LetraGraphix’s new Gallus Labelfire 340 hybrid press
Nirav Shah – Developing visual, tactile and authentication labels in a single pass
At the Gallus Experience days held at St Gallen in June, we met Nirav Shah of LetraGraphix based in Ahmedabad. The company had just installed its Gallus Labelfire 340 hybrid flexo and digital press and Shah was carrying a binder of sample labels, showing some of the extraordinary effects that the new press can achieve. It was clear from our conversation that he sees the new press as an instrument to create extraordinary visual and textural or haptic effects in a single pass without having to resort to extra tooling and offline operations. These effects will provide not only standout brand embellishments but also unique digital authentication and anti-counterfeiting devices for discerning consumer product manufacturers.
We asked Shah, why he had seemingly been quiet for the past four years and he answered that he had been occupied in carefully evaluating the next technology steps – figuring out how to develop a hybrid digital and flexo solution that could effectively carry out new ideas. It had taken considerable time and several trips to St Gallen to test some of his ideas and to develop the configuration that would allow him to try out some of the many possibilities he was imagining.
Exquisite labels with colored mrtsllic and raised effects produced in 2 single pass on the new press
Showing us the exquisite labels with colored metallic and raised effects produced in a single pass on the new press, he expressed the idea that it would not be difficult to convince his customers to incorporate these features. “Used with the right imagination and knowledge, it will make their labels and products visually distinctive and contain the special tactile and authentication features that some of them are already looking for. It’s not always about just money, somebody has to be first and LetraGraphix has specialized in being ahead of the curve,” he said.
This brought to mind my first meeting with Shah at the company’s Ahmedabad plant where it became clear that the company invested in highly configured large-capacity hardware but with a profound knowledge of design and prepress technology — software and soft software.
Shah was the first knowledgeable customer of the Kodak Flexcel plate technology that I had met who understood its advantages – he actually visited the research and development center in Minnesota in the US, and persuaded a local trade shop to install it as its pioneering user. It was no wonder that his company was a significant exporter of labels for global brands.
I asked him at the new Experience Center in St Gallen, why he had stuck with Gallus and not invested in any of the other digital or label press manufacturers. His answer indicated that he was not merely buying a press but a series of concepts and that he had a long development partnership with the company. “We believe in working together to develop something good that can help the industry — including print buyers and label converters. This press is not only digital, it is hybrid,” he explained, clearly implying that Gallus’ experience with flexo, screens, coating, and foiling was as important as the press’s 1200 x 1200 dpi inkjet capabilities.
“All the processes and value addition are in one pass and these can deliver a new level of labels to brand owners, which is different from the current trend. Keeping in mind that we want to deliver unique labels and concepts to print buyers and partners, Gallus can support the right platform with the solution to drive smart technologies.”
Smart labels for brand security and anti-counterfeiting
“According to me, all presses are good, the important element is what and how you want to add value to your work along with creativity. The question is who can support us in this journey of enhancement and smart techniques. This press makes us think out of the box — new ideas that we try and implement during the printing process. This benefits both of us (print buyers and converters).”
We again asked Shah how he saw the new technology in advancing his label-converting business. He showed us another leaf of spectacular examples in the binder, and said, “Nowadays, the market demand is high for printing and decorations with different techno combinations. At the same time, LetraGraphix is a good converter and solution provider with a new arsenal of techniques and technology.
“The market demands for print with value addition in labels are increasing with various functionalities in labels to secure the product and brand. With this new press, we are now able to provide unique designs and developments — essentially ideas for our customers who can make suitable amendments to their requirements to enhance their image. Therefore, we are constantly upgrading ourselves and are moving towards future demands.”
He concluded by agreeing that smart packaging and labels with embedded QR codes, serialization, authentication devices, holographic effects, RFIDs, and software will compel label converters to become a part of the consumer product companies’ supply chains in the cloud or a part of their ecosystem. “This is the future and will be the new benchmark which will change the entire outlook of the printing and label and packaging industry.”
Source: Packaging South Asia