SMART DESIGN

LABELS&LABELING |103
Focus on Latin America
JAMES QUIRK rounds up three recent developments in the region: GM opens an office in Chile; Mexican
converters partner with the purchase of a Xeikon press; and a multiple unit installation for GEW
GRAFISK MASKINFABRIK
OPENS LATIN AMERICA OFFICE
HOT OFF THE PRESS
GRAFISK MASKINFABRIK (GM), a Denmark-based manufacturer of
converting and finishing equipment, has opened an office in Santiago,
Chile, to provide technical support to customers in Latin America.
JOS KABOUW heads up GM’s Latin
America office based in Santiago, Chile
The office, which was founded in early
2012, is managed by Jos Kabouw – who
has over 20 years’ experience in the
Latin American graphic arts market, with
particular expertise in industrial digital
print systems from the likes of Xeikon
and HP Indigo – and offers technical
support that covers the region from
Mexico down to Tierra del Fuego.
According to Kabouw, the move was
motivated by an increasing number
of installations in the region, including
digital converting systems for both label
and folding carton applications in Chile,
Colombia, Mexico and Brazil. Sales to
Argentina and Peru are expected in the
near future. ‘We only had a few machines
in the region until recently,’ he said, ‘but
that has changed rapidly in the last few
months with a series of installations and
more due to be finalized shortly.’
The office in Chile allows GM to offer
customers in the region far quicker
technical support and spare parts service
than was previously available from
Denmark. ‘In this region, label converters
often work 24/7. Our presence in Chile
eliminates the problem of time difference
between this region and Denmark,
as well as overcoming language and
cultural barriers. The GM Latin America
team has over 20 years of experience
in the graphic arts business – in digital
printing solutions as well as finishing
equipment.’
Kabouw is excited about the potential
for GM’s lines of finishing equipment in
the region: ‘The Latin America market
offers good growth for GM with the
increasing numbers of digital presses
from HP Indigo, Xeikon and other
brands being installed in the region.
I am confident that GM will become
an important player in the region and
a good partner for our customers,
because our team of brilliant engineers in
Denmark create machines that offer the
converter flexibility and the most costeffective,
high quality performance for roll
to roll or roll to sheet.’
As well as digital converting lines such
as the DC 330 mini, DC330, DC330 laser
die-cutting system and DC 500 and XP
500 converting/finishing machines, GM
also offers ancillary equipment such
as roll lifters, slitter rewinders, revision
equipment, core cutters, laminators and
more.
‘The DC 330 laser die-cut system
was three years in the making, with our
company working with a team of experts
that manufacture high-tech industrial
laser systems,’ said Kabouw.
‘They created a system that is unique
in the market – capable of flexible, high
speed, digital production. It can be made
even faster with a dual laser head and is
a complete, ready-to-use system with no
need for additional elements.’
As an example of GM’s technical
capabilities, Kabouw cites the
development in partnership with the DTU
Risø technical university in Denmark of
a digital converting line that is used to
produce state-of-the-art flexible solar
cells printed roll to roll – a unique system
that utilizes silkscreen and lamination.
In addition to sales and service for
GM installations with other digital press
brands, Kabouw carries out technical
support for GM’s industry partner Xeikon.
SILVAFORM’S general director, Jaime Silva
SILVAFORM INSTALLS GEW
UV CURING SYSTEMS
SilvaForm, a Mexico-based printer of labels
and intelligent forms, has installed UV curing
systems from GEW on all its flexo and rotary
offset presses at its 8,000 sqm plant just
outside Mexico City.
According to general director Jaime Silva,
adding the GEW curing systems will increase
the quality of the labels manufactured by the
company – at a time when its label production
is showing strong growth.
SilvaForm installed its first GEW systems
in 1998. Two years ago, the company added
GEW’s eBrick and film adaption technology.
The low power, high intensity curing enabled
the company to reduce the heat on the
substrate, yet cure at high speeds. This, in
combination with the integrated water-cooled
roller, resulted in a substrate temperature rise
of less than 1 deg C between unwind and
rewind. Added to the higher print quality of
UV, the GEW systems have helped SilvaForm
launch new products and enter new markets.
The success of the initial installations led the
company to install an additional seven systems
of the same specification earlier this year.
SilvaForm’s core expertise is in intelligent
forms – which often use specialty inks, high
security holograms, and integrated labels
with variable data and envelopes with security
features.
Seventy percent of SilvaForm’s production
is dedicated to intelligent forms; 30 percent
to labels. However, with the continuous forms
sector in decline, Jaime Silva believes label
production could reach 50 percent of the
company’s output in the near future.
It is here that he expects the GEW UV curing
systems to be beneficial. ‘The new systems
will give us more flexibility in the substrates
we use and will help us to expand our market
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JULY 2012 | L&L