Drying, Curing & UV
TDC chooses reliability and energy savings for better return on investment
TDC is a flexographic printing company specialising in self-adhesive labels, based in Durban in South Africa. Founded in 2007, the company specialises in providing labelling for the food and beverage industries across the country.
B
eing mindful of its impact on the environment, TDC has optimised its operational processes to the extent it has now been able to reduce its overall energy consumption by 45 per cent, since beginning the sustainability drive. The company has turned to the latest technologies available, including switching from conventional UV Arc curing to UV LED, to contribute to this impressive reduction.
we’re getting like a 30 per cent efficiency on our machines now, you know. So more work out, more money in.”
When the time came to update the company’s Mark Andy P3 press, Trevor Nadar, owner of TDC, chose to invest in a retrofitted GEW AeroLED2 UV curing system. He explains: “We’re always looking for better machines, for better technology. I went with the GEW system because I believe it’s a premium quality system. It’s a bit more in terms of price, but on the long run, it’s actually a cheaper system to work with.” He continues: “The other reason why I went to the AeroLED2 is the cooling system… there’s no chiller. Without the chiller, I can guarantee you that I’ll definitely get more than 30 per cent savings on my electricity. I’m perfectly happy.”
He also points to the production benefits: “We push our presses up to 170, 180 on a full colour job on a UV LED, but you couldn’t do that on the Arc, you know, because of the drying. But with the LED, it dries so quick that you can actually push your press. So
Andrew Williams, external sales manager, is the central customer contact at the company and manages relationships with all of TDC’s key clients. He has witnessed many positives since the introduction of the GEW curing system, from a sales viewpoint and is reaping the rewards. He comments: “With the newer technology, we see phenomenal efficiencies, effective on-point printing, reduced lead times and improved quality to the customers.” The point about print quality is reiterated by Nadar, who adds: “The other positive we have on the LED, which our clients actually picked up, we’ve seen a better quality of printing and we questioned that and what we’ve noticed is that there on your normal UV, on your substrate, it soaks one above another, you know. With the LED it’s so quick when it dries so basically you are seeing like your ink on just on top of the surface of the paper and it’s actually bringing out a much more brighter and vibrant colour on it. We haven’t changed the inks. We haven’t changed anything and we’re just seeing a better quality print, and that’s what’s selling for us.”
Williams also points to the sustainability benefits and the sales advantage that this brings, when addressing customer demands in this area: “In terms of the environmental impact, we see huge benefits on the carbon footprint and how that benefits our customers is that we reduce waste. Our customers do ask us about environmental factors and the carbon footprint and in terms of the GEW installation and equipment that we have here at TDC, we are able to answer those questions with confidence. We’ve seen significant reductions in the carbon footprint and the data analyses that we are able to put out to our clients. We are now able to present to them exactly what they require.” Trevor Nadar summarises: “I’m very confident that I’ve made the best choice. It’s the future. LED is the future and I’m just happy that I’ve taken the step to upgrade my presses to the LED, and I have a peace of mind now that I have a good contractor, SArepco, that’s going to be servicing it for me. So, less problems, less issues. With the LED, we can run our presses up to 50 per cent faster. “There’s a lot of cost savings involved in it and it’s hassle free. That’s what I love about LED.”
18
May/June 2026
www.convertermag.com
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