Press Release

All4Labels Hamburg Boosts Productivity with Automated
Platemaking
German site has benefitted from installation of CrystalCleanConnect – anautomated platemaking system developed by Asahi Photoproducts, ESKO, andKongsberg. Visitors to Asahi Photoproducts’ drupa stand will be able to learn more
about this breakthrough solution.
Tokyo, Japan & Brussels, Belgium, May 16, 2024. Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer inflexographic photopolymer plate development, today reported that All4Labels’ site near
Hamburg, Germany, has seen a significant boost to its productivity since installing theCrystalCleanConnect automated platemaking system developed by Asahi Photoproducts,ESKO, and Kongsberg.

Half a year ago the German label converter installed the system to replace a manualplatemaking process which resulted in ‘errors and scheduling problems,’ according to Mirco
Wilke, head of prepress, flexo printing, at All4Labels Hamburg.
“Hamburg is one of the main printing facilities in the All4Labels Group,’”explains Wilke. “Atthe time of the installation, the focus of the prepress department was on flexibility inproduction and high output through all our different presses. But it was a very manual
process which had some drawbacks and restricted future development. We had noautomation or connectivity to our workflow systems. It was hard work for the operators tohandle all the different machines. It was stressful for them and could result in errors orscheduling problems.
“CrystalCleanConnect had answers to all these problems. We could connect to ourworkflow systems, automate the whole process, and minimise the operator’s hands-onwork.”

Collaboration
The system is the result of two years of joint development between flexo photopolymer
plate pioneer Asahi Photoproducts, integrated software and hardware specialist ESKO, andKongsberg Precision Cutting Systems, and was prompted by All4Labels Hamburg’s desire
to produce plates during a night shift with minimal operator input and consistent quality.

CrystalCleanConnect fully automates the entire platemaking process, from imaging andexposure through to plate cutting, reducing the number of steps in the flexo platemaking
process from 12 to just one. It delivers a 90% reduction in dedicated operator time, anaverage 25% increase in press OEE, and reduces ink usage by 20% .
“A standard platemaking machine with two operators can normally produce 24 plates in aneight-hour shift,” says Dieter Niederstadt, technical marketing manager at Asahi
Photoproducts. “With CrystalCleanConnect, the total operator time of just one person is onehour. Everything is automated, from the laser imaging to the plate cutting, which wasn’tpossible in the past. Additionally, the machine uses water-washable plates – which arecertified as carbon neutral by the Carbon Trust – to allow for a solvent-free, moreenvironmentally sustainable production.
“Standardisation is another key benefit. With different operators working different shifts,
inevitably you will have different plate qualities. But if you have an automated process, theneverything is standardised – every day, every month, every year – which is a huge benefit
to the printer.”
According to Pascal Thomas, director of ESKO’s flexo business, CrystalCleanConnect isparticularly suited to larger operations running multiple shifts. “It is a system that works wellin a 24-hour operation; for example, it can be run during a night shift by a press operator
who makes a few plates and then goes back to printing. Because it’s fully automatic, you
don’t need much training to operate it. It’s plug and play.”

Flexibility
Mirco Wilke cites flexibility and quality as the key demands from All4Labels Hamburg’s
customers – requirements that CrystalCleanConnect helps the company to deliver. “As printruns become shorter, we must always be flexible in our print production and time to market.
Quality is also crucial. We have to be faster; we have to be sustainable; we have toautomate as much as possible and connect with our customers in all kinds of processes
and workflows.

“When we invest in new technology, we always look at the connectivity to our automation
systems and workflows, and at the productivity of the machine. And of course, at the price –it must be a sustainable product for our customers and for us.”

All4Labels Hamburg was producing plates on the new system after just a couple of weeks
of training. “The process was straightforward,” says Wilke. “The fact that
CrystalCleanConnect allows us to put our print files directly from prepress into a wholeconnected system, reduce waste, reduce operator input, and automate the wholeplatemaking process, are huge advantages.”“Sustainability has been at the heart of our business since we started in 1973,” says Asahi
Photoproducts’ Dieter Niederstadt. “We have always used solvent-free technology. The
quality is even higher than that of existing solvent-washed plates because our plates have avery low surface energy, which means that during printing all the ink is transferred to thesubstrate, which is a big advantage.”

A further development from Asahi, which can be linked to CrystalCleanConnect, will be
unveiled at drupa. The AWP-LOOPTM system is a closed-loop waste-water recycling
solution based on Asahi Kasei microza© Technology, which can recover and reuse 80
percent of the water used in the plate washing process.
A video of the interview is available here and also at the Asahi’s drupa booth.

For more information about products and services from Asahi Photoproducts that are inharmony with the environment, visit www.asahi-photoproducts.com—ENDS—

About Asahi Photoproducts
Founded in 1973, Asahi Photoproducts is a subsidiary of Asahi Kasei Corp., which has a century ofoperating history. Asahi Photoproducts is a leading pioneer in the development of photopolymer
flexo printing plates. By creating high-quality flexographic solutions through continued innovation, thecompany aims to drive printing forward in harmony with the environment. Follow Asahi
Photoproducts at.

More information is available at www.asahi-photoproducts.com.

Contact:
Dr. Dieter Niederstadt
Asahi Photoproducts Europe n.v./s.a.
dieter.niederstadt@asahi-photoproducts.com+49(0)2301 946743

Images & captions:

Mirco Wilke, head of prepress, flexo printing, at All4 Labels shows off a label application produced
using plates created with CrystalCleanConnect.

Quality Control is an important element of the packaging production process and helps eliminate
waste. CrystalCleanConnect has built-in quality control to meet this critical requirement.

Press room at All4Labels

CrystalCleanConnect at All4Labels in Hamburg

All4Labels building near Hamburg, Germany