One of Germany’s specialist label converters, Herzog Etiketten, has installed a Mark Andy Digital Pro 3 press at its production facility in Rohrbach, in the Southern Palatinate. The company, established in 1924, shifted its focus to label converting in the 1990s when the market for business forms declined as a result of the growing popularity of office computers.

The business, which currently employs 30 people and operates under General Manager Rolf Herzog, supplies a large proportion of its label output to the local wine trade of the Rhineland, as well as to the food, automotive, and other industrial sectors in Germany. From its first Mark Andy 2200 flexo press installed in 1993, it added four more Mark Andy machines up to 2016, the latest an eight-color Performance Series P5 with a 340mm web width.

The new Mark Andy Digital Pro 3 SR sets a new direction for Herzog Etiketten in the market for high-quality short-run labels. This dry toner press offers CMYK digital print plus a flexo unit for spot color or varnish. The infeed includes a web cleaner and the Digital Pro is capable of laminating or applying cold foil. The die station has a maximum repeat of 482mm (19”) and there is a unit for slitting the web in running direction before delivery into the twin rewinder.

Herzog Etiketten press operators Jonas Hauck (left) and Thomas Pfeiffer pose next to the company’s newest Digital Pro 3.

Explaining his company’s investment decision, Rolf Herzog commented: “We pride ourselves on having the latest technology and have always seen Mark Andy as the world leader in label presses. Our customers expect the best from us, so we need technology that allows us to innovate cost-effectively while maintaining top quality. The Digital Pro is a perfect fit with our flexo capability and extends the product range we can offer.”