The Cramlington-headquartered pre-press, flexographic platemaker, and FMCG packaging printer, which also last month acquired printing plate manufacturer ANF, said its collaboration with BoxWay will see the Exeter and Peterlee-based company adopt Vortex, Reproflex3’s corrugated screening technology.
The tie-up will also include comprehensive training and development support for BoxWay’s sales team and production staff.
Vortex is said to enhance print quality, reduce dot gain, and optimise ink coverage, resulting in vivid and consistent packaging designs where small runs as well as larger volumes of production can be equally catered for.
It is suitable for presses with fixed anilox rolls, as BoxWay has, which need to cater for a wide range of paper grades and print jobs.
By deploying Vortex, BoxWay can maintain its higher volume anilox rolls while achieving fine halftone reproduction with plate screens 30% higher than before to win new business and offer its existing customers more colours and the ability to print on coated materials.
The technology also offers benefits such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), improved image definition, enhanced colour vibrancy, and superior detail reproduction, Reproflex3 said.
“We are delighted to partner with BoxWay Packaging Group on their journey to becoming a premier league packaging player,” said Mark Vaus, technical sales director for corrugated at Reproflex3.
“The pre-press offering to the corrugated industry has stagnated in the last decade which is never a good thing. We have seen repro companies fall by the wayside through lack of investment and the inability to offer something different to a standard LAMS digital plate.
“Through the implementation of Vortex, along with our training and development support, we are confident that BoxWay Packaging Group will achieve their goals and surpass expectations in the UK corrugated packaging industry.”
As part of a two-year strategic investment programme to increase production capacity and widen its capabilities in the market, BoxWay has already invested over £1m at its Peterlee plant, in a Weipong five-colour rotary die-cut flexo printer.
Reproflex3 also operates sites in Dubai, India, and New Zealand and its extended strategic partnership with XSYS will see the installation of XSYS flexographic plate manufacturing systems at Reproflex3 Middle East & Africa in Dubai, and Reproflex3 India & Asia in Mumbai, to assist in the company’s continued expansion of its platemaking business internationally.
Andrew Hewitson, CEO at Reproflex3, said: “We have been running extensive print tests with the new XSYS polymers and some of our unique screening technologies here in the UK.
“Our clients are delighted with the results, making the new global deal with XSYS a natural step. We are excited to introduce the new imaging technology and polymer plates into our facilities during Q3.”
He added: “XSYS is a great business with solid direction. We have been working together for more than 25 years since we started our first platemaking operation. We look forward to continuing to work together in partnership, providing industry-leading products and services to our customers and creating a win-win relationship.”
