ATE, has added Ameco Raster’s flexo and gravure proofing equipment to its print and packaging portfolio. Ameco Raster, a subsidiary of Marquip Ward United manufactures both flexo and gravure proofing presses and the agreement to sell these in India through ATE was was jointly announced by Mr Laszlo Bokor, the Commercial Manager of MarquipWard United and Mr Jayesh Pathare, Vice President of the Print and Packaging Solutions division of ATE.

Laszlo Bokor states that the agreement will focus on the complete range of flexo and gravure proofing equipment starting from the standard manual version to the highly automated digitally controlled versions. Bokor is aware of the competitive nature and price-sensitivity of the Indian market and says that each and every proposal will be customised to suit the exact requirements of customers. To create a viable ROI for their customers, Ameco Raster can combine customised specifications, with high quality installation, commissioning, performance trials and training in a short time frame.

Bokor and Pathare say that their after sales team will be in permanent contact with the customers to monitor the performance of the installed machine bases, to offer upgrades, machine rebuilds and additional operator training. ”Having permanent contact with our customers, and knowing the condition of our machines in operation helps us and our customers to minimize the risk of an unexpected failure or machine underperfomance.”

Bokor ads, ”Our New Machine Sales-Project Management-After Market Sales-Parts and Service set-up has already proven the importance of its existence world wide. The strong partnership we build with our customers is unique. We measure success by the way we touch the lives of people.”

Speaking to us in his corner office in the ATE building in Mumbai, Jayesh Pathare reminded us that gravure proofing is an important component that fits in well with the MDC Daetwyler engraving equipment and the other process control accessories that company provides to the packaging sector in the country. Pathare sees strong synergies in ATE’s prepress, printing, packaging portfolio.

At drupa08, Ameco Raster unveiled their new generation programmable gravure proofer which provides a high degree of reliability and repeatability of proofs and also meets current safety and environment regulations. The operator can program the cylinder parameters into the touch panel on the press; press settings are automatically calculated and visually indicated for the operator to then input manually.

On pre-programmed systems the operator enters a job number or barcode, and the settings are calculated and displayed for manual setting by the operator. Alternately, on automatic pre-setting machines, the optimum settings are calculated by the machine and also enacted by servomotors and proportional hydraulic valves. On the most advanced or automated version, the proof press is interfaced with the main computer that controls the

of gravure in the country. ATE also seems to be a re-energised company that is adding high technology products and accessories to all its divisions and making significant investments in process control and environment engineering solutions. The cleaning and safety systems are also automated for safety and environmental reasons with optimal savings and re-use of solvents.

Several Indian gravure cylinder makers saw the new Ameco Raster gravure proofer at drupa. It seem that there is keen interest in the product as there is no let up in the growth

of gravure in the country. The seventy year old ATE also seems a re-energised company --- adding high technology products and accessories to its printing and packaging division and making significant investments in process control and environment engineering solutions.