Spanish packaging printers invest in cutting-edge technology from Heidelberg

Gráficas Beyco: opting for the best options

Gráficas Beyco was founded in the 1960s and the company has been based in Hospitalet Llobregat (Catalonia) since 1980. The company is run today by Ana and Mari Carmen Cerdá, daughters of the founders, Esteban Cerdá and Carmen Barón.

Gráficas Beyco produces packaging made of solid board and corrugated board for over 800 customers in the drugstore, catering, food, cosmetics and automotive industries. The company cites a deep understanding of customer needs and the ability to meet these needs efficiently and in a resource-saving manner thanks to modern technology and to offer customers the highest level of service as the most important reason for the company's success. “We take a circular economy into account wherever possible, use environmentally friendly raw materials and ensure optimal waste disposal,” says the Managing Director.

The two sheetfed offset presses, a Speedmaster XL 105 and a Speedmaster XL 106, play an important role in ensuring the most efficient use of resources. “Working with modern technology is a key factor in ensuring that we remain competitive and can hold our own in the market. We will only choose the best options for our future projects and investments.”

Cideyeg Packaging: Photovoltaics supply energy for five Speedmaster machines

Cideyeg Packaging, based in Terrassa near Barcelona, produces highly refined premium packaging on behalf of well-known brand manufacturers. With the highest possible degree of automation, extensive process integration and consistent quality assurance, the company strives for zero-defect quality. The entire production process, from prepress to press to postpress, is controlled via Prinect Production. Color measurement, inspection and control instruments from Prinect monitor the processes.

As part of its sustainability strategy, the company has installed a photovoltaic system with 1,000 modules on the roof of the production building. They supply part of the energy needed to operate a total of five Speedmaster sheetfed offset presses. The latest press is a Speedmaster XL 106 from the new Peak Performance generation, which went into production a few months ago.

Grupo la Plana: Quickly achieving maximum productivity

Grupo la Plana is a family-owned group of companies. Its culture is based on education, continuous improvement and respect for the environment. Founded in 1973, the company is a major player in the production of solid board and corrugated cardboard packaging with “maximum commitment and customer focus". In addition to the domestic market, it serves customers in Portugal, France and North Africa. The group operates production facilities in Alicante, Castellón, La Rioja, Barcelona, Madrid and Crevillente. With a total of 6 production plants strategically distributed throughout the peninsula, creating a large team of more than 700 people.

A new Speedmaster XL 106, a six-color hybrid press with coating unit, recently went into production at the Crevillente site. Grupo la Plana produces packaging there for customers both inside and outside Spain, from the footwear, food, beverage, toy, agricultural and textile industries.

The installation of the Speedmaster press followed a strict schedule, with staff training playing a central role. The aim was to produce at maximum output on the new sheetfed offset press as quickly as possible. A one-week training block at the Heidelberg site in Wiesloch- Walldorf was followed by a second training session once the press had gone into production in Crevillente.

Gráficas Lersi: Capacity increased by sixty percent

Gráficas Lersi is a packaging printing company based in Torrent near Valencia that is over a hundred years old. The company works for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics producers, among others.

In the next four years, turnover is to be increased by 20 to 25 million euros. As part of this growth plan, capacities were increased by sixty percent around two years ago with the commissioning of new production technology. The investment comprised a Speedmaster CX 104 and a Diana Easy 115 folder gluer. The sheetfed offset press is an eleven-color printing system with fully automatic Autoplate Pro plate changer, Prinect Inpress Control inline color control system and automatic pallet logistics. The Diana Easy 115 can process folding cartons with a longitudinal seam and with 4- and 6-point automatic bottoms. A Diana Smart Packer automatically fills the glued folding cartons into outer cartons.

César Romero, Company Manager, describes the successful commissioning of the new technology as the result of a collaborative partnership and outstanding technology: “We don't just want to participate in the market, we want to be among the winners. That's why it's important for us to work with a winning team,” he says.

Litografia J. López: Respect for the environment, ready for innovation

Litografia J. López has been producing packaging since 1898. The company has been successful on the international market for 35 years and specializes in the production of highly refined luxury packaging. UV and special varnishes are used as well as hot and cold foil stamping processes. In addition to wine and spirits producers, companies from the perfume, cosmetics and confectionery industries are also served. The success of Litografia J. López is based on the combination of respect for tradition and a willingness to constantly innovate.

A few months ago, the company invested in a new Speedmaster XL 106; the sheetfed offset system complements an earlier press from the same series. Thanks to the new investment, productivity has been further increased, job throughput significantly accelerated and energy efficiency improved. However, the investment in modern technology not only promotes economical production. As Juan Antonio Fatjó, the Managing Director says, the procurement of modern production technology also helps to retain talented specialists in the company. This is because Litografia J. López cannot do without highly qualified employees in a highly demanding market such as packaging production, he explains.

Salinas Packaging Group: Sustainable production takes center stage

The Salinas Packaging Group was founded in 1995 and has undergone impressive growth since then. Today, the Group is one of Europe's biggest manufacturers of luxury packaging.

Last year, the company completed a three-year investment project worth around ten million euros under the name “Horizons 2024”. An important part of this major project is a long, high-set Speedmaster XL 106-8+LYY-1+L sheetfed offset press and a Suprasetter 106 CtP platesetter with Dual Cassette Loader. The Speedmaster XL 106 is configured according to customer requirements and is highly automated.

“When we decided on technology from Heidelberg, we didn't just look at performance data and cost-effectiveness,” says Antonio Martínez, founder and CEO of the company. “Energy efficiency, user-friendliness and how sustainably we could produce were just as important.” On the Speedmaster XL 106, a standby mode reduces energy consumption by up to 3600 kWh per year. That is more energy than an average household consumes. Both systems, the sheetfed offset press and the platesetter, have been awarded the “CO₂-neutral” label.

Gráficas Zokoa: Packaging printers for the food industry

Fernando Beroiz Laquidáin founded Graficás Zokoa in 1971 with his wife María Angeles Sierra Sanz and his brother Luís Alberto Beroiz. What was once a small printing workshop in the town of Huarte near Pamplona has grown into a highly specialized manufacturer of packaging with a focus on the food industry. Today, the company is run by the second and third generation. At the turn of the millennium, Gráficas Zokoa started industrial production and invested in a Speedmaster XL 105 and a Varimatrix die-cutter from Heidelberg.

The choice of production technology strictly follows the criteria of maximum environmental compatibility. The company recently started production on a Speedmaster XL 106 and a Promatrix CSB (cutting, stripping, blanking) die-cutter from MK Masterwork. The new production technology has impressed with its comparatively high energy efficiency. “Heidelberg and we are pursuing the same strategy when it comes to ecological issues,” says Eduardo Beroiz, who is responsible for the design and prepress departments at the company.