Grupo Fibrafil, based in the Peruvian capital Lima, is one of the leading Latin-American manufacturers of two agro-industrial products used in greenhouses – sun protection materials and binding twine for tomatoes. The company is now entering the label market and has therefore invested in a Gallus ECS 340 flexographic press.

Grupo Fibrafil, part of Grupo Zaidan, has a workforce of approximately 80 employees at its plant in Peru. However, it is also represented in other countries in the region under the name of the umbrella organization Grupo Zaidan. Grupo Zaidan consists of companies in Peru and Chile and subsidiaries in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Uruguay.

Nicolas Zaidan, sales manager at Grupo Fibrafil, explains that the large growth potential on the Peruvian label market prompted the company to add label printing to its core business – the production of 1.82 million square meters of sun protection materials a month on 21 machines: “The Peruvian label market is not particularly well developed. A lot of labels are still imported from abroad. After installing the new press, we were able to attract many branded companies for whom the shorter delivery times of our labels are of critical importance,” says Zaidan.

To meet the needs of the Peruvian label market, Grupo Fibrafil chose to buy a Gallus ECS 340 flexographic press. This press has a technical granite core that the company says ensures very quiet operation and enables easy access to the printing and processing stations. The Gallus ECS 340 is equipped with eight inking units, a UV drying system, a servo-drive system, front-operated die-cutters and printing cylinder and anilox roller sleeves. It also boasts a very short web path that cuts setup times and waste significantly. According to  Zaidan, the Gallus ECS 340 will be used at Grupo Fibrafil to produce prime, security and PVC labels with an annual capacity of 2 million square meters.

For the time being, the new label press will be housed in a dedicated, 1,000-square meter area at the 15,000-square meter Grupo Fibrafil plant. However, the company is already in the process of buying an 8,000-square meter site nearby, where the label department – which will be operated under the name Sigmaflex – will move next year.

Initially, Grupo Fibrafil is looking to concentrate on the domestic label market, where Zaidan sees great potential in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Labels for the company’s own agro-industrial products will account for 25% of production.

However, Grupo Fibrafil is also looking to use its existing network to export labels to other Latin American countries in the future. As it already supplies agro-industrial products to its companies abroad, the export costs for the labels would be eliminated. The Grupo Zaidan companies will therefore soon be hiring employees responsible solely for the label market. Further label presses may then be deployed, including in the other countries where the Group is already active. Seen in this light, the purchase of the Gallus ECS 340 is just the beginning, according to Zaidan.