Flexo community power drives with certified users

Esko has picked up the pace of its HD Flexo certification with over 160 credited users worldwide, 11 of which are locals.

Since the company rolled out HD Flexo certification in 2010 to guarantee high quality flexo printing, companies have achieved consistent product branding on a multinational scale, said Peter Henderson, general manager EskoArtwork Oceania.

“There are currently 11 customers who have installed HD Flexo in Australia and New Zealand. Two local companies that have gone through the formal certification process are Brandpack, formerly Montage Graphics*, and Pack Creation.

“A lot of our customers today have been involved in digital flexo for many years and this is just stepping up to the next level. In a community focusing on quality and brand recognition, it’s a powerful thing to have a customer’s qualification displayed to brand owners and converters” he says.

According to Esko, the integration of HD Flexo into the daily production environment becomes much smoother when trade shops and printers use HD Flexo certified components. For vendors, partners and customers wishing to take part in the certification program, a rigorous process requires different print samples from five different commercial jobs be printed consistently.

Once certified, renewals at regular intervals are encouraged to ensure that print quality is maintained and in line with market developments. Vendors also need to certify each product individually, but once the initial certification has been obtained, subsequent applications are faster and easier.

Jan Buchweitz, Senior Product Manager Digital Flexo at Esko, says customers are finding HD Flexo qualification makes a big difference to their business. “They want trusted solutions. They want to know that certified components will all work perfectly together, whether they are printing machines, ink or tape.

“They also want advice from providers that clearly understand exactly how HD Flexo delivers an improved print performance and how individual providers can best leverage this capability within their operations,” she says.

Now that trade houses are encouraging their print partners to get HD Flexo certified, Esko has seen exponential growth in the number of qualified users. As industry leaders begin to recognize the benefits of certification, industry uptake has expanded into all sectors from flexible packaging and labels to folding cartons and corrugated.

*Montage Graphics was a Carter Holt Harvey subsidiary acquired by Colorpak early-2011. The division has since been renamed Brandpack.