This past week was spent visiting label printers throughout Indonesia – joining me was George Tan, MPS Area Sales Manager and Ahmad Sopian, owner of Inti Digital Grafika (IDG), the local MPS agent for Indonesia.
As the fourth largest country by population with over 260 million people, following China, India and the United States, the opportunity here for label and flexible packaging printing is vast and growing.
Having lived in Indonesia twice, coming back felt very familiar. There is also a lingering Dutch influence here from the nearly 350 years of Dutch colonization that can be seen in the architecture, food, and even heard in the language. There is equally a strong Indonesian influence back home in The Netherlands – one example is nasi goreng – an Indonesian fried rice recipe, that is very delicious and highly popular with the Dutch.
Left to right: Ahmad Sopian (agent Indonesia), George Tan and Tim Klappe
A warm welcome
Rewarding during all our visits to printers was the warm reception we received and strong familiarity of MPS. Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) labels, a range of films, shrink sleeves, and wraparound labels are increasing in popularity; all of which can be productively printed on MPS presses.
Gravure printing is still common in Indonesia, but with the associated high costs in short-medium print runs and stricter government regulations associated with inks and their impact on the environment, interest in flexo printing is gaining rapidly.
Also attracting attention is the hybrid digital/flexo combination press. Digital in this market has also grown tremendously in last few years, with the benefits of shorter runs and capability in product and region diversification. With that, the MPS EF SYMJET hybrid flexo inkjet solution was also a big part of our conversations.
Discussions about cost were also had – as MPS has a perception for high quality and high price. Face-to-face meetings provide a valuable opportunity to explain the overall landscape and associated benefits from printing with an MPS press. Important considerations we pointed out are increased speed translating into running more jobs per day, press presettings, ease of operation, increased automation, faster turnaround, and less waste — when it comes right down to it, the overall cost price per label is considerably less.
First installation of MPS press
An important stop during our travels in Indonesia was at MPS customer PT. Surya Baru, who is preparing for the installation of their first MPS EF 430 multi-substrate press next month!
A forward-thinking printer, PT. Surya Baru specializes in label printing and is committed to providing high quality labeling solutions. Their new MPS press is equipped with the APC (Automatic Print Control) package, and advanced finishing applications such as de-lam/re-lam, web turner bar, and a double Quick Change Die unit with iStrip matrix rewinding on rail.
From a logistical perspective, Delivery of Surya Baru’s press required some creative planning, as the company is located within the heart of the big city of Jakarta. Delivery of the press in 40 feet containers will need to manoeuvre among the bustling Becaks (3-wheeled pedicabs) and narrow streets, as opposed to spacious industrial sites that can easily accommodate large equipment deliveries.
After their installation, Surya Baru has planned an open house in April to demonstrate their new MPS investment! Stay tuned for more details on that exciting event.
Where to next?
Other travel destinations this month for George and I include Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and Korea. In March, we’ll be in Australia, New Zealand, and back to Thailand and Indonesia.
I’ll also be at our head office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia interviewing to hire two additional engineers and an Area Sales Manager for Thailand.
In the meantime, feel free to get in touch!