Installs two Esko CDI Systems along with an Esko XPS Crystal UV LED exposure unit as part of its technology upgradation and expansion and reaps many benefits during day to day business.
VeePee Graphics has recently acquired two Esko CDI systems – a 42×60 and a 4835 – along with an Esko XPS Crystal system. Both the CDI’s are capable of high-res imaging at 4000 DPI. The latest investment complements VeePee’s production units at multiple locations that boast five such imagers already catering to the varied needs of their customers. The latest UV LED exposing technology from Esko – XPS Crystal UV LED exposure technology – adds to the existing lineup running at VeePee’s two separate locations. With this deal, Veepee becomes the only trade shop in the world having four XPS systems.
“When it comes to software and hardware for Flexo Prepress and Plate Imaging, I guess there is no competition to Esko,” declares Jaichandra who is very excited about his latest fleet addition.
“Of the latest CDI’s and the XPS that we finalised, the smaller machine will be installed at our Srilanka facility which is a part of our technology upgradation; the bigger machine is for our new facility which will be announced shortly,” adds Jaichandra.
“Esko has been very much focused in providing solutions for the flexo prepress and plate imaging. Their continued innovation and developments in technology has made them our preferred partners in business. We have partnered with them for over two decades,” continues Jaichandra.
Apart from their one Kodak system, VeePee’s all other imagers are from Esko and the front end is dedicated to their workflow. “With all these years of using their technology it was no brainer for us to finalise these equipment. Moreover to keep the quality consistent across all our locations it was wiser to go with the existing technology rather than testing something new,” he asserts.
VeePee Graphics forayed into the trade shop business way back in the year 1994 when they installed the water wash flexo polymer plate technology for the first time in India. “Though it was a revolutionary sustainable technology, it was too early for the India market,” recalls Jaichandra. In the year 1996 they shifted to the tried and tested solvent washed polymer plate technology. This was the biggest plate making facility in India for processing plates upto 50×80 inches. In the year 2000 VeePee strengthened its prepress front end by investing in full range of Esko software. The turning point came with the installation of their first CDI in 2005 which catapulted them to a different league in this business. “The same year we went totally paperless by installing our indigenously developed ERP system. Later in 2009, we installed our first CDI with Inline UV which was followed by the Inline UV2 or full HD in 2012. Both these machines were the first of its kind in South East Asia,” shares Jaichandra.
VeePee went international in 2016 by setting up its plate making facility in Srilanka. Their second location in India was set up at Pune in 2018 with a 50×80 CDI Crystal line which was also the first in the country. “The Hyderabad location was started in 2021, as of today we operate out of four locations and await the fifth,” he divulges.
VeePee has been at the forefront of technology adoption. Not only did the trade shop pioneer Kongsberg in India in 2015, they also introduced the premounted plates for the corrugated post print industry for the first time in the country with the installation of a three meter wide automatic video plate mounter.
Expanding their business along the growth journey, they kept adding new locations. “Moving to different locations,” says Jaichandra, “was a conscious decision in order to get close to the customer to service them better. Also having a pan India presence increased our customer base to a great extent which saw an organic growth in our business.”
All these successes are shared with Esko, a long lasting partner. “As a long lasting loyal customer, we always get preferential service and support from the Esko team,” avows Jaichandra. “As partners in business we also are one of their beta testing sites for any new product before it is launched. This puts us in a tight spot as some major decisions at Esko are taken from the feedback given by us, in the bargain we get to use the latest technology even before the industry sees or hears about it. It has been a win-win situation for both Veepee and Esko for being associated with each other over the years,” he proudly acclaims.
Advantages of XPS UV LED exposure
The XPS is the latest UV LED exposure technology introduced by Esko which not only gives consistency in quality but ease of operation as the back and the front exposure of the plates happen at the same time. This enables it to produce a flat top dot with the lower Oxygen inhibition making the dot more stable and robust. “We are able to anchor a very fine printable screen on the plate with this,” says Jaichandra, explaining further. “It’s also a sustainable technology as we do not have to change the UV LED diodes upto 5000 hours unlike the bank exposure system where the UV lamps have to be changed every 750 hours. Disposing these lamps is a major environmental concern.”
VeePee is already reaping the benefits on various counts as Jaichandra unveils: “We have seen our plate print length increasing considerably with the XPS plates. Due to the unique dot profile on the plate, we have noticed that the dot gain is much lesser. This enhances that tonal range that can be printed. Maintaining the consistency and repeatability of the plate will make or break the job, therefore we highly recommend getting the plates that are processed with the UV LED technology.”
Jaichandra concludes by gladly announcing that three of their jobs won two Gold and one Bronze awards at the recently concluded AFTA Awards for print excellence held at Bangkok.
