CTP - Computer to Plate

Lüscher AG Maschinenbau, Repositioning itself for the Future

Tuesday 01. February 2011 - With a strategic reorientation Lüscher AG Maschinenbau is setting the course for the future. As an innovative developer and manufacturer of CTP machines, the company is positioning itself as a high quality, unique supplier of platesetter systems for multiple printing technologies across the whole of the Graphic Arts market.

Lüscher will continue to focus on high quality offset printing markets along-side the set-up and expansion into new markets such as flexographic, security printing, and the development of multi-purpose CTP systems. These steps along with new product innovations will reinforce Lüscher as an important supplier meeting the changing demands of the printing sector.
New products recently brought to market include the unique hybrid platesetters XPose! Flex and Multi DX as well as special solutions for large format web-offset customers with customised requirements for automation.
The XPose! Flex as a hybrid platesetter for flexographic and offset forms is perfectly suited to various applications in security printing such as banknotes, identity cards, credit cards and the like. XPose! Flex, however, also applies where there are diverse packaging applications, particularly for packaging with security features, such as in the pharmaceutical sector.
The new Multi DX flatbed platesetters can be used in screen, flexographic, letterpress and offset printing. These machines offer versatility across many markets such as packaging, job printing, and industrial printing. Practical examples are labels, tins, cartons, foils, ceramics, toys, sports items, car dashboards, electronic devices, PC boards, solar cells, etc.
With the development of XPose! Flex and Multi DX platesetters, Lüscher is the first and only supplier providing printing plate production for offset, flexographic, letterpress and screen printing processes in one single, multi-functional platesetter.
Investments in Repositioning
Apart from investing in new products, a comprehensive demo and training academy of over 500 m2 has been built for demonstration and training purposes. With this facility, Lüscher can now offer extensive testing possibilities including live production with the entire Lüscher CTP range. Through cooperation with service providers ‘Click it’ and ‘Reflex’ who occupy the same building, customers from many markets can do specific trials with the Lüscher equipment for their own print plate production requirements.
This investment in repositioning Lüscher AG Maschinenbau also includes the expansion of customer support and our International sales structure. In particular, the distribution organisation in Asia where in the the past 12 months over 15 dealers have been established across a dense distribution network in important regions of the emerging markets. The Lüscher Hong Kong subsidiary company established in 2009 received an increase in personnel and a Sales & Service office have been opened in Shanghai.
As a further investment in quality, last month Lüscher AG Maschinenbau achieved ISO 9001 certification – further endorsing the quality of “Swiss made CTP”.
Innovative Partnerships
An important element of the reorientation are cooperations with innovative and renowned partners. Marketed in an Agfa and Lüscher partnership, the Aluva N and Aluva P conventional CTP plates from Agfa set the standard in speed and quality imaging using Lüscher Blue laser CTP. Typically embraced by high volume printing operations, customers are choosing this ‘best of breed’ combination for the economy-of-scale savings, and on-press performance delivered by the plates.
With high volume operations, plate handling and efficiencies gained from automation are paramount, so Lüscher is also providing solutions to all aspects of automation within prepress and into the press hall. To this end, a cooperation was established between Lüscher and the German company NELA (Brüder Neumeister GmbH). The fruits of this collaboration show successful projects for fully automated ‘lights out’ plate production starting with delivered palettes of new plates, ending with sorted plates completely ready for mounting on press. Successful installations are found for example at Vogt-Schild Druck AG in Derendingen, at Saxoprint GmbH in Dresden and Birkhäuser + GBC AG in Reinach. This cooperation between NELA and Lüscher will be further expanded in future.
New Standards in Security Printing
Lüscher has a proven track record within security and banknote printing, which has one of the most difficult and stringent quality requirements. Lüscher technology here has prevailed with platesetter resolutions of 10’160 dpi combined with unrivalled precision and accuracy, on flexo, letterpress, and offset plates alike.
The Lüscher installations at Orell Füssli, Zurich, the Canadian National Bank, and Note Print Australia (NPA), are representative of over 30 major Lüscher users in security printing on all continents.
Repositioned and Restructured on the Path to Success
Lüscher’s many technological innovations, customer oriented restructuring, innovative partnerships and high growth rates in security printing are confirmation of its successful repositioning.
As a supplier to the print industry, Lüschers primary commitment to its customers and positioning of products on the entire range of print plate production, is paying off.
With this philosophy the slogan in future will be:
Lüscher – innovations that inspire!