Germany-based industrial press manufacturer Heidelberg announced that Dutch packaging company Van de Steeg has installed its Speedmaster XL 106 press at the Enschede facility, replacing two competitor presses.
Image: The new Speedmaster XL 106 with six colors and double coating unit is exactly the right press for the premium quality and finishing effects the company wants. Photo: Courtesy of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.
Van de Steeg was established in 1931 as a service provider for the textile industry, and later focused on media printing, labeling records, and printing of album covers.
It served major companies such as Sony, Warner, and EMI after the introduction of CDs and later transitioned to the beauty, perfume, and body care sectors.
With the Speedmaster XL 106, Van de Steeg has become a specialist in solid cardboard, finishing effects, and luxury packagings, with an average run length of 3,500 sheets per order.
As make-ready time is important during three-shift operation, the ‘Hycolor Multidrive’ inking units and its parallel processes in the press have reduced the make-ready times.
Van de Steeg managing director Hermen Nassette said: “We tailor our services to our customers’ requirements and expectations, regardless of the industry. We had a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 in the Thalgau plant in Austria, and were very impressed with its quality and above all the short makeready times.
“Heidelberg has been looking after us as a global account for more than ten years, and recommended exactly the right press for our new requirements – a Speedmaster XL 106 with six colors and double coating unit. Makeready is now quick and the print quality as well as the reliability of the press are first class.”
In Speedmaster XL 106, inking and dampening units can operate independently from the main drive, where inking units can be washed while the printing plates are changed via the main drive or rubber blankets and impression cylinders are washed.
In addition, the press is equipped with the Prinect Image Control 3 color measurement system that measures and controls opaque white, enabling process control and color constancy for luxury packaging.
The double coating unit of the Speedmaster XL 106 permits a wide choice of variants such as matt and gloss effects, UV coating, dispersion and drip-off coatings.
Nassette added: “This press offers absolute added value and we have received exactly the right machine thanks to the comprehensive consultation. For high-end packagings in the luxury segment, it is the creativity that counts, not the price only. We will continue to tap this growth market and with the new printing press are very well positioned for this.”
In the area of high-end cosmetics, sustainability and reduction of plastic consumption plays an important role, where eco-friendly packaging made from cardboard and soy or water-based coatings are received well.