MD Labels Invests in the Second Hybrid Press from Mark Andy
The Polish-based MD Labels printer from Kalisz has recently purchased its second hybrid press from Mark Andy. The company opted for Digital Series HD model. Since the first day of working with a new press, the MD Labels’ owners have noticed many benefits of their latest investment. Digital Series HD became a response to the current needs of this rapidly growing company: increasing number of customers, bigger jobs diversity (incl. numerous versions of the same label) as well as faster delivery and higher quality of the labels. As their underline, Mark Andy’s press solved all these challenges. It works next to the Digital Series, delivered to Kalisz five years ago. MD Labels owners say that both presses (purchased among other solutions), a reliable partner – Mark Andy and its service team, as well as modern business ideas and flexibility in relations with its customers helped in market successes of MD Labels. To learn more about the company and its recent investment, please visit our YT channel: https://youtu.be/tFiUtqB2StQ
“If you want to win, you have to play”
“Winning for us means a situation when a consumer chooses our customer’s product with a label printed by MD Labels and decides to buy it. Playing means constant development, investment, and partnership with appropriate business partners. In our case Mark Andy became one of them five years ago – says Marcin Jasinski, co-owner of MD Labels. – Our first investment in Mark Andy’s press, just after starting our operations, boosted our growth. It was one of the first digital/hybrid presses in Poland at that time and after purchasing it we had a real “avalanche” of orders. It occurred very quickly that inkjet is a great response to the market needs. Printing several variations of the same label in one pass was impossible for flexo technique; and still is. We gained an increasing number of this kind of orders. On the other hand, the customers ordered shorter runs, especially those small ones operating in food, pharmaceutical, brewery and wine industries. They needed a smaller number of labels but paid a lot of attention to make them interesting and attractive for consumers. At that time Digital Series was the perfect response to all these needs and enabled us entering an ambitious path of growth”.
As MD Labels owners emphasize, the company has grown dynamically since its establishing in 2016. After installing the first Mark Andy’s press, it almost doubled customers base and increased a number of employees by 500%. Currently it is expanding its facility, doubling a production and administration area. MD Labels started its operations with finishing white labels but very quickly its equipment set was upgraded with a flexo press for multicolor labels, followed by a digital solution. “Since the very beginning we were committed to offer very interesting self-adhesive labels that distinguish a final product. We have specialized in top class, high quality premium labels with a wide range of flexo and digital embellishment options: gold ink, varnish (incl. 3D), spot varnish, lamination, Pantone colorsand metallic effects. Moreover, many of these additional options could be applied at once, in the same project, according to customers needs. We have been committed to manufacture labels that distinguish final product, to allow our customers winning their competitors on the store shelf. We are very satisfied observing a fast growth of many companies we co-operate with. It means that we have grown together for the last several years. Finally, the winners are customers, MD Labels and Mark Andy, too – as the vendor of solutions that enable us printing fantastic stuff very quickly, efficiently and with a high quality” – adds Dominik Glowacki, co-owner at MD Labels.
Faster and more efficient production with Digital Series HD
“Success of our well-established customers, increasing number of new ones, as well as growing market needs and expectations, especially in terms of VDP, made us invest in a “helper” of the first press – says Marcin Jasinski. – As we have been very glad about working on Digital Series, we decided to purchase Mark Andy’s solution again. One of the most important factors of this decision was a very good business relationship with Mark Andy and its representatives. We really appreciate work of its service team – it has been operating very reliably and supported us during training, after buying each press, as well as during the post-sales period, during a daily work with our hybrids. Considering a new press, we focused on higher efficiency, quality and profitability that are inevitable for every printing house. We also wanted to manufacture very attractive and distinguishing labels – therefore we wanted embellishment, die-cutting or laminating processes to be realized in one pass. Digital Series HD met all these expectations so finally we decided to buy this model”.
Digital Series HD combines wider color gamut (CMYK + OVG) and appropriate formulation of high pigmented white ink, enabling effects similar to rotary screen printing. MD Labels owners point out that applying white doesn’t affect speed of a press (max. 73 mpm). According to Mark Andy, its white ink offers tripled opacity comparing to a typical flexo ink (measured in 80% coverage). Printhead technology implemented in Digital Series HD enables 1200 dpi printing.
