Kyoto, Japan—SCREEN Graphic Solutions Co., Ltd. announces its agreement with Chiyoda Gravure Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, to work together to promote the use of digital printing for flexible packaging materials. The initiative will utilize SCREEN GA’s Truepress PAC 830F, a new water-based digital inkjet system that is capable of full-scale production of small- to medium-lot jobs.

In recent years, as countries worldwide have increasingly moved to create a sustainable society, the packaging industry has also seen a growing need for more environmentally conscious production methods and greater responsibility in its supply chain. At the same time, maturing consumer preferences have also created a trend toward diversified small-lot production using flexible packaging.

While gravure printing has been the standard across the industry until recently, this method is best suited for large print runs. When it is used for small- to medium-lot work, a number of problems arise, including low productivity, significant strain on operators and considerable losses due to the discarding of unused products. Naturally, these issues have led affected companies to search for potential solutions.

Against this backdrop, Chiyoda and SCREEN GA have recently worked together to install the Truepress PAC 830F at Chiyoda’s facility. SCREEN GA has specifically developed this water-based digital inkjet press to enable full-scale mass production of small- to medium-lot jobs. Both companies have agreed to jointly promote the increased use of digital printing for flexible packaging, with the shared aims of expanding target applications for the Truepress PAC 830F as a production system, constructing an improved digital workflow, and identifying and resolving various issues that occur in small- to medium-lot production processes.

The two companies intend to pursue this initiative based on Chiyoda’s corporate philosophy of “Trust, continuous growth and human resource development” as well as the SCREEN Group’s corporate purpose of “Innovation for a Sustainable World.” In addition to making a social contribution, they hope to upgrade the working environment at production sites for flexible packaging and deliver print quality that will make the world an ever more colorful place. The two companies cooperate closely in order to achieve the necessary technological innovations.

Going forward, both companies plan to focus on using the current collaborative framework to develop solutions for longstanding issues related to small- and medium-lot work under actual production conditions. At the same time, they have also set themselves the wider goal of constructing an optimal production flow that will contribute to the continuing digital transformation of the flexible packaging market.

www.chiyogra.co.jp