QuadTech committed to serve the quality with greater strength
- adds Vigitek and QTMS to expand their offerings
Eying the future of newspaper printing & flexible packaging,
QuadTech, Inc is expanding their offerings globally and in India as
well. “At drupa 08, we exhibited our excellence in quality contol,
demonstrating QuadTech newspaper colour control system with
AccuCam and markless register control system (mRC).
The acquisition of Vigitek and partnership agreement with QTMS
will essentilly strengthen our endeavour,” says Randall W Freeman,
vice president of business development, QuadTech in tête-à-tête
with S K Khurana, editor, All About Newspapers.
Hemant Desai, general manager and
Randall W Freeman, vice president of
business development, QuadTech.
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The US-based subsidiary of
QuadGraphics, QuadTech is
a worldwide leader and
innovator in press control
technology, offering their
automated auxiliary control systems
in over 100 countries to the web
offset newspapers and commercial
markets, packaging and the gravure
publications markets. The company
maintains a worldwide network of
sales and service operations,
including facilities strategically
located in India, China, Singapore,
Japan, North as well as South
America, and throughout Europe.
“Till now QuadTech provided the
solutions for colour registration and
colour control, but with acquisition
of Vigitek and partnership
agreement with QTMS, we have
expanded our offerings in other
segments of printing to control
quality futher,” stated Randall.
Vigitek, founded in 1989 in Ireland,
pioneered the technology that
inspects the entire web for common
print defects, improving the quality
and predictability of ink-onsubstrate
while minimizing waste
and reducing costs for its
customers. Its systems are fully
compatible with all types of printing
(i.e., gravure, flexo, web offset,
sheetfed, label and corrugated) and
in all types of configurations: rollto-
roll, roll-to-sheet and sheet-tosheet.
Its acquisition strengthens
print quality solutions for printers
and converters in the packaging
industry by bringing together
QuadTech’s advanced register
guidance system with Vigitek’s
state-of-the-art print defect
detection technology. “Vigitek’s
solutions focus 85 percent on
packaging and 15 percent on rest
segments of printing,” he informed.
Highlighting the advantages why
QuadTech’s quality control
solutions are necessary to use,
Randall stated, “There is always
possibility of substrate wasting
owing to defective printing. As all
substrates, specially packaging, are
too expensive, so to reduce the waste
of substrate is inevitable for the
enhancement of business. Our
solutions help to save it. Not only
registering and colour defects, but
coating defects can also be checked
with our solutions that are feasible
to work efficiently on every
substrate. Also, we not only ensure
the cost-cutting, but save time, with
value addition to the services of the
printers, facilitating timely delivery
of smooth products. As it is easy
to find out the defects and print
required numbers in one go,
avoiding resetting the entire process.
These solutions are feasible to work
at any speed of press. However, the
system configurations will facilitate
type of errors to be identified.”
He further explained, “Recognizing
the importance to quality control
solutions, print buyers do insist on
the installation of these solutions
that is bringing expansion of
markets for us. Variable data printing
requires greater checks, and our
technology is being highly
applicable in text mixing for
pharmaceutical industry products
packaging, playing cards, currency,
and revenue stamps, etc.”
On asking about the major
differences between Indian and
European market requirements,
Randall illustrated, “We see both
similar. Indian markets require as
good level of quality as European
ones and we are committed to serve
the Indian customers without
compromising the quality of our
offerings. Our new subsidiary,
Vigitek has already have six
installations in India and more
multiple orders are under
discussion.”
At drupa 08, QuadTech unveiled
QuadTech newspaper colour
control system with AccuCam,
besides demonstrating markless
register control system (mRC). The
AccuCam is an image-based colour
control system that utilizes closedloop
control to produce superior
colour and increase reliability,
thereby reducing advertiser rebates
and enabling newspaper printers to
compete for semi-commercial work.
It uses a proprietary 6-channel
spectral sensor with LED lighting
that promises reduced maintenance.
Moreover, as newspaper printers
are often not permitted to print
colour bars or gray bars, the
AccuCam eliminates the need for
bars by using image-based colour
control, granting newspapers prized
additional ad space.
Randall informed, “The partnership
agreement with QTMS has enlarged
their products portfolio. Now,
QuadTech will resell the Prism
QTMS production management
system throughout Europe and
North America as part of a complete
QuadTech offering. All QTMS
products, including web, sheetfed,
packaging, gravure, and finishing
counting systems, WIP and pallet
tracking, insert and roll tracking, and
management consoles will be
available direct through QuadTech.”
The latest version of QTMS, QTMS
iQ, offers press, bindery, and
finishing count control as well as
plant-wide workflow and pallet
control. iQ is available as a
standalone production management
system with job planning and
machine loading functionality. It can
be integrated into an existing
management information system; or
it can operate as a total business
solution with the Prism Win MIS.
“With successful drupa 08, we are
to lead the printing world, providing
QuadTech offerings continue
facilitating quality, and addition of
Vigitek and QTMS within our family
will strengthen our group as
well as benefit our customers,”
concluded Randall.
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