Leading Italian flexo prepress specialist Mavigrafica has installed a FLEXCEL NX Ultra 42 Solution at its new production facility in Florence, growing its fleet of FLEXCEL NX Systems to six. This investment is the company’s second in the water wash platemaking solution from Miraclon and comes just 18 months after the installation of Italy’s first solvent- and VOC-free platemaking solution — a FLEXCEL NX Ultra 35 — at Mavigrafica’s plant in Pioltello, Milan.
Established by Maurizio Vitale in 1997, Mavigrafica has grown from a small communications agency to become a key player in Italy’s packaging design and flexographic prepress market. Says Maurizio: “We provide customers with a complete design-to-print portfolio of services, acting as a vital link between brand owner, design agencies and packaging printers, guaranteeing a brand’s visual identity is consistent and uniform no matter where or how the packaging is produced.”
Mavigrafica has enjoyed a long, 17-year partnership with the FLEXCEL NX Technology, having been the first tradeshop in Italy to install a system after seeing it at drupa in 2008. “At that time, we weren’t a large business, and it was a big decision to invest in what was a new technology for flexo printing,” he continues. “But I saw immediately that FLEXCEL NX plates were a game-changer, so while the rest of the industry took a ‘wait and see’ approach, we took the plunge. Today we are 50 people with a turnover of €7 million, and most of our plates are produced using FLEXCEL NX Technology. It has been a major factor in the success of the business, and Miraclon has been an excellent partner, always proactive, always available and quick to respond to any request or problems.”
Sustainability with no compromise on quality
Sustainable manufacturing practices are increasingly essential in the Italian packaging market, and also and essential part of Mavigrafica’s vision. The company is certified to ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and the newest 14064-1 (Carbon footprint) standards. Explains Maurizio. “Our customers are demanding more sustainable solutions throughout the supply chain. With FLEXCEL NX Ultra Solutions, we can offer them a water washable plate that’s solvent- and VOC-free, reducing the environmental impact. Importantly, we can do so without sacrificing plate performance of quality.”
He concludes: “Initial tests with customers confirmed that there was no difference between the on-press performance, quality and consistency of FLEXCEL NX Ultra Plates and FLEXCEL NX Plates, with the added bonus of a water wash solution. The FLEXCEL NX Ultra Solution is also highly productive, with one operator producing as many as 30 plates in a single shift.”
The FLEXCEL NX Ultra Solution is a water-washable flexo platemaking solution that pairs the FLEXCEL NX Ultra Processing System and FLEXCEL NX Ultra plates with the proven FLEXCEL NX System, creating an optimized, end-to-end, solvent- and VOC-free platemaking solution.
