Precision Press, an innovative U.S. packaging and label producer for the food, beverage and consumer markets, will be the first in the world to install the new Goss Sunday Vpak web offset printing system.

The new press will be configured for flexible packaging applications, with Sunday Vpak 500 web offset printing units as well as a Goss in-line flexo and coating unit. The press will also be equipped for UV and EB curing. The system will go into operation at the company’s 213,000-square-foot facility in North Mankato, Minnesota in late 2012.

High offset print quality, quick-change sleeve technology and the prospect of lower production costs were key factors in the investment decision, along with Goss International support resources in the United States, according to Lee Timmerman, president of Precision Press. Timmerman says the Sunday Vpak 500 press will accommodate a wide variety of film substrates, product formats and high-quality lithographic requirements, supplementing the company’s extensive web offset capabilities.

“We have made a deliberate decision to do something different,” explains Timmerman. “There is a lot of untapped potential for web offset in the packaging arena, and we’re excited about the new print quality, productivity and efficiency benefits the Goss press technology will bring to our customers.”

Sunday Vpak 500 presses print at up to 1,200 feet per minute. Goss International will equip the system at Precision Press with a closed-loop color, registration and inspection system.

“Precision Press is a well-established leader in delivering differentiating packaging and label capabilities to its customers,” according to Jochen Meissner, Goss International president and CEO. “We appreciate this opportunity to support the company’s ongoing commitment to cutting-edge offset technology.”

Goss Sunday Vpak 500 and Sunday Vpak 3000 press models for folding carton, flexible packaging, pre-print and label applications are available in web widths of up to 75 inches. Key features include quick-change sleeve adapter technology for efficient, cost-effective size changes, and advanced offset inking, tension management and control systems.

Meissner says Sunday Vpak packaging presses represent a natural extension of coreGoss strengths, including high-quality lithography, high-speed web offset production and advanced system integration. “We are introducing a new alternative for packaging with entirely unique web offset quality, speed, operability and cost-reduction advantages,” he adds.

Timmerman notes that Precision Press has worked closely with Goss International over the past year in development of the press configuration. “We had the chance to actually work with the high-caliber Goss engineering team as the press was being developed and tested at their U.S. headquarters,” he explains. “As a result, our experience in and the challenges of printing on films, as well as our vision of the capabilities our customers will need going forward, are built into the new press technology.”

Precision Press produces a comprehensive range of flexible packaging as well as in-mold, shrink sleeve, roll-fed and cut-and-stack labels to help customers throughout the United States distinguish their food, beverage and consumer products. The company is part of the Taylor Corporation, one of the top-five largest graphic communications and commercial printing groups in North America.

Goss International supplies presses and finishing systems – including the most automated and productive web offset presses in the world – for magazine, newspaper, packaging, catalog, direct mail and other printing applications. The company is headquartered in Durham, New Hampshire (USA) and has major manufacturing centers in North America, Asia and Europe as well as a global sales and support network.