MPS has announced the South African flexographic printing company GM Graphix has purchased its third MPS press. Ordered was a six color EF 340 multi-substrate flexo press featuring Phoseon LED UV drying, marking the first press in South Africa to use this type of curing. Involved in the sale was local representative Rotocon, representing the MPS range of flexo and offset printing presses in South Africa.

GM Graphix is a loyal MPS customer spanning many years, and a proud owner of the very first MPS press sold in South Africa. Headquartered in Alberton, with a branch in Bloemfontein, the company specializes in fast-moving consumer goods and pharmaceutical applications, and produces various printing products such as self-adhesive labels, sachets, shrink sleeves and wrap-around labels. Their new six color EF 340 MPS press, also equipped with full automation (APC Advanced) will be used to expand their printing capacity, especially in shorter print runs.

Partnering with Phoseon and their LED curing technology makes GM Graphix a pioneer in the South African market. Their partnership resulted from the need for a solution to accommodate the growing demand in South Africa for lower cost and security of energy supply, to integrate with GM Graphix’s next press acquisition from MPS. The choice for LED technology from Phoseon was made because of the significant energy savings at +50% and instant on/off capability to deal with power outages and fluctuations.

Paragon Inks was also involved with this MPS press sale to GM Graphix, through its collaboration with Phoseon for the development of UV LED ink. Amanda Jones, Business Development & Marketing Director of Paragon Inks, comments: “An important consideration for this project was to ensure that GM Graphix’s optimisation and minimization systems within their facility were able to continue. This was achieved by ensuring the color pallets and over ink performance equalled that of their current MPM (Medium Pressure Mercury -red.) curing systems.”

Owner of GM Graphix, Pieter Massyn, is pleased with the cooperation between MPS, Phoseon and Paragon Inks. He says, “I am grateful that these three companies and their innovative technology provided an effective solution for the energy supply challenges we are facing in South Africa. With this leading LED curing solution in our new MPS press, we will increase our productivity while saving a considerable amount of cost and energy.”