The Iberian leader on printed packaging materials for sugar sachets and sugar sticks trust in Optima²

In 2014 EMBA took the decision to invest in a new flexographic printing press. But before choose what machine to invest in, EMBA performed a lots of real printing tests in 4 different European printing press manufacturers (OEM). EMBA supplied the printing plates, inks, special lacquered paper. The only variable was the printing press itself.

One of the big challenges was the bounce effect while printing wide sugar sachets materials, because it’s impossible to use printing plates with the different printing sets in different alignments. This lead to gaps between the different sachets images and causes important bounce effect printing problems. At the beginning EMBA was very impressed with the big organization and long success history of a German manufacturer. But during the real printing tests the results were not good enough to EMBA. The printing press was very good but didn't fit for EMBA printing jobs.

Since DRUPA 2000 EMBA was following SOMA evolution and it was possible to see that the company was growing sustainably and has very good technical skills. In 2015 EMBA performed trials at SOMA premises twice. The result was quite impressive. It was the printing press with better results in terms of bounce effect. It has bounce effect but only at a higher speed than the direct competitors.

In 2016 EMBA was invited to the presentation of OPTIMA² and immediately schedule a printing test at SOMA's factory for one month later. The test was almost perfect: with a very difficult 7 colours printing job the registration, the absence of bounce effect, the user-friendly operator interface, make EMBA to take the decision: We want to invest on a OPTIMA² from SOMA! We fully trust in SOMA technical capability to produce top quality flexo printing presses, on time and technologically advance. The partnerships with BOSCH Rexroth and ALLSTEIN were also factor that we took in consideration at the time we had to take the final decision.

In all the tests process and printing press specification we have the technical and commercial support of INNOPACK, SOMA's agent for Portugal and Spain. They were simply fantastic and super professional and this was also one important factor that we took in consideration in our multi criteria analyses.

SOMA, as a company, is not as big as some competitors and has not a long history as some German and Spanish competitors. But EMBA is also a small company and we know SOMA deserve to get the opportunity to show its capabilities and professionalism. That’s why EMBA took the right decision. It is not the most price competitive printing press but it is the printing press that fits exactly what we were looking for! We choose SOMA because we trust in SOMA Team! SOMA is a company with human touch. For anyone who is looking for a state of the art, intelligent and easy-to-operate flexo printing press, I would certainly recommend the SOMA OPTIMA².

Contact

EMBA - Comércio e Indústria de Embalagem, S.A.
Mr. Luís Mendes (EMBA member of the BOARD and co-CEO)
www.emba.pt
Alenquer
Portugal