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Gent (Belgium), December 13, 2007 – EskoArtwork has installed a full CDI flexographic suite for Pamarco Global Graphics at its Imaging Division in Nelson in Lancashire. The investment, which includes Esko DeskPack, JDF workflow and Esko WebCenter solutions, will enable Pamarco to grow its plate production capabilities in the flexible packaging and labeling sectors. Pamarco is also developing and building integrated systems with MIS and JDF software linking its three divisions in the UK.
Pamarco made investments of around £400K in 2007. An additional investment of £100K in proofing technology is planned for £2008. Dave McBeth, Vice President, Pamarco - Sales & Operations, explains: “This major investment is all part of a fundamental strategy to integrate our systems and link our three divisions into one operation in the UK. We have a core team of industry experts working for Pamarco in IT, Prepress, Production and Platemaking. To become the supplier of choice we have set up an initiative called Value in Print.”
Simon Cosh, UK National Sales Manager Pamarco, John De Vogelaere, Manager Customer Operations EMEALA EskoArtwork,
Armand Gougay, Vice President Sales and Marketing EMEALA , Dave McBeth, Vice President Sales Pamarco Europe and Carsten Knudsen, CEO of EskoArtwork.
By installing the full EskoArtwork CDI flexographic suite, Pamarco plans to grow its Imaging Division to service larger corrugated companies throughout the UK and make significant inroads into the flexible packaging and labelling sector. The company has customers in the offset, gravure and flexo markets. 48% of its global business is in the flexo graphic marketplace producing anilox rolls and plates. There are three sites in the UK, two in Warrington, Cheshire and one in Nelson in Lancashire.
Steve Sullivan, Plant Manager at Nelson, has extensive experience in pre-press and is briefed to underpin the business with sound, reliable and integrated systems. He tells us about the choice of supplier. “We looked at several suppliers,” says Sullivan. “EskoArtwork satisfied all of our requirements at the highest level. The strength of their workflow software underpinned by the Esko BackStage server with its modular flexibility is the perfect choice for Pamarco as we move forward into flexible labelling and packaging.” A very important factor in the selection criteria was that EskoArtwork’s software integrates perfectly with Pamarco's existing MIS system called Caes. "We are working with the JDF capabilities in EskoArtwork’s workflow suite and integrating the Esko BackStage server with our MIS to link up our three divisions," explains Sullivan. "As we streamline our operation and examine cost and time savings, this will become the perfect business management tool from ordering through production to invoicing.”
The new installation is already delivering time savings and increased productivity. “In the pre-press studio, EskoArtwork’s fully automated workflow has cut down manual interrogation of files,” continues Sullivan. “Operators can now use their time more efficiently. We are also in the process of installing Esko WebCenter to improve file management and remote access." Sullivan reports that in the Platemaking room, the large format Esko CDI Spark 5080 with Optics 40 has provided noticeable increases in the speed of plate production and is dramatically speeding up throughput. The quality and shape of the dot on the plate is immediately recognized. These immediate improvements offer convincing proof that the acquisition of EskoArtwork's solutions was a wise decision. "We are very pleased with the installation. We all recognise the potential and that is very exciting,” concludes Sullivan.
The investment will play a key role in Pamarco's new initiative called Value in Print, designed to add value and maximise its customer service as one supplier offering a complete service. The Value in Print team will be led by Technical Director Dudley Underwood, who is also Technical Director of EFTA, and will address improvements in productivity, quality of product and most importantly, consistency. An analysis of Pamarco’s business in the UK will research every area of production and highlight the waste, downtime and inefficiencies that can be improved upon. The emphasis will be on fusion and integration. By assessing the efficiency of day-to-day operations, Pamarco’s goal is to provide maximum value and create new market opportunities for Pamarco customers.
Pamarco appointed Dudley Underwood to head up the Value in Print team based on his experience and knowledge of the industry, he runs bespoke training courses both at Pamarco or at the customers’ sites. He is currently giving a full training programme to Pamarco’s internal staff and new employees. The company has invested in a dedicated classroom at its Warrington site. Based on the success of the Value in Print initiative, Pamarco intends to commercialize this VIP programme as a tool that can be used by other companies to improve their business.
Pamarco is well equipped to serve its present customer base, major converters in the corrugated markets. The company is now looking to capture new customers such as brand owners. This major investment in EskoArtwork equipment provides the latest technology for digital flexo and platemaking, while delivering the integration tools needed to link multiple divisions into one MIS system. “To achieve our goals and open up our service to new markets we have taken some serious decisions,” concludes Dave McBeth. “Employing industry experts and putting a core team into IT, prepress, production and platemaking has been a key move. With EskoArtwork’s workflow suite we will be able maximise the value of all three of our businesses and complete the jigsaw – 2008 here we come!”
About Pamarco Global Graphics
Supplying the flexo, gravure, offset and embossing markets with over 2000 products into over 60 countries worldwide, Pamarco Global Graphics employs 400 staff and has recently opened a new manufacturing centre for Anilox rolls in Toronto, Canada and California US. With a history of innovation and achievement, Pamarco have developed a reputation for progressive product development and industry leading standards of service, and offer a fully integrated package of products and services. www.pamarcoglobal.com
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