A Masterstroke in Commercial Security Printing Solutions

Recently purchasing two large, specialised flexo presses from Edale, Dotun Magbagbeola, Owner/Managing Director of Masterstroke in Nigeria, explains his decision behind this big capital outlay.

Masterstroke started as a dedicated carton packaging printing company. Since then the company has grown into a leader in the field of packaging, moving on from wet glue labels to film wrap-around, folding cartons, POS material. It now employs over three hundred people, working in two plants on a twenty-four/seven production schedule.

This success story, however, was not enough for the extremely dynamic entrepreneur who is always looking for new opportunities to gain another leading edge in a fast growing Nigerian economy.

The Government’s decision to ban import of mobile phone recharge cards was an opportunity which Masterstroke took advantage of, with enormous investments in plant, equipment, people, training and product development. Within a short period of time, the company established itself as a leading supplier in this field and recognised the potential of total in-line production to automate and rationalise the production process enabling quicker turn-around to respond to customers’ JIT (just-in-time) ordering strategy.

Masterstroke searched long and hard for the right printing and finishing solution and decided on an Edale Beta 250, seven colour, modular, narrow web combination printing and converting machine. Edale has a fifty year un-broken track-record in the design and manufacture of narrow web printing machinery with an emphasis on special applications which provided the pedigree and security Masterstroke was looking for.
“We had a number of objectives linked with this new investment:

“reduce the number of production machines meaning less operations, less waste, less WIP (working progress), man power and floor space
“increase production out-put with shorter delivery time, meaning a quicker reaction to customer demand and job changes to shorter but more frequent orders
“adding-on more security features and opportunity to use the same machine for other and new commercial security applications,” explained Mr Magbagbeola.

The combination press included a large unwind with web cleaning, insetting for multiple web paths, multiple flexo print stations with IR/Air and UV drying/curing or/and combination drying for conventional printing, varnishing, scratch-off ink printing, a personalisation unit with multiple ink jet heads, a multi stream hologram application module as well as cold foiling and lamination option, die-cutting, perforating and sheeting finishing stations with reel to reel or reel to finished sheet/ticket production.

The ability for all printing and finishing operations for a recharge mobile phone card to be produced in one operation on the press gives Masterstroke a tremendous technical advantage and commercial competitive edge in the market. “This technology is totally new to our local market,” explains Mr Magbagbeola “and it required in-depth planning, an enormous amount of training and a new approach by the whole company, starting from the production planning through to the actual production. We are now in a position to look for additional customers and business in the same field but also expand into other areas.”

By going that route, Mr Magbagbeola also began to look into other applications where this production process adds enormous benefit: Commercial Security Printing and Converting/Finishing. Nigeria is high on the list of counterfeiting, with brand owners looking for solutions to avoid losing millions to counterfeiters. This view is supported by the Tax authorities who are also losing huge tax revenues. Commercial security applications represent one of the fastest growing areas within the Printing Industry. Bernhard Grob from Edale Ltd explains, “for many years I have given presentations at international Security Printing Conferences on the subject of Commercial Security Printing. While a few years ago, top-level Security printers were didn’t take the lower level of commercial security applications seriously, some have since invested in security production equipment as they have not only realised the potential in this field but also because they can gain a big advantage by already having a total security production environment in place. At this year’s conference, we had an Edale customer (a security printing company owned by the Ministry of Finance) as a speaker, sharing their experience they have gained and showing the opportunities they have created with this latest investment.

Due to the company’s strong presence in the folding carton market, Masterstroke also invested in a 430 mm wide, eight colour, totally shaftless Edale Sigma press for dedicated carton applications. According to reports, over half of pharmaceutical products are fakes in the Nigerian market. This figure is alarming and the consequences can be serious with patients taking the incorrect drugs causing more harm than good. Pharmaceutical companies around the globe are working hard on introducing more security into their products to fight against counterfeiters, so consumers can easily identify a fake product versus a genuine one.

In summary, Labels, tickets, folding cartons i.e. pharmaceutical cartons and packaging, are at the forefront of the rapid global increase in the fight against counterfeiting, brand protection and product tampering. Edale, a well respected and leading company in this field, now offers printers total printing, converting and finishing solutions for commercial security applications. Edale’s narrow web presses can incorporate different printing processes i.e. flexo, screen, digital and gravure, all in one operation. With in-line hologram, lamination, punching, embossing, die-cutting and micro perforation, the final products can be delivered in reel, sheet or fan-folded form – again, in one operation. This enables printers to harvest the vast number of advantages and cost reductions.

For more information, please contact Masterstroke or Edale Ltd. or click on www.edale.co.uk and read more about commercial security applications.

The End - 913 Words
Added: 11-06-2008