etic.a switch entire label printing operation to UV LED curing

Customer case study video: etic.a switch entire operation to UV LED

etic.a was founded in 2009 by Gianni Olivieri and his wife Patrizia. The company has grown steadily and now employs around 35 people, generating a revenue of around 10 million euros. The company's guiding mantra is that 'the customer is first.'

etic.a serves a wide range of industries, including automotive, food, wine, spirits, cosmetics, home and personal care. The company stays at the forefront in a competitive market, through continuous investment in technology and people.

etic.a has partnered with GEW for its UV curing systems since 2014 and so, when the time came to upgrade to UV LED, GEW was a natural choice. The supply and installation of all three LeoLED UV systems was fulfilled by Fornietic Srl, GEW's exclusive distribution partner for Italy.

Mr. Olivieri, the company's Managing Director, comments: "When we decided to move to LED, we made market research and we decided to go on with GEW because of three reasons... the quality of product, the quality of the organisation - we had the good relationship - and also the price."

The management team at etic.a took the bold step of upgrading all three of their presses to UV LED, at once. This followed a significant period of R & D work within the company to ensure a smooth and successful transition.

Vito di Martino, Operations Manager, explains: "We decided to change all the LED system because we have the confidence in our expertise and all the research with the inks, varnish and all support for labels. So we know that this change don't impact in our work and will be a success."

The changeover was further simplified as they prepared the cooling system prior to the LED installation, so the upgrades were seamless and did not impact on their production.

Olivieri explains the key reasons for their choosing to move to UV LED: "What was very important for us is first, obviously, we want to reduce electricity cost. Second, using LED you reduce the impact to the environment. And third, last but not least, attention to the people. Because our people are less exposed to noise."

Since the decision to switch to LED was made, soaring energy costs have added a further dimension and significantly reduced the company's projected ROI period.

Olivieri states: "The financial aspect is one of the reasons why we chose to move to the LED system. Because of the costs of electricity are going up very fast, the return of investment is shorter than we expect."

Production Manager Sergio Pasquini is responsible for all of etic.a's day-to-day output. He describes the effect that the UV LED upgrade has had on the production team's work.

"Technically nothing has changed. We have the same quality, same speed, but the good thing is that we have no noise from the fans as we had with UV, or smell of ozone, that is no longer. The rollers stay cleaner because the ink dries better, that is a great thing… we are very satisfied with the investment and installation."

The company is now in a much stronger position through its investment, with faster production, enhanced sustainability credentials and lower production costs to enable a competitive edge. The team's confidence in UV LED has led to their complete switch over to this technology.

Martino sums up: "We are now completely LED system and have no conventional UV curing."

This article was originally published by GEW.