Etimark: Success with optimised processes The name Etimark stood for “Etikettieren und Markieren" (labelling and marking) when the company was founded in 1978. 30 years on process optimisation, MIS, operational data collection, streamlined process workflow are common terms. And those of success. Etimark is today an established player in the market for producing die-cut lids and self-adhesive labels. (Translated from: Daniel Bischof, Viscom print & communication nr. 18, September 2009, p. 24-25).   With three virtually identical UV flexo printers Etimark is highly flexible and can ideally serve its markets. The history of Etimark began in 1978 in a former shoe factory in the middle of a quiet residential district in Grabs. The company built label equipment and at the same time sold price labelling devices. Shortly after its start Ulrich J. Schulz was taken on board as the Managing Director. In the following years self-adhesive labels were added to the range. The company grew constantly. A first milestone was achieved in 1993 with the building of its own pre-press, and another was achieved in 1997 when the first UV flexo printer started operation. There were two decisions which were to be landmark decisions for the company. In 2002 Ulrich J. Schulz withdrew from the operational business, took on the role of Chairman of the Management Board and handed over the reins to his two sons Udo and Marco Schulz. Today the management team also includes Andreas Grabuschnigg as Operations Manager, who ideally complements the brothers as an accomplished production expert. Newcomers The two brothers had little idea of the industry when they joined the company 12 and 15 years ago respectively. Udo Schulz had travelled around the world as a SAP consultant; process optimisation was his hobbyhorse. Marco Schulz studied Business Information Systems after a bank apprenticeship and then worked for some time as a programmer at a developer of MIS solutions. This is where the MIS, which Etimark has used successfully for several years, also came from. The fact that in Marco Schulz the company’s management has someone who describes the programming and maintenance of the company’s IT as a hobby is definitely a major competitive advantage for Etimark. Squeezing the lemons means nothing other than optimising the processes. The MIS is the basis which provides the numbers for this. Any printing company which has implemented an MIS knows the challenges which have to be overcome before the system is running properly and providing numbers which can be used. Marco Schulz also recently presented the software at an IRD conference and, as well as receiving an official award, received much positive feedback. Such reactions show that there is still great potential in this segment in Germany. Not least of all due to this reason Etimark is currently working on gaining access to the German and Austrian market. Decision for UV flexo printing Udo Schulz is pragmatic when he is asked about the secret of their success: “We decided five years ago to concentrate on UV flexo printing, and the decision has proven to be absolutely right. When we started producing die-cut lids as well as foil printing in 1997, these were still mainly produced in huge volumes using gravure printing on large machines. When we bought our first UV flexo printing machine, we decided on a printing system which could optimally cover this business segment.” And all of a sudden Etimark was able to supply die-cut lids for yoghurts and tins of meat etc. which cost a lot less. And the narrow-web flexo printers can produce small and medium batches much more economically. It is precisely this segment which Etimark is concentrating on. A strategically forward-looking decision was also the one made at the start of the 90s to invest in a digital pre-press. At last printing plates no longer had to be exposed to light externally, the value-adding activity remained in house. Today Etimark uses a workflow solution from Esko in the pre-press stage; the exposure to light takes place on a CDI Spark XT, which is also from Esko. Etimark generates 50 % of its sales with die-cut lids, which are made almost exclusively out of aluminium and PET. The other half of its sales is generated in the self-adhesive labels sector. Etimark also offers flexible packaging. Due to the machine width this is a peripheral segment for Etimark. Lid on it Ready-to-serve meals, yoghurts, cat and dog food and many other products are sealed by die-cut lids. The high demand for die-cut lids is undiminished. It is still aluminium which is mainly used, but more and more major distributors are also choosing PET, particularly in the bio sector. The lids are stamped with points; this allows them to be used in filling stations. “We want production to be as cost and energy efficient as possible. Here aluminium is still one step ahead in my opinion. Aluminium is cheaper to buy and does not need any measures against static electricity. Aluminium is also one step ahead with die cutting and stamping and can be processed more efficiently,” explains Udo Schulz. Margins are small The small margins in the die-cut lid sector are forcing Etimark to watch every franc, whether with the procurement of raw materials, where particularly the price of aluminium fluctuates greatly and therefore has a direct impact on the margin, or with the Euro exchange rate, which is a factor when deciding what volumes can be bought when. Udo Schulz sees the particular appeal of his job here, a “sporting challenge”. He wants to achieve the most every day, to search each day for new opportunities to squeeze the lemon even more: “The prices of raw materials and exchange rates are two central issues for us, and they also take up a lot of time. We therefore employ a buyer specifically for this.” While the competition is straightforward in Switzerland, there is a lot of competition in neighbouring countries. This though is not preventing Etimark from extending its commitments in Germany and Austria as well. When the Schulz brothers look into the future they show calculated optimism. They say they will continue to concentrate on UV flexo printing and closely monitor the competition, not without confidence. IRD certificate for top performance The knowledge institute IRD recognised Etimark as a “Best Practice” company in the printing industry last spring. With the IRD certificate Etimark is attested as having a top performance in the area of cross-sector automation. The “Institut für rationale Unternehmungsführung in der Druckindustrie e.V.” (Institute for Rational Corporate Governance in the Print Industry) makes the award to printers for whom automisation has resulted in verifiable corporate success. For this purpose Eckhard Bölke, head of the IRD, identifies the benchmarks for the respective company. “The decisive factor for the award is that the practice lived at the respective company has helped it to optimise workflows, increase productivity, save costs and provide customer benefits. I have examined this closely with the help of data collected during visits to the company” commented Eckhard Bölke. UV flexo with MPS systems Etimark uses three identical printing systems from the Dutch manufacturer MPS (established in 1996). The three MPS EF 330 (two 8-colour and one 6-colour) machines, which it started using last year, are a clear commitment to streamlined and highly flexible production. The narrow-web machine with a maximum web width of 33 cm may limit production capabilities somewhat, the benefits of three identical machines though are obvious; a large store of replacement parts is not needed, the printers can work without any problems on all three machines, and if a problem arises printing orders can be completed quickly and simply on another machine. Udo Schulz: “The MPS machines are ideally suited to our needs, not least of all their cost effectiveness tipped the scales for our investment.” The general agent for the MPS systems in Switzerland is Printech Tools & Technology in St. Pelagiberg.