Promographic & Design are a company based out of Zapopan, Jalisco, in Mexico. Created in 2005, the company specialises in the conversion of self-adhesive labels, flexible films and shrink sleeves.
The company put quality at the forefront of their offering to customers, and this means they are regularly on the lookout for new technology that allows them to improve their processes and their output.
In 2022, this meant a UV LED upgrade to their Nilpeter FB3300 Servo 13” press – the upgrade was for an 8-lamp, 38cm, 70W/cm LeoLED system, at 25W/cm2. They hoped that the retrofit would mean lower energy prices, but also a brighter product that would lead to even greater customer satisfaction.
In our latest case study interview, GEW’s Sales Manager for Latin America, Vini Munzberg, speaks to Daniel Renteria, the Manufacturing Manager at Promographic & Design, about their decision to upgrade to LeoLED.
You can read the interview below:
Vini Munzberg (VM): Please describe your company’s activities, and your role within the company.
Daniel Renteria (DR): We are a company dedicated to the conversion of labels, heat shrink sleeves and flexible packaging, with almost 20 years of experience having been founded in 2005. We have a clear focus on meeting regulation, being certified in ISO 9001:2015 and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), and we believe the installation of the UV LED system in 2022 helped us to meet these regulations.
As for my specific role, I am a Manufacturing Manager in the company, and I am always passionate about accompanying improvement projects.
VM: How long has your GEW system been installed?
DR: The 8-lamp LeoLED system was installed in June 2022, meaning we have had the system for just over two years. Prior to that, we had a GEW 8-lamp mercury arc VCP system on the Nilpeter Servo 13” press.
VM: What applications is it being used for?
DR: The Nilpeter flexo press focuses mainly on making heat-shrinkable sleeves, to which we seek to give more intense colors and achieve better adhesion of the inks. This is particularly crucial to some of the markets we serve, including those in the food packaging market.
VM: What benefits has the GEW system brought to your business?
DR: The initial benefit for us was in the reduction in downtime; we were able to run our press for longer because the LED system is instant on, instant off, and there’s less work on the press for our pressmen to worry about.
There have been other clear benefits too. The inks made for LED are brighter, which translates into greater customer satisfaction – this can never be underestimated, particularly in terms of return business.
The last major benefit is that we can print at higher speeds, since ink curing is achieved without problems at high speeds. This again improves our productivity, meaning we can turn around the jobs we do faster, but it also means we can quote for more work as the press is available more regularly.
VM: What can you do now, that you could not do before you had the GEW UV system?
DR: Probably most critically, my shrink sleeves no longer burn with LeoLED. This happened with the previous system at each stoppage, which was not ideal in terms of customer satisfaction and material waste.
As mentioned above, we can produce more because the production speeds are up 15%, giving us more scope for additional work.
There are further benefits which many don’t discuss too. We don’t have to worry about replacing parts as often, like the quartz, nor do we have to worry about degrading curing quality – with the conventional UV lamps we had before, we would frequently have to buy new lamps after 1,000-2,000 hours as the quality of cure worsened.
On a side note, I like the usability of the system – the interface, for example, is simple and helps me play with intensities in a more dynamic way.
In summary, We can print faster, print more often, save energy, and we don’t have to smell the ozone any longer.
VM: What would you say to anyone considering purchasing a GEW system?
DR: They should do it. The improvements in the process will be obvious immediately, assuming the set-up process goes according to plan. The energy savings on offer and the control over maintenance are extra benefits. It is the next step in technology, let them take the step.
VM: Describe your overall experience with the GEW team (sales and installation)
DR: The GEW sales team was always present to answer our questions, they guided us to the best proposal and Vini Munzberg’s attention to detail is fantastic.
On the part of the installation, they have the best engineer in all of Latin America, Daniel García – he is precise, dedicated and committed to leaving the equipment working at 100%.
Overall, the experience was excellent.
VM: Are there any other notes that you would like to add?
DR: I would add that I find the report they send monthly to be very useful. It allows us to see our usage history and energy consumption, which keeps us focused on improving the productivity of the machine.
In summary, everything that GEW represents is more than curing lamps, they are partners in improvement, and we appreciate this.
VM: Thank you for your time, Daniel!
DR: Thank you, Vini.
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To find out more about GEW’s latest water-cooled UV LED curing system for the toughest applications, visit our LeoLED2 web page now.
Learn more about Promographic & Design on their website, here. www.pgdflexo.com
