Xeikon has announced that Action Packaging Systems, Inc., a label and packaging company in Ellington, CT, USA, is the second North American and the fifth worldwide pilot site for Xeikon Cheetah technology. Xeikon’s newest digital label press based on Cheetah technology – the Xeikon CX3 – will complement Action Packaging’s existing production platform which includes a Xeikon 3500 digital press as well as flexographic printing presses.

In September 2014, Action Packaging was profiled in Label & Narrow Web.

Action Packaging selected the Xeikon CX3 to support its mission of providing high quality products within exceptionally fast turnaround times to its customers. The 98 fpm speed of the press, combined with Xeikon’s reputation for reliability and quality, made Xeikon Cheetah the technology of choice for Action Packaging.

“Our customers know that we will do whatever it takes to ensure that their labels are delivered in a timely fashion, without any compromises on quality. Everything our business does supports this goal,” explains Douglas Rice, president and CEO of Action Packaging. “That is why we chose Xeikon’s next-generation digital label production technology. The speed, high-quality output and print-to-cut abilities of the Xeikon presses are the best in their class. Most importantly, the reliability of the Xeikon presses and the level of support provided by the Xeikon team ensure the maximum press uptime to make our business successful – it simply gives me peace of mind. Adding the Xeikon CX3 to our existing production was the next natural step for us.”

Action Packaging was established in 1979 with a mission to change the paradigm of label production: deliver labels in a maximum of five days or less. “I built my entire business around providing responsive service that does whatever it takes to meet the client’s needs. Our clients depend on us to be there for them, especially in critical situations,” says Rice.

This creates a highly demanding business model, but it has its rewards. Last year, the company had double-digit revenue growth, and Rice expects an even higher growth rate this year. “Our customer base continues to grow. We can only make sure to continue meeting the ever more challenging deadlines and client demands when working with fast and reliable production machines that can follow the fast pace of our business. We simply need the best equipment to get the job done, and for us that is Xeikon,” says Rice. “Xeikon’s commitment to innovation is great. They are on top of innovation and are constantly researching for the ‘next best thing’. Partnering with Xeikon is a key element in future-proofing our business and I look forward to seeing how Xeikon Cheetah technology will take our business even further.”

“We know Xeikon from experience, and they are the best in terms of quality and uptime,” Rice continues. “The new Xeikon CX3 is the fastest press in its class that can deliver the type of quality we need. In our opinion, only Xeikon’s digital label production technology can support the type of fast turnaround we require. The quality is outstanding and speed faster than ever. In addition, the fact that Xeikon offers continuous web-fed presses is an important criteria as print-to-cut is a critical feature for the types of labels we produce.”

The Xeikon CX3 will complement the current flexo and digital production fleet at Action Packaging to support its growth with additional production capacity. It will also give the company greater flexibility to shift more short-run jobs from flexo to digital production, increasing cost-efficiency and productivity.

Action Packaging has found the right balance between flexo and digital printing technologies, enabling it to choose the right press for the right job. Speed is always a factor, but other variables like color and the size of the run determine which press is used for which jobs. Advances in the performance of both digital and flexo presses please Rice. He says, “Presses today are much faster than they were five years ago. That improvement in speed has enabled us to meet the demands of our customers and grow our business. The Xeikon Cheetah technology is part of that evolution, and we are excited to be an early adopter.”