FLEXO4ALL: A STRATEGIC ALLIANCE TO PROMOTE FLEXOGRAPHY

FLEXO4ALL: A STRATEGIC ALLIANCE TO PROMOTE FLEXOGRAPHY

19 Companies join forces and resources to cooperate in the promotion of Flexographic
Packaging Printing, before, during and after drupa 2008

During drupa 2004, all major printing and packaging printing experts could foresee that drupa 2008 would be the exhibition where Flexography would finally match other “alternative” print processes. Today many companies, like Consumer Package Goods manufactures (CPGs), retailers, converters and printers, state that Flexo has already not only matched the alternative printing processes in quality, consistency and productivity, but in many cases it provides more benefits than gravure and offset from both the application and economic perspectives. Actually, Flexo has been the most innovative technology and the fastest growing printing process over the last decade and still is.
A constant trend to shorter runs, ever-increasing utilization of graphics and colours, steady top quality and brand integrity, environmentally-smart solutions and, last but least, cost effectiveness, is what marks the packaging industry wants. During the last years, and today more than ever before, Flexo demonstrates to be the ideal technology to respond to those challenging needs.
The biggest benefit of Flexo is its great flexibility. It prints on virtually any substrate, being it smooth or rough, having absorbing or non-absorbing properties, using a variety of inks, water-based, solvent-based or even environmentally-smart solvent-free. Modern Flexo reveals high reliability in colour quality and consistency with short and long print runs. Flexo printing plates show very long run length capabilities (up to several million of impressions), and the innovative printing presses can print with variable repeat lengths.
For these reasons, 19 leading companies have decided to join forces and resources to set up a partnership under the name “Flexo4All”. Flexo4All is the natural evolution of “Flexo the Alternative”, an agreement between independent businesses initiated by DuPont Packaging Graphics (DuPont™ Cyrel®) over 20 years ago.
“Flexo is no longer just an alternative to other printing processes and “Flexo4All” was chosen to suggest that this printing technology is ideal for almost all substrates, all segments, all applications, all budgets and more”, commented Pier Luigi Sassanelli, Marketing Manager DuPont Packaging Graphics EMEA and strong promoter of Flexo4All.

FLEXO TOUR AT DRUPA 2008

To make more easier for visitors to walk around Drupa 2008, Flexo4all is preparing a guided tour to accompany people to the Flexo4all partners’ stand spread out into the amazing number of halls of Drupa fairground.
“Flexo has still a lot to say in the flexible packaging industry, especially thanks to the developments of food compliant uv/eb ink and drying technologies”, says Federico D’Annunzio, President of GIDUE. “The traditional ink stability of UV technology will be enhanced by the advantages of UV flexo as a clean and environmental friendly process. This Flexo tour is a good chance for all Flexo4all partners to join their experience and knowledge to show visitors how flexography can improve their business and support a sustainable activity”.
The Flexo4all Paths inside Drupa aim at informing and demonstrating workflow solutions suited to a wide range of packaging applications: Flexo printing onto any substrate type, like very thin extensible films, aluminium, papert, thin carton or thick corrugated boards, with different ink types. Flexo4all was in fact chosen by the partners as a unique word expressing that this printing technology is ideal for almost all substrates, all segments, all applications, all budgets.
“Like the previous Drupa exhibitions, we are going to present groundbreaking developments in flexo press engineering and we will do the same at our in-house Expo in Lengerich. Our focus will be on increased productivity, minimized waste, resource-efficient and environmentally friendly package printing”, says Ulrich Harte, Marketing Manager Printing for Windmöller & Hölscher.

About Flexo4All

Flexo4All is a strategic cooperation which combines worldwide expertise from independent companies; suppliers of the graphic arts and packaging printing industry. The members work together in partnership, sharing their experience and knowledge to perfect Flexographic packaging printing while also promoting the advantages and innovation.
Born to be a strategic cooperation and not a commercial joint venture to sell complementary products or services Flexo4All is aiming at:
- Encouraging networking within the flexo industry to create active co-operation among all partners;
- Connecting the competence of all members to deliver knowledge and added value solutions worldwide;
- Promoting the value of flexography as the best technology to satisfy all printing needs;
- Achieving improved and sustainable service for the Flexographic Packaging Printing industry.

Flexo4All partners

1. Bobst - Switzerland
2. Comexi - Spain
3. Degraf - Italy
4. DuPont (Packaging Graphics, Authentications and Tyvek® Graphics) - Germany
5. Eckart - Germany
6. EskoArtwork - Belgium
7. Fischer & Krecke - Germany
8. Gallus - Switzerland
9. Gidue - Italy
10. SunChemical/Hartmann Druckfarben - Germany
11. Lohmann Tapes - Germany
12. Omet - Italy
13. Praxair Surface Technologies - Switzerland
14. Rotatek - Spain
15. Siegwerk - Germany
16. Soma - Czech Republic
17. Tesa - Germany
18. Uteco Converting - Italy
19. Windmöller & Hölscher – Germany