Xeikon has announced its sponsorship of Belgium’s Planckendael Zoo and the Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC) in support of efforts to ensure that cheetahs around the globe both survive and thrive. More specifically, the endeavor supports the Planckendael Zoo’s cheetah.

According to the CRC, the cheetah is the fastest land animal and can run at speeds of over 100 km/h in just four seconds. There are only about 25,000 remaining cheetahs in the world. Xeikon’s sponsorship will help ensure that the number of cheetahs worldwide continues to grow and that their habitats, whether in the wild or in captivity, are protected.

“With the (upcoming) release of our Cheetah digital press and our ‘Year of the Cheetah ’campaign, this sponsorship provided an excellent opportunity to not only give additional visibility to the fastest digital press in its class, but to do so while benefiting the world population of cheetahs, the fastest animal in its class,” says Patrick Van Baelen, VP-WW marketing at Xeikon. “As a company, we are focused on delivering environmentally friendly solutions to the printing and packaging industries. We are pleased to support the Planckendael Zoo and the CRC as they work to accomplish their objectives of social engagement, respect for nature, innovation and research. Like the CRC, an award-winning renowned research institute whose experts are often speaking on the world stage, Xeikon is a market leader with significant investments in both innovation and environmental sustainability.”

Preserving the Cheetah
Under the auspices of the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (KMDA), the parent company of the Planckendael Zoo, the Antwerp Zoo and the CRC, the CRC helps manage international breeding programs for cheetahs, making special efforts to ensure the survival of the species in natural habitats. In addition, the CRC conducts research beyond the breeding programs to contribute to the sustainability and welfare of a wide variety of animals in zoos and in the wild.

The Planckendael Zoo is home to one cheetah and collaborates with the CRC, both in ensuring that these beautiful animals are well cared for and that their brothers and sisters around the world are also protected.

“We are pleased to be working with Xeikon on this important initiative,” comments Anja Stas, commercial director of KMDA. “We strive to bring people closer to nature and animals, and one way to do so is through partnerships like this, which help support our worldwide breeding and preservation programs, preventing the extermination of many important animal species. Without the generous support of companies like Xeikon, our task would be exponentially more difficult. We are also pleased that as part of this program, employees, partners and even customers of Xeikon will also have the opportunity to become engaged with preserving the quality of life of cheetahs worldwide.”

The Cheetah in print
According to the company, the Xeikon Cheetah is the most productive five-color digital label press in its class. With a top speed of 30 m/min (98 ft/min), the Xeikon Cheetah is 56% faster than any other model in the current press portfolio.

When developing new products such as the Xeikon Cheetah, the company has taken a strong stance on environmental issues. Reducing the recycling cost of Xeikon products and solutions, meeting environment-related product standards and customer requirements and minimizing the environmental impact during product life cycle are Xeikon’s eco-goals. The company aims to achieve these goals through raw material substitution or reduction, process efficiency improvement and energy usage, as well as life cycle and product disposal optimization. And by offering digital printing solutions, Xeikon applies the digital principle of “Print only what you need, reprint when needed,” which reduces waste through minimal production, downsizes storage space and thus decreases costs.

The 1200 x 3600 dpi digital press is dedicated solely to the production of self-adhesive/pressure sensitive labels. It also enables printing on a variety of heat-sensitive substrates due to incorporation of Xeikon’s ICE toner technology, which requires a much lower fusing temperature than typical toner-based presses.
Xeikon presses are based on dry toner electro-photography. This enables the use of conventional substrates that do not have to be pre-treated.