Speaking in Chicago, CEO Kevin Wilken stated: “The future has never been brighter for Mark Andy and its customers. The recent MBO confirms our commitment to the industry and will secure the company’s future and offer continuity in today’s ever-changing marketplace. We aim to grow our business with innovative solutions and will actively explore new opportunities to serve our customers. Our declaration of being a Total Solutions Partner has truly come of age.”

As the leading US-based press manufacturer in the narrow web label and packaging markets, Mark Andy is conscious of its obligations to converters and has broadened their mission beyond just machinery.

“We can no longer be seen purely as a machine supplier,” said Mary Sullivan, Director of Global Marketing. “The focus has to be on the converter and how we can improve his or her business with equipment that delivers the best quality at the lowest cost per label/unit. We call it ‘Business Responsive Technology’. But it goes further. Best in class machinery coupled with our extensive customer support and recent expansion into supplies and consumables can only strengthen our working relationship with customers and the industry going forward. Converters are already experiencing this difference at Mark Andy.”

The Chicago event saw the launch of the new Mark Andy Digital Series hybrid line. A ground-up engineering triumph for the company’s serious two-year long R&D journey, it is the only true integration of a digital engine into an existing inline press platform, and confirms the company’s belief that digital needs to be seen as accompaniment to conventional, not a discreet choice of one or the other. The press can be configured in CMYK, or CMYKOV, with the option of a white. It offers full inline single pass production, including flexo stations as well as all the finishing and converting techniques available on conventional presses.

Rotoflex was found speeding through the show at 2,000 fpm, an exciting byproduct of the integration of servo motors into their robust line of offline inspection, rewind and die cutting equipment. All of the brand’s premier machine offerings have been upgraded with the enhanced URC 2.0 operating system, the integration of advanced servo drives as well as eDrive web management tools. All these features combined allow Rotoflex to continue leading the way in workflow improvements in the finishing department.

Also noticeable at this Labelexpo was the increased number of visitors to the company’s booth from Latin America, Asia, as well as Eastern Europe. With the most comprehensive range of narrow web technology available from one supplier, Mark Andy sees its broad based international appeal as a significant path to increasing market share.

From the more than 10,000 consumable products available from Mark Andy Print Products (currently US only) to the 200,000 replacement parts stocked worldwide, along with the Mark Andy University training programs and a comprehensive package of retrofit options, the company saw Labelexpo Americas 2014 as confirmation that its strategy is working well.