Miraclon opens second production line for flexographic printing plates
October 30, 2019Two and a half years after the groundbreaking of the project in April 2017, Miraclon, the provider of KODAK FLEXCEL solutions, today officially opened its new Gemini flexo plate production line in Weatherford, Oklahoma. The new production line, which will initially manufacture flexo plates for customers in the US, Canada and Latin America, will enable the company to keep pace with demand, having seen double-digit growth in FLEXCEL NX plate volume over the previous five years was recorded.
Chris Payne, CEO of Miraclon, explains, This is a significant event for Miraclon. Just six months after our spin-off from Kodak, with the completion of this project, we are setting one of our first major milestones – on time and right on schedule. It shows, on the one hand, Miraclon’s continued commitment to invest in flexographic printing and to expand the market for the printing process. On the other hand, the second production facility also brings the source of supply closer to a large part of our customer base and expands FLEXCEL NX plate production to two locations.
Weatherford’s plate production line, a sister plant to the Kodak production line in Yamanashi, Japan, was developed to meet the growing demand for higher-quality flexographic printed packaging with lower cost and more efficient production processes. The $ 15 million investment underscores continued industry growth and the proliferation of KODAK FLEXCEL NX panels in the marketplace.
The new line produced its first KODAK FLEXCEL NX plate in October 2018. After that, rigorous testing and coordination with the Yamanashi plant began to ensure that state-of-the-art manufacturing technology delivered the same high performance and quality that Miraclon customers trust and expect.
Chris Payne concludes, We can only build on our industry-leading heritage through continued investment in our people, customers, R & D team and infrastructure. That’s exactly what we do. Today we celebrate not only the official opening of our second record production line, but also the entry of Miraclon into the next phase of collaboration with customers to shape the future of flexo printing.