Piotr Pohnke, the owner of Beta-Point (4th from left) with Michal Mokrzycki Senior Printing Specialist (2nd from left) and the new team working on the company’s Mark Andy Evolution Series E3

Beta-Point, one of Poland’s fastest growing printing companies, has purchased an 8-colour Mark Andy Evolution E3 flexo press that will enable it to offer its customers a completely new range of high-quality products. The new E3 press also supports the sustainability trend that has become increasingly important for Beta-Point and its customers and will open new markets both inside and outside Poland.

Investment, development, and co-operation with Mark Andy
Beta-Point was established by husband-and-wife team Piotr Pohnke and Beata Hoffmann-Pohnke in 2009, having been involved with labels for the previous 20 years. “We track the market very closely to understand our customers’ requirements and expectations and have made our investments step by step to ensure we could offer new and interesting solutions.
We realised many years ago that Mark Andy presses were way ahead of the competitors who had traditionally dominated the market, and noticed the increasing number of their global installations, including among our competitors in Poland. This made Mark Andy a serious option when we began planning our latest investment in a flexo press,” he said.

Beta-Point focussed on two key targets for its new press. First, it needed to be capable of expanding the company’s product portfolio for its existing customers with special, multi-colour labels. And second, the new product mix needed to attract new business partners and allow Beta-Point to attack completely new markets in Poland and abroad.

“We started our business producing logistics labels,” said Beata Hoffmann-Pohnke, “and have built the brand with streamlined production and on-time deliveries, as well as attractive designs for our colour labels. We work hard to maintain the highest standards in terms of punctuality, co-operation, and consistent quality of labels. Our customers appreciate this approach, especially when they see the effort we put into ongoing development.”

Recent projects and investments have fitted this trend, and the new Mark Andy E3 allows the company to print large volumes of special multi-colour labels as well as introduce special products like peel-off, laminated labels, and wrappers. “We have been observing trends in different market areas for some time, so were very keen to offer multi-colour labels in a completely new, higher quality. We wanted them to be interesting and modern to represent the highest standards,” she explained. “After analysing offers from Mark Andy and its competitors, we decided that the E3 using UV inks and the new UV curing system, would be the best option for us.”

Piotr Pohnke added that they had initially planned to buy a different press, but Mark Andy offered more for the same money. “It was a case of comparing a standard press with one that had greater capability. To cut a long story short, we have ended up with a press that gives us many more opportunities than we had originally planned for!”

Significantly, it was Mark Andy’s European location in Warsaw that proved another deciding factor. “The final decision included the consideration of service support, and we had received a lot of positive comments from Mark Andy’s other Polish users.” This was an extremely important factor and was soon confirmed, with the press’ installation and staff training going very smoothly and without problem. “Mark Andy has been both supplier and advisor at the same time, and we sincerely appreciate this kind of approach,” he commented.

Beta-Point has a large portfolio of customers from many different industries, and this is reflected in the diversity of its product range. “Working with many different customers involves handling a wide range of orders in terms of volume, from small to large,” explained Beata Hoffmann-Pohnke. “The Mark Andy E3 offers us very smooth production of all jobs. Its intuitive to learn and easy to run. After training, our operators were able to produce all our orders in a shorter time. Although we’re still learning the press and its capabilities, we have already appreciated many positive aspects of having it and are keen to see more of them in future!”

Lena Chmielewska-Bontron, European Marketing Manager Mark Andy adds: “As a manufacturer, we are committed to offering presses that easy to handle. We know how ergonomics, intuitive and simple operation impact on shorter job times. So, we take all these aspects into consideration when designing a new press, alongside advanced technology, and the impact this has on production efficiency.”

Beta-Point owners underline that these aspects were very important in making the final decision. The other important factor was sustainability.

Sustainability – a common priority for Mark Andy and Beta-Point
All these mentioned features have a major impact on quick changeovers and waste reduction. With individual servo drive for each printing unit, independent inking and impression, and an advanced web tension control system, the E3 maintains a high quality of printed product. “It fits perfectly with the eco-friendly strategy of our company,” said Beata Hoffmann-Pohnke. “We’re committed to being a modern and sustainable company, and the Mark Andy press chimes with this philosophy. Short make-ready times result in a reduction in energy, ink, and waste. As our plans for the immediate future are very ambitious, Mark Andy’s eco-friendly approach means a lot to us.”

Beta-Point’s customers are increasingly raising this question, too. So, the company is happy to offer eco-friendly substrates for all labels, LM inks, and a more sustainable printing process than before. “Of course, there are still some print buyers who hesitate for budget reasons when it comes to printing on an eco-substrate, which is in usually more expensive than a regular one. However, after considering all the aspects, like the increased cost of disposing of non-eco labels, more and more customers choose eco-solutions - and that makes us very happy!” It’s a strategy that builds Beta-Point’s advantage over its competitors and differentiates it from other players in the market.

Piotr Pohnke also points out the advantage of smaller ink ducts on the E3 press. “On short-run jobs, we can reduce the volume of wasted ink because it is not possible to use it on the next job. So, it’s not just the economy, it’s the ecology that benefits. Sustainable production is not a market standard yet, but we’re convinced that it will be soon, and when it is we will be well prepared!”

Beta-Point has many international brands among its customers, including those from the automotive, chemical, construction, food, and cosmetic industries. Ecology is becoming an important trend for all of them, so the company needs to stay on track. As Piotr Pohnke acknowledges, the modularity of Mark Andy presses, which enables future upgrades, was a crucial factor in selecting the E3. “The press was perfectly configured to fit our current needs, but we are already considering an upgrade or even another press,” he said.

Lukasz Chruslinski, Sales Manager Mark Andy Europe concluded: “It’s good to know that our solutions open new opportunities for printing companies that have been operating for a long time in the market. Mark Andy presses have always been renowned for the many development options they offer. We were delighted to help Beta-Point bring its new ideas to fruition by offering the innovative and interesting solutions available with an Evolution Series E3. Most important is that in addition to seeing the clear technological advantages of the press, Beta-Point owners appreciated the total package we offered that includes advice and technical and service back-up.”