We had an opportunity to visit the Rotatek factory in Barcelona during Labelexpo Europe in mid-September. The modern facility and head office of the company in Martorelles, about half an hour from the center of Barcelona, had a Universal 850 9-unit press on the assembly floor, while a completely built-up single unit was shown at the fair. At the open house being held from 20 to 28 November at the factory, live demonstration of the press featuring 7 seven units and two flexo units will be shown, together with an offline die-cutting system for in-mold labels (IML).
The Rotatek Universal 850 is a versatile press aimed all types of packaging and label production, including in-mold labels, shrink sleeves, flexible packaging, folding cartons, and pharma inserts. The company says it is a viable solution for commercial print requirements as well.
Offset printing for flexible packaging and labels is not a new idea, but in Barcelona, one could see its resurgence. Our visit to the Rotatek factory, located in a modern industrial area in the northern part of the city, approximately 30 minutes from Labelexpo, revealed an automated 9-color Rotatek Universal offset and flexo sleeve combination press with a 850 mm width, being built for a leading converter for special applications. Rotatek’s customers and distributors from around the world took the opportunity to visit the factory and have a look at the Universal 850 on the assembly floor.
This is a fully automated technology press with components from the leading European and global providers proven on multiple substrates for labels, flexible packaging, folding cartons, in-mold labels, pharma packaging, and inserts. It uses an interchangeable light offset sleeve system for which Rotatek has a global patent. A completely built Universal 850 unit was also shown at the Rotatek-Vinsak stand at Labelexpo.
The November open house event in Barcelona is a great opportunity for printers and converters around the world to see an efficient factory and meet with the research and development, production, and management teams of Rotatek. It is especially relevant for current IML producers and those looking to enter this fast-growing segment, and for packaging and flexo businesses looking to decrease origination costs by moving to webfed offset technology. The highly automated Universal is also an interesting and productive solution for converters looking at longer repeat lengths up to 1016 mm.
According to the Rotatek-Vinsak managing director, Ranesh Bajaj, a key factor in the resurgence of offset presses for flexible packaging is the increasing requirement for short runs and lower cost of origination using offset plates. “With live demos to our manufacturing site, visitors can get a complete view of our capabilities and commitment to innovation,” he says.
Those interested in more information about the Open House can contact Vinsak Rotatek marketing manager Mohd Rizwan in the UAE at +971 50 150 7399 or at mohd.rizwan@vinsak.com. Rotatek’s website is www.rotatek.com. You can register for the open house using this link: https://www.rotatek.com/open_house_rotatek_2025/
