GSE Dispensing has joined a group of key suppliers to the label industry in an effort to resolve the main sources of waste in label printing and converting businesses.
Uniting under the name Working Without Waste, the group – which also includes AB Graphic, Avery Dennison, AVT, CERM, Flint Group, GEW, and Martin Automatic – share their insight at seminars in four countries during the coming months.
The members will organise a European-wide campaign consisting of a series of educational conferences with a presentation by each member on how to minimise waste by choosing the appropriate equipment and the proper work practices. The group also invited expert speakers for a lecture about lean manufacturing. Each event will be held in a different European city in conjunction with another label industry convention or exhibition.
Working Without Waste started life as an initiative at GEW. The UV-lamp supplier found that energy-efficient UV systems with electronic power supplies can reduce energy consumption by as much as 50%. Together with the other group members they will show that the effective use of machinery and resources is a key element in the overall reduction of energy and material consumption and can be a contributing factor in considerable productivity increases.
“We are excited to be lending our expertise to this initiative,” says Maarten Hummelen, marketing director, GSE Dispensing. “With the shift towards shorter production runs, more demanding expectations in terms of quality and flexibility, value chain suppliers must put greater focus eliminating waste in the workflow. We expect these seminars will provide printers with the knowledge to identify and deal with waste, and implement the kind of processes that boost profitability and competitiveness.”
All presentations followed by questions and answers sessions will be in the language of the host country, with the exception of the international event in Amsterdam which will be in English.
GSE will present a ‘roadmap’ for reducing waste, centered around four elements of ink logistics. These are
- Ink management
- Colour management
- Proofing the inks
- Process integration.
An integrated ink logistics programme, once implemented, is proven to reduce ink costs by up to 30%. Value is retained in-house by mix base components instead of buying expensive ready-mixed inks. Also, return inks are recycled and stock is minimized. Rework and human error is avoided and press productivity can be boosted by thousands of hours annually. Furthermore, the printer is better placed to meet brand owners’ expectations in terms of colour consistency and traceability.
The Working Without Waste Roadshow dates are:
- 10 February 2016 (in English), De Vere Venues Staverton Park, Daventry, England
- 17 February 2016 (in English), Avery Dennison, Oegstgeest, Netherlands
- 1 April 2016 (in Spanish), Escola Antoni Algueró, Barcelona, Spain
- September 2016 (in French), Mercure Vaugirard Porte de Versailles, Paris, France (date tbc)
Conference attendance is free of charge for printing and converting professionals, but advance registration is required.
For more information, visit: www.workingwithoutwaste.com
