At drupa 2004, Drent Goebel will be presenting a wide range of innovative printing techniques for the demanding printer with special attention for the packaging market and for security printing, all in the unique atmosphere of a Chinese pavilion. In the competitive graphic markets, with their short delivery times, only the best can win. Printing businesses know that it is all about offering customers the best possible service at the most attractive price possible.

At drupa 2004, Drent Goebel will be displaying a wide range of innovative graphic techniques that make this combination possible.

Drent Goebel’s stand B21 in hall 16, in the form of an eye-catching Chinese pavilion, and occupying no less than 709 sq m is divided into two floors to allow all the innovations to be displayed, and at the same time to inform visitors about recent developments in a peaceful environment.

VSOP in action
During drupa fair, a seven-colour VSOP 520 with a varnishing unit will be demonstrated. Two jobs will be run alternately, ‘reel-to-sheet’ with cardboard and ‘reel-to-reel’ with foil.

At drupa, Drent Goebel will be demonstrating a job change from cardboard to foil every 90 minutes. Each visitor will be able to see just how quickly and effectively such a job change can be achieved. The changeover and setting times remain far below anything printers are used to.

A machine with ‘sleeve offset’ as the heart of the press, and various in-line integrated graphical techniques such as flexographic printing, gravure printing, screen printing and digital printing, hot/cold foil, laminating, die-cutting, folding and cutting, could be an attractive press configuration for many printers, based on the strength of offset printing, in combination with specific requirements for various niche markets.

In the words of owner/director Etienne d’Hauwe of Drent Goebel, “The sleeve technology with which Drent Goebel amazed the world has proved an incredible success. VSOP machines with web widths of 520, 850 and 1120 mm have already been sold to leading printers and installed worldwide", he says.

The VSOP was specially developed for markets in which flexibility and quick changeovers are essential, such as the market for printed packaging and the label market.

Offset as an alternative
Alongside the 520 mm web width, Drent Goebel has now developed solutions for 850 mm and 1120 mm webs. It was the logical choice to start with a web width of 520 mm.

A huge range of in-line and off-line peripheral equipment in this width is already in operation at printing factories worldwide. These machines tie in seamlessly with the VSOP technology.

In addition – because print-volumes are dropping in markets that have traditionally printed on a wider web – a trend is emerging towards a 520 mm web width.

At an average order size of 10,000 sq m, the advantage of using a wide printing machine is minimal. Given such volumes, the variable costs for each print order are more decisive for efficient operation.

The costs for the image carrier are emerging as a key factor in the variable costs for each order. Specifically for that reason, offset is at present enjoying so much interest as an alternative to gravure and flexographic printing.

Three web widths
The VSOP with a web width of 520 mm is above all suitable for all applications in the label market and the ‘low volume’ orders in the packaging market.

For cardboard packaging this includes the food, pharmaceutical, cigarette and cosmetic packaging applications. Considerable interest in the concept has also emerged from markets in which Drent Goebel has traditionally been a well-known player, namely the direct mailing and business forms markets.

Alongside the 520 variant, Drent Goebel opted for an 850 and 1120 mm version.
The VSOP 850 is positioned for ‘medium volume’ orders in the packaging market and for products that simply do not fit on the 520 web width.

In the packaging world, too, the printing process is of course no more than a link in the long production chain. By opting for the 850, Drent Goebel has focused on that section of the chain interested in relatively small volumes. The VSOP 850 is particularly attractive for the cardboard printing market.

The VSOP 1120 was developed for ‘large volume’ orders and for products in which the production chain is geared to a substrate width of up to 1120 mm. The demands of the ‘liquid packaging’ market were the basis of the design of the VSOP 1120. The VSOP 850 and the VSOP 1120 are currently in production for a number of clients.

China comes to the Drent Goebel stand
The Chinese-style Drent Goebel pavilion at drupa is also a form of celebratory confirmation of the establishment of Drent Goebel’s first sales office in China. The eye-catching traditional Chinese symbols with their bright colours contrast with the ultramodern appearance of the high-tech printing technology on display.

Solutions for the packaging market
Drent Goebel is an nnovative supplier of high-quality printing solutions for the packaging industry. Based on years of experience and thanks to an innovative product development strategy, the company is in a strong position to offer a wide range of solutions for the most varied graphical challenges.

Solutions for security printing
In the field of security printing, Drent Goebel is also worldwide forerunner with its leading-edge ideas. Whether for security printing, offset printing, screen printing, sheet or to reel, with online or offline finishing, Drent Goebel has solutions on display at drupa 2004.

Modules
Printing and finishing modules will also be on display at the Drent Goebel stand. An explanation will be provided on accompanying screens of their performance and characteristics.
* Novaprint 680 printing unit fitted with a 24” sleeve insert
* Three-stream A4 sheeter
* Gravure unit 680
* VSOP 850 printing unit
* VSOP 1120 printing unit

Touch screens
Various touch screens have been built into the stand, where sales managers are able to show short videos to customers, including a calculation programme that compares the costs of rotary printing with sheetfeed printing. Visitors can choose from a number of subjects, depending on their specific interests.

Drent Goebel can be found at stand B21 in hall 16 of the Greatest show in Print.