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Stichnothe becomes first German company to receive Esko XPS Crystal certification

Monday 28. June 2021 - The XPS Crystal certification program is accessible to users of the innovative Esko XPS Crystal imaging unit. This includes all plate suppliers using all plate types. This award-winning technology combines optimal main and back UV exposure through the use of LEDs.

Esko has awarded Stichnothe, one of Germany’s leading flexographic plate suppliers, with XPS Crystal certification.
“The program was developed to recognize companies that produce premium flexo plates for premium flexo print quality,” explains Mr. Pascal Thomas, Director of Flexo Business at Esko.
“We are very pleased that Stichnothe is the first company in Germany to receive this award,” he emphasized. “The certification is not only a way for companies to showcase their world-class service offering to their customers, but it also highlights their excellence in flexo plate production.”
According to Dennis Melching, Managing Director of Stichnothe, “An optimum print result is always based on individual and comprehensive advice. This insight has been confirmed time and again over the past 60 years. Since our foundation, the company has stood for modern machinery combined with competence, care and responsibility as core characteristics. In short: We stand for the highest quality. We live up to this claim every day. This is ensured by highly qualified specialists who work goal-oriented on the optimal solution – for every order. We are proud of this.”
As a certified Esko partner, Stichnothe not only benefits from benchmarking and identifying best practices in quality control processes and production efficiency. Certification also enables the company to provide customers with an added level of quality assurance, reliability for best practices in production processes and consistent quality in the final print.
“We developed the certification program to ensure that the entire supply chain can meet the demanding needs and requirements of brands and converters. We meet their requirements in terms of predictable and accurate plate quality and the highest available platemaking consistency, regardless of the photopolymer,” adds Pascal Thomas. “Stichnothe is known for meeting the highest standards and we are pleased to be able to honor that through our certification program.”
Certification is offered as part of the XPS Crystal Hardware Care Plan, which ensures continued quality improvement compared to a one-time effort to achieve certification. The process can be started either at installation, during a preventive maintenance visit or upon request.
The award-winning Esko XPS Crystal technology has received the prestigious FTA Award, the 2017 InterTechTM Technology Award, the 2018 EFIA Technology Award and the Red Dot Award for Product Design. The technology enables simultaneous and optimally controlled main and reverse UV exposure for the production of highly consistent digital flexo plates.