TECHNICAL ARTICLES

Anilox Rolls: Specialty or Commodity?

By: The Harper GraphicSolutions Team

I am sure this question will be answered both ways depending on the markets that different converting entities serve and the quality of the converter. There are many users of anilox rolls who absolutely need consistency from roll to roll, inventory control assistance, maintenance assistance, operator training in these areas, service after the sale and guidance in areas such as new market development. If you are one of these I suggest you look close at your anilox roll choices and be a bit wary of being lured by the sticker price alone. You may in fact get what you pay for.

In reviewing many recent purchasing decisions regarding the anilox roll market there has been a noticeable trend in pricing concessions over the last year or so and especially in the last four to six months. Some anilox vendors have dropped there pricing by as much as 50% in some cases!

Is this a good thing? Well obviously for the buyer it’s a great thing, at least on the initial purchase transaction. However, after being in this business for almost 22 years now I am questioning the long term ramifications of such moves on our industries trends in obtaining higher quality graphics, faster set ups and fast press speeds. And all of these issues will relate to the anilox rolls quality, consistency, repeatability and life cycle. And obviously the same holds true for all the other press consumables.

Now, if by new technology advancements we can offer the same quality, services and consistency at lower prices of 50% less than before, this is great. But I for one have not seen anything significant enough in the industry in the last few years or so to allow someone to drop prices to some of the levels we are now seeing without giving up something. I am not saying that just because you are getting product at very good prices that there is something wrong with it. I am saying use a little common sense.

A lot of this is being driven by purchasing. I am seeing more and more cases of buyers not being concerned so much with value, but strictly buying on price. “I know you have a better product, we have proven that, and I really like the after sale service you provide, but I cannot take these prices to my boss”. This is being heard more and more as every day passes. Don’t get me wrong. Purchasing people are doing their jobs. They are trying to obtain the highest quality products, or products that work for their needs, for the least cost. That’s what they are paid to do. And I expect the global economic conditions are pushing the pricing issues even harder than before, and with good reason. But are some of us loosing our sites on value, vendor relationships and the long term cost of ownership of a product verses the purchase price? Which by the way not only involves the product it self but the service that should go along with it. I personally believe so and have case histories of the purchasing deal looking real sweet on the surface but actually costing big bucks in the long term due to inferior products and services.

The real key I think is to ask ourselves the question, “What level of product quality and consistency do I need to satisfy my customers”? And “If I need or want value added to the product, can I measure the value? Am I really getting a good price when considering long term “cost of ownership”?

You cannot quantify what you cannot measure! Unfortunately the flexographic industry, as it strives to reach higher and higher quality levels, still has many converters who have not employed proper measuring techniques to even begin to answer this question. They live in a daily world of verbal documentation and assumption because it’s easier that way. Less of a hassle. Then purchasing is made simpler by making the event strictly a price decision which could be leaving a lot of profit on the table in the long run.

Up until about 1998, there were very distinct differences between most anilox product itself. No doubt about it. You could physically look at several anilox rolls side by side and tell a difference. Since then however the playing field in this regard has become more level. Newer technologies and quality philosophies that gave distinct differences back then have become adopted by others and today it is becoming more difficult to just look at an anilox and distinguish it.

What I have witnessed as the major differentiators in anilox today are things like consistency from roll to roll. And what about quality management? Service of the product after the sale? Delivery? Graphic improvement? Production improvement? On site help when you need it?

These are the kind of items that can cost significant dollars to provide and can distinctly differentiate one product from another when the rest of the field is level. These items will impact the purchase price of the product. You cannot have it all. In most cases the level of the items listed above will vary with the products price. It has too.

Consistency
Let’s start with consistency for example. Any anilox company can make a roll with pristine cell shape, homogeneous color, precise dimensional tolerances etc. But how consistent can they hold it, roll after roll after roll. And do you really understand the value of this in your operation? What does an anilox producer have to put in place to make consistency a reality? Can you truly measure it? Are press operators wasting time making press adjustments due to inconsistencies in the anilox? It’s about removing variables.

Quality Management
What about quality management? Are you concerned about your vendors QA programs? Some say quality is a given and although it certainly should be, this is not real world. Quality and consistency, although they should be in the same bucket, are often not. But I say again, you will never know distinction of consistency unless you look for it and have the means to measure it. This is one of the biggest reasons that, as a supplier, I personally am a huge fan of a certified quality program.

