US supplier of printed packaging, Allied Packaging Corporation, has installed two Mark Andy Evolution flexo presses at its production facility in Phoenix, Arizona, to boost the output of pressure-sensitive and filmic labels.
Established in 1983, Allied Packaging occupies two sites totalling 200,000sqft and employs more than 150 people in the production of flexible packaging and labels.
When looking for the right press to fit with the company’s structure, Ron Fowler, Allied Packaging plant manager, said the company were looking to combine practicality and versatility with ‘high-spec’ presses, and found that with Mark Andy. What won the company over was Mark Andy’s reputation for technical excellence and engineering quality that provides long-term durability, added Mr Fowler.
The result was the installation of two 17inch (430mm) 10-colour Evolution E5 series presses – identically specified to make job switching easy with compatible tooling. Both presses have been fitted with 40inch (1000mm) unwind with closed-loop control and electronic web guiding, followed by a Vetaphone corona treater and Teknek web cleaner. Capable of printing at 750ft/min (230m/min), the servo-driven E5 features pre-register, auto-register and has VariPrint – variable data printing software developed by Haiyaa – capability. For quick and accurate plate mounting, the presses were supplied with a Mark Andy VPM400 video plate mounter. The Evolution presses provide a cost-effective alternative on runs lengths of up to 50,000 impressions, added Allied Packaging.
Tony DeForest, art director of Allied Packaging, stated, ‘We have the latest cutting-edge technology in our studio to assist our customers from concept to completion and maintain state-of the-art software to ensure that all graphics meet the highest standards required for on-shelf appeal. The wider web width and additional colour capacity of the new Mark Andy presses have added a new dimension to what we can achieve.’