The press has a hybrid construction, offers printing in high resolution and – as MD Labels owners underline – guarantees high flexibility and efficiency. These factors have been also pointed out by a lot of Digital Series HD users worldwide. The press can include from 5 to 8 digital inkjet units and be upgraded with inline (or near-line) finishing and embellishment modules. Digital units allow for efficient printing of even very short runs as well as full variable data applying.
Basing on a very concrete path of development and experience in hybrid label printing, MD Labels decided for the following configuration of the press: five digital units (W + CMYK), six flexo stations, two cold foil and lamination units and printing on adhesive side. The press enables producing multilayer labels (peel-off) and is equipped with QCDC die-cutting module. Moreover, all important tools and flexo equipment used in Digital Series press are fully compatible with the recently purchased Digital Series HD press. “It significantly increased flexibility of the entire solution and upgraded our production capacity, while shortening delivery-to-market time” – says Dominik Glowacki.
Digital Series HD is very user-friendly press: easy to handle and intuitive. Three different configurations of printhead cleaning system (manual, semiautomatic and fully automatic) also impact on easier operations. This option results in a shorter stoppage of the press and reduces production costs. Longer lifetime of printheads means less trouble in a daily production and lower costs. “Considering all these aspects, after buying Digital Series HD we got rid off many problems and we can manufacture our labels more calmly, offering twice shortened time of delivery, with no compromise in quality” – Dominik Glowacki underlines.
What’s next? “We still have to play if we want to win”
“We’re heading difficult times, it’s obvious – says Marcin Jasinski. – The situation on the market and in the economy doesn’t fill with optimism. However, when pandemic started, we also were full of concerns when thinking about the future of MD Labels and its customers. Soon it occurred that demand for labels starts to constantly rise. We have grown even bigger during this uneasy period. Currently, the war in Ukraine and economic situation in Poland and Europe bring anxiety but we’re doing our best to serve the customers as usual, delivering them labels that distinguish their products and increase sales. So, we’re quite optimistic entering this new era. We know that we have the best employees who identify with MD Labels. We have good ideas and the best tools, including Mark Andy presses, so it gives as a feel of safety. We’re also keeping our fingers crossed when thinking about our customers. Many of them are small companies, also full of concerns. But we’re convinced that together we can make it!”
“Digital Series HD enables us manufacturing labels that respond to individual needs of our demanding customers – Marcin Jasinski continues. - Some of them need clear and transparent label – we can provide such ones in a very short time. Some of them, especially from premium sector, expect very demanding labels with a lot of embellishment which sometimes are very difficult to manufacture. We’re always ready to make such advanced projects, too. Quite often we handle jobs that occurred to be too difficult for other printers. We handle long runs but also make very short series of a label if a small, niche company orders it. Manufacturing several dozen designs of the same label is also not a problem for us. We always try to be very responsible when meeting customer’s needs, offering him the best product and solutions. We’re conscious that his success, his win on the market, will be our win, too”.
“Recipe for success”
“We don’t have such one – say MD Labels owners – but treating our customers’ needs as a priority builds close and strong relationships for many years. Our customer base is still growing. Majority of them are Polish companies, however we’re going abroad with our offer with successes, too. We’re trying to attend industry events, visited by the people looking for labels and new business partners. Market education is a very important factor in our opinion. Quite often a graphic designer doesn’t realize that we’re able to manufacture his project, a project that was impossible to manufacture by another printer. Investment is also a very important part of the business. In digital printing five years is a real era and many things changed in presses based on this technology. Therefore, you need to invest and choose appropriate partners. Mark Andy is one of them in our case. The solutions it offers have big impact on our development and we deeply hope it will not change in future”.
“We’re always very happy about our customers’ successes – says Lukasz Chruslinski, European Sales Manager Mark Andy. – MD Labels is yet another company from our country that decided to invest in Digital Series HD. It’s also the only one having two Mark Andy hybrid presses in a production hall in Poland. Its fast development and relationship with Mark Andy are reasons of big satisfaction for us. As a total solutions vendor, we’re happy with our customers when they win on a difficult market. Our press and its opportunities stand behind it, being one of the factors enabling them win. MD Labels understands the market and its needs. On the other hand, Mark Andy has been committed to meet its demands and expectations, enabling MD Labels realizing its owners’ plans”.