Since it was founded in 1977, new technologies and searching
for the optimum way to deliver print have been at the heart of QRT Graphique’s
development strategy. The company, which is located on a 10,000 m2 site in the
suburbs of Alès, has become one of the major players in the adhesive labels
market by increasing investment and developing an unsurpassed know-how that is
recognised throughout France.
Every year, QRT Graphique prints tens of millions of labels
for its clients – covering the agri-food, Chemical and cosmetics industries –
on a dozen production lines that include flexo, typo, offset and screen.
However, the print managers had closely been monitoring digital printing as a
potential growth driver mainly for short runs.
“For several years, we had been following the evolution of
digital presses – in particular those from Domino – waiting for the one that
would be a perfect match for our production requirements in terms of
productivity,” recalls Christophe Quirantès. “At the start of 2013, we went to
see the N610i in Domino’s demonstration centre in Cambridge, England. We ran
printing tests on various materials. The results were conclusive, both in terms
of the quality printing and the speed of execution.”
QRT Graphique also reviewed other devices, but Christophe is
confident they made the right choice: “We knew we could deliver larger runs
with the innovative technology developed by Domino compared to the standard
digital presses offered by other manufacturers.”
A few months later, the N610i digital press with four
colours + white became the first to be installed in France. Says Christophe:
“The choice to include white was motivated by the need to print on transparent
synthetic gold and silver substrates, whereby white is essential to give
correct colour matching. This allows us to get good opacity and it brings out
the colours giving the label a vibrant appearance.”
Where short runs of 50 to 10,000 labels were previously
associated with digital production, this has now extended to runs of thousands
of copies. “With the piezo ink jet technology, we are now looking to replace
our rotary typos because the N610i is just as efficient on medium run lengths.
We have already printed a run of 400,000 labels in production,” he continues.
Christophe believes that Domino’s piezo ink jet technology
is the future for his sector. Furthermore, the QRT printshop can rely on the
service and expert advice from Domino to ensure its digital press is always
running smoothly and providing valuable input into the development of new
products for its customers.
A dramatic reduction
in lead times
With digital, the pre-press process is eliminated, which
translates into substantially reduced production lead times. And that’s without
taking into account the ease and speed of switching from one job to another;
all you have to do is send the files to the press to start printing.
Christophe says: “With Domino’s N610i, the labels are
already printed by the time we would have finished plating up on the typography
press.” The result is that, combined with the productivity of the N610i, which
runs at 50 m/min in high definition, digital printing is proving unbeatable
when it comes to execution speed. And, that doesn’t include the savings made on
waste that is produced during plating up in flexo.
“Since we’re running at a constant speed, it’s easier to
organise our production planning and plan ahead,” emphasised Christophe, whose
print shop produces around 20 million m2 adhesive labels a year.
A wider market reach
Its first investment in digital allows QRT Graphique to
position itself in new markets. For example, with medium size runs of
multi-reference labels, the company can now produce the same label, but with
different visuals, barcodes or Datamatrix codes. This could not previously have
been achieved with flexo printing.
Christophe Quirantès unveils another strength of Domino’s
N610i digital ink jet press: “We are attracting new customers, as UV inks
produce a screen-printed likeness. It gives the impression of being thicker to
the touch, and provides increased abrasion resistance compared to traditional
printing. There are a number of sectors where these qualities are extremely
important, for example with the transportation of products in boxes and
ensuring that the labels are not damaged on arrival.”
The proof is in the
product
QRT Graphique’s introduction of digital has even led to
modification of the company’s sales policy. Now, when sales personnel visit a
prospective customer, they do not spend a lot of time talking about the quality
of the new press, and rather ask for a test file and return a printed copy of
the label within 48 hours. “This technology is enabling us to get our message
across to prospective customers, as they can have their own product in their
hands extremely quickly,” adds Christophe Quirantès. “We are bringing something
new to the market and differentiating ourselves, which is essential with nearly
300 labels manufacturers in France.”
After an initial expansion drive in 2011, which included
acquisition of a print shop and establishment of a sales office in Paris, QRT
Graphique is preparing for the next stage. The N610i’s productivity and print
quality allows the company to conquer new markets across France during this
expansion period, and stand its ground against the competition.
