LABELEXPO EUROPE BREAKS RECORDS

LABELS&LABELING |11
HOT OFF THE PRESS
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST
GLOBAL LABEL STORIES
NEW configuration Landa press
LANDA PUTS BACK
NANO PRESS LAUNCH
CARTON press to launch end 2014
The launch of Benny Landa’s new digital
printing presses is to be delayed until
the end of 2014 as the company aims to
achieve offset quality before they reach
customers, writes David Pittman.
The amended launch schedule puts
the commercialization of the press
technology back by 9-12 months, but
this has followed customer feedback and
optimization of its technology, including a
revised feature set and architecture.
They now feature an operator cockpit
at the delivery end of the press. This is
intended to make it easier for operators
to monitor and control the press. The
touchscreen interface, which made
such an impression when the Landa
Nanographic Printing process was
unveiled at Drupa 2012, is included in
this area, featuring press controls, live
video feeds from inside the press and
press performance indicators, as is a lit
inspection table and an area for press
operators to display personal items.
Other enhancements made to the Landa
presses include new ink ejectors with a
resolution of 1,200dpi, and an automatic
paper handling system that supports both
paper and plastic substrates.
When launched, the company said print
quality was at about 25 percent of offset
quality and is currently ‘above 80 percent’.
The first presses to ship will be the
folding carton variant of the S10 model,
which has been enhanced further with
optional in-line coating.
Landa founder, chairman and chief
executive officer Benny Landa said:
‘We have been working closely with our
customers to ensure that our Nanographic
Printing presses will provide the
performance, print quality and feature set
for high-speed production.
‘The new Landa operator cockpit will set
a new standard for operating any press,
whether digital or offset.’
ETI APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT
AND MANAGEMENT TEAM
ETI Converting Equipment has named
Maxime Bayzelon as its new president.
Bayzelon started work for ETI in 2007,
where he has been involved in new
product development, engineering and
manufacturing. He was most recently
vice-president of sales.
ETI Converting Equipment has also
appointed Yves St-Amant to the position
of vice-president of operations, and
named Michel Houle as financial director.
He has worked with ETI since the turn
of the century, initially as engineering
manager before being promoted to
vice-president of engineering in 2005
and vice-president of research and
development in 2007.
Before joining ETI, St-Amant worked for
Aquaflex System over a 16-year period.
Houle joins ETI Converting Equipment
with nearly 25 years of financial,
organizational and management
experience. He managed his own
accounting firm for over 15 years.
NEW Xeikon CEO Wim Maes
NEW XEIKON CEO CONFIRMED
Xeikon has confirmed the appointment on
Wim Maes as its new CEO following the
takeover of the company by investment
groups Bencis - which owns 80 percent of the
shares - and GIMV.
Maes said the companies acquired Xeikon
because they saw a good growth potential.
'We want to be among the top three players
in our chosen markets, which includes
becoming a preferred partner in the label and
packaging sectors,’ said Maes.
Xeikon successfully launched its ICE
toner at Labelexpo Europe, a breakthrough
technology allowing heat sensitive materials
to be processed on its digital presses, and
demonstrated in-line digital carton printing and
finishing in the Package Print Workshop.
GRAFOTRONIC APPOINTS
PRESSTEC AS SA AGENT
Grafotronic has signed an agent agreement
with Presstec, based in Cape Town, South
Africa, as part of a strategy to globalize its
product offering. Presstec also has sales and
service offices in Johannesburg and Durban.
Antron Hendricks, chief executive officer of
Presstec, said: ‘We have just finished our first
tour together with Grafotronic in South Africa.
The response from our customers across the
country is fantastic and we believe that we
are offering something new that our market
needs.’
NOVEMBER 2013 | L&L