In what is described as a unique and creative initiative, RotoMetrics and its Romanian distributor Graphic Open Systems (GOS) have jointly developed a high-quality rotary die service partnership in Brasov, central Romania, with a view to serve and develop the growing demand for fast turnaround die tooling in the region.

RotoMetrics South East Europe, as the operation is known, is located in a beautifully restored 180 square meter warehouse, equipped with all the tooling needed to service and repair rotary dies to the highest quality.  Managed by Neil Jones, who has relocated with his family from RotoMetrics UK, and employing three staff members, the Brasov workshop is set up as an ‘on demand’, full support repair, and refurbishing service.

James Wellsbury of Rotometrics explains: “Our aim is to build business by getting close to converters and offering a fast turnaround support on their dies.  Poor quality or damaged dies cause expensive downtime that can have massive knock-on effects in a supply chain, so establishing a high-quality repair service close to our fast-growing list of customers in the region was an obvious move.”

In the twelve months since opening, the service workshop has ‘more than exceeded expectations’ according to RotoMetrics, and prides itself on its same day turnaround.  “We have some customers who bring their dies to us and wait while we service them – that’s how well set up we are here,” commented Neil Jones, who added, “typically we can turn a job in 3 – 4 hours, which is crucial for keeping expensive production lines running at peak performance.”

The process of die refurbishment at the workshop is one of measured control. Each die that arrives receives an initial QC evaluation and its specification is recorded.  If it is damaged and requires arc welding, this is carried out at the same workstation. The die then passes to the grinding station, where it is TIR (True Indicator Reading) checked.  True Indicator Reading measures concentricity and recalibrates data by grinding to remove wear and lost tolerance down to 1- to 2-micron. Bearers, body, and blades are all ground back to original specification.

The die then passes to either hand-sharpening or machine-sharpening as appropriate, before inspection for clearance (bearer to blade tip), which is determined by intended usage, which may be metal to metal, multi-level, or pressure sensitive. The refurbished die is then tested using the customer’s own material to check die strike, and if all meets the quality check, it is reassembled, wrapped and packed for shipping with full documentation of work carried out and new specifications for future reference.

Currently serving converters within a 150km radius from Brasov, Sebastian Boureanu, who heads up GOS, says he is confident that the facility will attract work from further afield.  “There is so much scope for growth in Romania and south east Europe in general, with a number of big multi-nationals opening manufacturing plants here.  They demand the top-quality service and support that we can provide to run their plants at maximum efficiency. We have created capacity that can grow with demand.”

With a comprehensive portfolio of complementary products to represent, Boureanu, who created GOS in 1994 with his wife Adriana, is already a well-known figure in the region’s graphic arts market. In addition to RotoMetrics, GOS also represents Esko, Dupont, Heaford, AVT, Mark Andy, Comexi, Praxair, Daco, Karlville, Remele, Swedev, and Alphasonics, giving the company an excellent balance of capital equipment and consumables to maintain regular and close contact with converters.

“We began by selling photopolymer plates but it was an article in the American FTA Flexo magazine that opened my eyes to what could be achieved – and we’ve never looked back, despite some tough times that we managed to survive with the help of our manufacturing principals – it’s very much a two-way partnership,” he commented.  Today, GOS employs 10 people and in 2016 enjoyed a sales turnover of €2m. Centrally located for Romania, and well placed to serve all of south east Europe, the company is looking forward to continued growth.

James Wellsbury is in full support, adding, “We value GOS highly as a working partner because they know the market so well and understand the needs of the individual converters.  This comes only from having people on the ground in the region. I am delighted that Rotometrics has made a long-term commitment with GOS in this new facility – and we have seen the benefits already from contracts with some big name customers.”