per cent of the new Xeikon 3300 will be ringfenced for rush jobs
– ironically, while short-run digital printing has become widely accepted, run lengths have increased.
“The longer we’ve stayed in this market, we’ve seen average run sizes increase. Many of our print runs are now starting to eat into what used
to be seen as traditional print runs. That’s why we needed the extra capacity. When we first started, our average run length was 18 linear metres, which is nothing, right? Now it’s much closer to 100 metres.
Opportunistic
“Digital printing requires an opportunistic approach. The way
we gang up our work is so quick
and efficient. You get to optimise production by batching raw materials.
“It means customers who need specialised lead times are more often then not easily accommodated.
We steer our customers into raw materials that go on the press more frequently, what we call ‘hero stocks’. Our hero stocks are on the press every second day”, says Lowe.
The decision to buy the second Xeikon 3300 was inevitable in
order to match the growth in business and the commitment to customer deadlines. While doubling
production capacity is often the start of a frenzied campaign to increase sales, Lowe is content to let growth come organically. He wants to keep at least 25 per cent of the new machine’s capacity free to meet the unexpected, and to fulfil rush jobs of customers.
“When we bought the first machine it was printing at nine metres a minute, which is how it comes out of the box. We then had it upgraded to nineteen metres per minute, which was wonderful. But even that wasn’t enough in the end. That’s why we ended up with the second Xeikon 3300.”
The relationship between a printer and his primary technology brand goes deep. Lowe is an enthusiastic supporter of Xeikon. Now that the seminal digital press has found safe harbour as part of Flint Group, he is confident it will make up for lost time in staking its place in the industry.
“I believe Xeikon and Flint are on the cusp of great things. We get great support from them, outstanding customer service, and it’s really appreciated. You always feel you can do more when momentum is building and that’s happening now. If Xeikon does well we will automatically benefit as well.” 21
A passion for
technology
Peter Jessop has manufactured graphics machinery in Australia for the past 35 years through his Rotary Engineering. In a tough industry he laughingly describes himself as “the last man standing.”
It takes more than ordinary commitment to be a machinery manufacturer in Australia. Apart from the flight of industry to overseas markets, there is always
the technology cringe to complement our well-known and despised cultural cringe. Many local printers simply do not believe that a locally manufactured machine
can be as good as, if not better than, more expensive imports. It’s a problem that Peter Jessop has confronted over the years.
“I’ll stand our machines up against anything in the world. We’re as good as anyone. Everything is servo driven now and while Mark Andy and Gallus may be a bit more finished in terms of their own digital front ends, our performance is just as good. Plus, ours
cost twenty five to thirty percent less, if not more when you take the exchange rate into account,” he said. “Then there’s the advantage of having local support and be able to modify machines when you want.”
He admits it’s not an
easy road, and attributes
his success to a long-lived passion for the industry. “I love what I do. It’s not easy but we always have enough to keep on with,” he said.
Digital finishing
machine DFM 340
One of his latest installations is the DFM 340 going in to Guru Labels to handle the increased volumes coming off the second Xeikon 3300. It’s a standard Rotary Engineering machine, but as Jessop offers, “there’s always a few extra bits and pieces”.
With a 340 cm wide web it has an 18” semi-rotary die cutting cylinder, plus full
rotary die cutting as well as a stripping tower and back cutter and edge trimmers. Quick release slitting blades are standard along with cartridge-style long life anvils and a double rewind servo-driven shaft.
The DFM is being installed at the new Guru Labels factory at Lisarow by the same technicians who’ll service it over a long life. Printers such as Nick Lowe know they can talk to the boss whenever they need to, without having to go through an agent to get to an overseas manufacturer.
Makes you wonder why more people don’t avail themselves of Peter Jessop’s service.
16 Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019