To touch on this a bit, certified quality programs do not guarantee that your products are better than you competitor who is not quality certified. You can literally make junk and get an outside source to certify you. But it’s not about your product being better. It’s really about what ever you decide to call quality, what works for your customers, will be consistent from yesterday to today and today to tomorrow and the day after and so on. And not its not fool proof. No process is. However, you will find if you take the time to implement ridged standards of operation, documented standard practice procedures, regular maintenance controls, regular gauge and instrument calibration, regular training and proper administration and checks and balances of the entire process, it will force a discipline through out the organization that results in much more controlled consistency. A discipline that will help you purchase products with more confidence that they are consistent. This is true for all aspects of the company and not just manufacturing. And there is something to be said to using an outsider who has no bias. If nothing else, it keeps you honest and on track. But, it comes with a price. If you can measure its results, more often than not, it will pay big dividends.

Be a bit leery of suppliers who say things like “we have adopted standard practice procedures” or “follow ISO procedures”. That usually means something less than a bona fide program.

Service
How about service after the sale. If you really need someone in your plant to look at an issue, do they get to you it in time to make a difference? Are you told you get technical services with your purchase only to find out you get a few foil impressions from time to time of your anilox inventory. Do you get assistance when you need graphic improvement leadership to help guide your path to penetrate new markets? Does your supplier address other critical elements of the process with suppliers of inks, blades, chambers, and presses?

There is a lot that goes into true technical services. Which, by the way, was a term unknown to the anilox industry until about 1993 when the first technical services department was formed for anilox rolls that truly viewed the entity as a separate focus from that of sales. And it takes more than one or two technical service people to really be able to SERVICE the account base. Focus is the real key here.

Lets face it, it’s tough as a sales person to try and open new accounts, follow up with existing accounts and be available at the drop of a hat to give technical service. The only true way to do this is to break it out. And it costs to do this. Are these services free? No they are not. We sometimes say that they are in literature or in general conversation but the truth is nothing is free. You will pay some where. So now the question becomes can I make use of the service to warrant a higher price? The best advice from me to you is to scrutinize what the services are all about first. Understand the services thoroughly. Don’t just hear the word “Technical Services” and make assumptions about what that means. (Ask your representative for the name of the technical service person assigned to your account.) The interpretation varies greatly. Then you can make an intelligent decision.

Delivery
Are you told the roll will be there in two weeks only to find yourself four weeks out and still no product. What does late delivery cost you? Are you informed of the delivery status?

No one person or organization is perfect but it is wise to run a track record on your vendors. Measure what attributes of the vendor are most important to you. There goes that “measurement” word again! Then you can decide.

We are all consumers, and as such we typically do exactly what those who purchase for their companies do. Get the biggest bang for our buck. But, we as consumers also know that in most cases we get what we pay for. So with that said I think the real question becomes one of what works for me?

• Can I purchase my personal care items at the Dollar Store and get the results I need or do I need brand names?
• Do I need consistent product quality?
• Are some of the variables I tackle every day due to product inconsistency?
• Can I quantify (measure) it?
• Do I get what I want when I want it?
• Do I need other service beyond the product itself?
• Do I get assistance when I need it when a problem arises?
• How well are those cases handled?
• Can I use a commodity product in my process to do what my customers are demanding, grow my business and maintain a healthy bottom line at the end of the day, or do I need high quality, special care and service products to accomplish this?

And the questions should go a bit deeper. Doing what we are doing today and did yesterday and the day before is Ok (status quo)…if…we want to keep doing these same things tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that! But if we want to grow our business and stay on the leading edge of technology and service we need to think more about our decisions.

As I strive to reduce my costs, is this directly related to the purchase price of products or the value and long term ownership cost? What does a solid relationship with a vendor mean to me? What if I want to grow my market base.? What if this means producing a higher quality value added product to penetrate new markets? Can I do these things with the status quo?

All of the above questions are good ones, and only you and your operation personal can answer these. All I am suggesting is that we must do what we can (in today’s economy especially) to hold down costs and at the same time do what is necessary to measure value or as I stated before the “cost of ownership”.

I have personally witnessed many customers buying on price alone only to find disastrous results, (for those who could measure), that ended up costing them many, many times what they supposedly were to have saved. And these were just tangible dollars and did not include other ramifications of not measuring performance and getting what it was they were supposedly paying for.

It’s a tough market out there. We are all trying to save costs and improve bottom lines. But lets me careful and make sure the purchasing decisions we make are intelligent ones that will end up giving us what we are asking for and especially what our customers need.

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