Xsys – one of the largest suppliers offering both flexographic and letterpress prepress solutions, including plates, sleeves, processors, workflow solutions — has shared the success of two recent customer events in Germany. Designed to inform, engage, and anticipate, the annual flexo roundtables (Flexostammtisch) were first established in 2003. With one ‘Flexostammtisch’ held in the north and one in the south of the country, the events brought together the flexo industry, providing a platform for engaging discussions and knowledge-sharing.
‘Flexostammtisch Süd’, which took place in Memmingen (Bavaria) on October 20, 2023, gathered over 40 print professionals, who were welcomed by Markus Mühlfeit, Regional Sales manager DE/CH. Its northern equivalent, ‘Flexostammtisch Nord’ held in Damme (Lower Saxony) the following week, saw more than 60 attendees greeted by Burkhard Gerken, Regional Technical Sales manager DE. Both delivered an interesting program of presentations on topical issues, such as sustainability and cost-efficiency in flexo platemaking.
Florian Hölzle, product manager nyloflex atXsys Germany, gave a compelling talk on optimizing printing with white ink on filmic substrates and corrugated board. After introducing the fully automatic ThermoFlexX Catena+ platemaking line, he went on to outline the benefits of ThermoFlexX Woodpecker surface screening technology. In particular, he discussed the cost-saving potential and improved print quality offered by the recently launched Woodpecker Nevis micro-pattern for white.
Wolfgang Sprehe, head of the Technical Center at Windmöller & Hölscher, presented the latest findings from a collaborative project withXsys and the Senne vocational college in Bielefeld. The project has been set up to investigate issues encountered by printers when using PCR (post-consumer recyclate) films on press. Mr. Sprehe emphasized the significant improvements achievable by reducing the ink layer thickness, particularly when using Xsys’ nyloflex FTV 114 D flexo plate in combination with the Woodpecker Nano surface screening pattern.
The days ended with a networking dinner, giving participants ample opportunity to further discuss these important topics and the interesting findings from the industry project.
Reflecting on the success on the events, Burkhard Gerken, Regional Technical Sales manager DE concluded, “Not only do we use the annual flexo roundtables to share the latest information about Xsys’ innovations and collaborations, but we also gain valuable insights into our customers’ preferences and pain points. It is essential that we understand the challenges they face every day so that we can continue our mission to help them make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition.”
