Case Study: Adhesive Tape Printers, LLC.

“Not so long ago, we were standing outside a building that was still on fire. So to be sitting here today, with our business growing, is a blessing. It’s a beautiful place to be.
Roman Schlesinger – Art Director – Adhesive Tape Printers, LLC

Based in Danbury, CT, Adhesive Tape Printers, LLC. (ATP) is a tape manufacturer and converter that solely specializes in printed tape. ATP prides itself on printing high-quality adhesive tapes exclusively for authorized distributors. Due to this focus, ATP has become one of the primary suppliers to major wholesalers throughout the United States.

Unfortunately, a devastating fire in May 2019 left ATP’s warehouse in shambles, but this created an opportunity for ATP to revitalize and rebuild its organization. Today, with an all-new digital platemaking workflow, ATP is now even more equipped to serve its clients.

Revitalizing ATP

In 2019, with the entire plant destroyed from the fire, ATP had nothing to do but rebuild. So, the team at ATP decided to make the best out of the situation and revamp their operations with better and higher-quality equipment.

Prior to the fire, ATP used a legacy A&V platemaker, which produced a film that had to then be married to the actual plate material. With this previous workflow, producing a stack of 20 plates took two days. This meant that ATP was averaging two hours to make one plate.

In light of these long lead times, the main goal for ATP, post-fire, became finding a new platemaking system that would produce quality plates faster while still being profitable for its bottom line. “Basically, we were looking for everything that was going to advantage us in terms of rebuilding the company, getting back on our feet, bringing back clients, and of course, getting new clients,” said Roman Schlesinger, Art Director for ATP. After consulting many different teams, the decision was made: ATP would go digital with Anderson & Vreeland.

ATP was equipped with a new ThermoflexX 30 CTP digital imager; StudioRIP software package; and the Orbital X Plate Washer with the whirl-away filtration system. ATP also began using the Toyobo Cosmolight® QS digital plate, which A&V had identified as the perfect plate for ATP’s needs. With this new system installed, ATP immediately noticed three positive results.

A Whole New Workflow

With the new Thermoflex X 30 digital imager, ATP discovered faster turnaround times on its plates. A single plate that took 2 hours to produce now only took 30 to 45 minutes. Not to mention, the MultiPlate capability of Thermoflex X 30 also helped the ATP team keep up with deadlines and really expand their business. Even Mr. Schlesinger was surprised at how many plates he could push out with Thermoflex X’s MultiPlate functionality. For one particular run, he was able to produce 22 plates at once with very little waste. “One of the greatest assets has been this new plate machine from A&V,” stated Mr. Schlesinger. “It’s one of the best assets for our bottom line.”

ATP also found the StudioRIP software package extremely beneficial to improving its bottom line. Through StudioRIP, the ATP team had the ability to specify the dots per inch and produce consistently clean dot printing for their customers. “For us, the magic number seems to be 65 DPI, but no matter what DPI we set, we are always blown away by the level of resolution this system produces,” Roman Schlesinger expanded. Due to the high-quality tapes produced, ATP was able to expand its customer base at an amazing rate.

Last but not least, a major improvement that ATP discovered through this new workflow was a longer plate life. Compared to their past material, the team found the Toyobo Cosmolight® QS material to be extremely durable. Whenever the ATP team had high volume jobs, they noticed they never had to use the backup plates because the first set of plates lasted the entire run almost all the time. Mr. Schlesinger said, “It’s a very durable material, no question about it. It really gives us peace of mind.”

As a result of this new workflow, ATP has now been able to get projects turned around in four to five days, a huge reduction from their previous turnaround times. Mr. Schlesinger praises A&V for these improvements, stating, “I personally can’t thank you guys enough for steering us in this direction because it’s been huge for us and our bottom line.”

Responsive and Reliable Support

Besides the new equipment, Mr. Schlesinger had nothing but great things to say about A&V’s reliable support. Whenever the team at ATP ran into any technical issues, they knew they could rely on A&V to deliver direct support. For example, when Mr. Schlesinger encountered some technical issues, he sent A&V’s Tech Support team an email and within 10 to 15 minutes, he had an A&V Tech Support member come in to troubleshoot it.

Mr. Schlesinger also credits a lot of his knowledge to Digital Business Analyst, Jeff Skolnik, and Director of Technologies, Jessica Harrell. By working hand-in-hand with these key A&V members, Mr. Schlesinger and the ATP team were able to come up with the perfect workflow that fit ATP’s business needs. Supported by the A&V team, ATP was able to create the perfect Orbital X washout setup and learn the best ways to use the Thermoflex X 30. “I couldn’t have asked for better instructors. They offered so many good pointers that I still refer back to whenever I start making new plates,” said Mr. Schlesinger.

Continued Partnership with A&V

A&V is excited to continue its partnership with ATP and support its growth, especially in light of a new website and division launching. Account Manager Robert Feyre said, “ATP is a great customer and we’re just glad we could assist them in their journey towards success.“