Offset Printing
Hammer Packaging to run second Drent Goebel VSOP Press
Monday 23. February 2009 - Hammer Packaging, a 400-man strong company based in the Rochester, NY area recently installed their second Variable Sleeve Offset Press (VSOP). The company uses leading-edge technology to produce high-quality printed labels and package decoration for the global beverage, food, horticulture and household products industries. Core products include cut & stack labels, in-mold labels, shrink sleeve labels, roll-on shrink-on labels, roll-fed labels and pressure sensitive labels.
Jim Hammer, president of Hammer Packaging, proudly stands by his second Drent Goebel VSOP (Variable Sleeve Offset Printing) press that prints in nine colors offset. It is the first installed VSOP press that gives the opportunity to cure with EB, (Hot Air curing) UV, or a combination of both. The unique installed VSFP (Variable Sleeve Flexo printing) unit provides both possibilities of either Hot Air or UV curing. The unit is a high speed flexo printing group, specially designed for integration in a VSOP offset machine. It is suitable for both water based and UV inks. Depending on the type of ink, the web can be directed into a hot-air dryer and over the chill roller or directly over the chill roller with optional integrated UV lamps for curing. The web can be printed on the front side and optional on the back side.
Five years ago, Hammer Packaging successfully took the lead in technology shift from cut & stack to roll-roll printing of a great variety of labels and shrink sleeves. In 2006, Drent Goebel installed the first VSOP 850 with a 33.5 inch wide web. As of January 2009, the company is the first market player to operate two VSOP 33.5 inch web offset presses. Hammer Packagings turnover in 2009 is to exceed USD 100 million. Both Drent Goebel VSOP presses are expected to strongly contribute to the company target of substantial turnover growth for 2013.
Jim Hammer confirms: Both machines offer short make ready times, quick repeat size changes and low operational costs. The versatility of the machines is outlined by various curing principles (Electron Beam, Hot air and UV), choices in paper and film, repeat lengths, varnishes and more. The Variable Sleeve Offset Printing technology from our business partner Drent Goebel helps us to both lower costs and increase the quality of our products. Our customers, companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi, are able to decrease their costs when they run rolls of labels and shrink sleeves on their own equipment. They are able to speed up as well Jim Hammer explains: We want to do as much as we can in-line. The more we do in-line, the more freedom the designers get to create an attractive product.
John Swain, Principal of the design company Packaging Arts agrees: ‘Hammer was able to assist us in migrating our labels seamlessly from cut & stack to roll-fed by using their Drent Goebel press. We also benefitted by changing our printing process to hex or expanded gamut. It is nice to have a partner who stays ahead of the technology curve.’
Jim Hammer compares efficiency of the airline industry with the printing business. An airline company only makes money with their planes in the air. A plane on the ground costs money. With printing presses, there is no difference. When the print job is done, we do not want to waste time for make ready of the press for a new job. Grace to the VSOP technology, the press is airborne in a minimum of time.
Drent Goebel is a Netherlands-based company with more than 150 years of combined printing press design and manufacturing experience resulting, in part, from the takeover of three other well-known variable press suppliers during the last eight years. These include Goebel, Giebeler and RDP Marathon. This group of companies resulted in the development of the VSOP patented variable sleeve offset (plate and blanket sleeves) technology platform.
Showcased at drupa 2008, more than 100 VSOP press systems – available in 20″, 33″ and 49″ web widths – have been sold worldwide to commercial printers and packaging converters (cartons, film and label) who confirm the attractiveness of inexpensive repeat/size change with sleeve technology and the ability to print on substrates ranging from commercial paper to heavy paperboard to unsupported film materials.