Leading independent French company Medialliance Graphic Bourgoin Jallieu has become the first company to achieve "Best in Class" panel manufacturing certification under the new program introduced by Esko.
The recently launched XPS Crystal certification program recognizes platemaking companies that continuously produce superior flexo plates that result in outstanding flexographic print quality. "The new program is a wonderful way for companies to communicate their world-class service to their supply chain partners and customers," said Pascal Thomas, director of flexo business at Esko. "It's an endorsement of excellence in flexo platemaking, providing reassurance of best practices in production processes and consistent quality of the final print."
The certification program was specifically developed by Esko to ensure that the entire supply chain can meet the demanding needs and requirements of brands and converters in terms of predictable and accurate plate quality and the highest available platemaking consistency, regardless of the photopolymer. The new certification, introduced due to the popularity of the extremely successful HD Flexo certification program for flexo plate making, is offered as part of the "XPS Crystal Hardware Care Plan," which ensures continued quality improvement compared to a one-time effort to achieve certification. The process can be started at installation, during a preventive maintenance visit or on demand.
"Certification is valid for 24 months," Thomas explains. "During that time, Esko supports member quality assurance by verifying both imaging quality and processing quality of equipment against Esko's XPS Certified Plate Reference."
"If certification is achieved, it means that members can assure optimum quality and performance for their plates and the resulting print," he explains. "We are delighted that Medialliance, a company with an outstanding reputation with which we have worked closely for many years, has become our first global partner company to successfully achieve accreditation."
Olivier Barbier, project manager at Medialliance Graphic Bourgoin Jallieu, explains that the company has always wanted to be at the forefront of the industry's progress and was therefore thrilled to be the first company to successfully complete the certification process.
"Here at Medialliance, we have secured our position as the go-to resource for companies looking for packaging and brand identity support," Barbier explains. "We've built our expertise through decades of experience, and we're always driven by our customers' increasing demands for capabilities and services. We are known for producing the highest quality panels and have built and solidified our reputation over more than 40 years in business."
"Every third-party affirmation, like this one, underscores the strength of that reputation," he explains. "As a certified partner, we now benefit from benchmarking and identification of best practices around quality assurance processes and production efficiency. But not only that, because the Esko certification program is also an excellent marketing tool for our company, adding value and allowing us to pitch an additional level of quality assurance to our customers."
Pascal Thomas explains that the XPS Crystal Certification Program is now open to all users of the innovative EskoXPS Crystal exposure unit. "In addition to the external communication benefits Olivier mentioned, certified members can also verify their plate-making processes against industry benchmarks," Thomas explains. "This also promotes tracking of plate quality over time and makes it possible to identify problems before they occur on press."
Esko's award-winning XPS Crystal technology optimally combines UV main and back imaging using LEDs that always emit a uniform UV light, rather than traditional exposure frames that use bulbs with changing output. Winner of the prestigious FTA award, 2017 InterTechTM Technology Award, 2018 EFIA Technology award and Red Dot Award for Product Design, the XPS Crystal provides simultaneous and optimally controlled UV main and back exposure to create extremely uniform digital flexo plates.
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