Spanish tradeshop using Esko Quartz technology to deliver consistent, high-quality flexographic plates across France and Portugal
Puntes Packaging Partners, one of Spain’s leading providers of customized prepress services, is using Esko Quartz technology to strengthen its European offering. Following its recent acquisition of French tradeshop Art Media Graphic (AMG), Puntes is among the first to capitalize on using Quartz-equipped production to supply high-quality flexographic plates to customers in Spain, France, Belgium and Portugal, supporting its strategy of delivering consistent quality and service across European markets.
“Our investment in the Esko Quartz ecosystem is a natural step in our long-term commitment to innovation,” said Sergio Montañés Cubero, Marketing & Sales Manager at Puntes Packaging Partners.
We have already seen the benefits of advanced Esko technologies such as Crystal screening, and Quartz allows us to take that to the next level. It gives us the opportunity to deliver even greater detail, smoother highlights and improved print stability for demanding packaging applications.
Puntes has worked with printers in France and Belgium since 2008, building extensive knowledge of the market. The acquisition of AMG, located in Gournay-en-Bray, northeast of Paris, further strengthens its local presence while expanding its capabilities in both flexible packaging and corrugated applications. AMG was already a long-standing Esko customer, operating an integrated Esko environment.
“This shared technology foundation has helped make the integration of AMG into Puntes straightforward, enabling the businesses to standardize processes and exchange expertise across operations,” said Sergio. “Quartz integrates seamlessly with Puntes’ existing Esko workflow. Rather than introducing an isolated technology, this latest investment extends an established digital ecosystem, enabling us to maintain process consistency while increasing automation and minimizing manual intervention.
“The packaging market is becoming increasingly demanding, with brands requiring higher graphic quality and printers looking for more stable, repeatable processes while response times continue to shorten,” he said. “Quartz strengthens our ability to respond to these requirements, helping us deliver greater consistency, efficiency and overall quality to our customers.”
Sergio explained that the benefits of the latest investment in Esko technology extend beyond print quality. “We are using our Quartz-equipped production in Spain to manufacture plates for the French market, while the same production capability will also support customers in Portugal,” he said. “This approach combines centralized, highly controlled plate production with the local customer relationships and service capabilities provided by AMG in France.
“Establishing a production and service hub in France also brings Puntes closer to our French customers, helping reduce transport distances and the associated logistics footprint,” he added.
For Puntes, the combination of Esko technology and its expanding European footprint provides a platform for continued growth. “Our message to customers across Europe is very clear,” he said. “We want to be a long-term strategic partner, capable of offering the same quality, service and capacity for innovation across every market in which we operate. Automation, innovation and process standardization will remain fundamental to our growth as we continue investing in technologies that help our customers become more competitive.”
The Esko Quartz ecosystem complements the leading Crystal ecosystem as a top-of-the-line addition to the Esko digital flexo solutions portfolio, offering a dual optics system that supports both legacy and forward-looking flexo platemaking with optimized Quartz Screening.
Quartz optical technology enables users to image higher frequency surface structures at 2000lpi (Q-Cells) with an imaging resolution of 4000ppi, providing another major leap forward in flexo plate imaging speed and print quality. Imaging at 4000ppi is nearly double the current industry standard, and microcells engraved in the solid ink areas at a 2000lpi resolution is proven to significantly boost ink transfer, delivering a way for print converters to match gravure print quality in flexography.
Pascal Thomas, Director of Flexo Product Management with Esko, said he was delighted Puntes was already reaping the benefits of using the technology.
With Quartz now extending the capabilities of its established Esko ecosystem, Puntes is well positioned to support the evolving demands of European flexographic packaging production while maintaining the consistency, technical expertise and customer focus that underpin its growth strategy.
For more on the Esko Quartz ecosystem, visit https://www.esko.com/en/products/cdi-quartz-xps
For more on Puntes Packaging Partners, visit https://puntes.es/en/