In our latest case study interview, we speak to Shyam Chirkoot, the Managing Director at Clomark. Clomark are a flexographic printer who focus on a wide range of printed packaging products from their base in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In the interview, GEW’s Sales Manager for the region, David Lyus, speaks to Shyam about why the Clomark management team decided to retrofit their Gidue Combat press with nine, 140 W/cm E2C lamps and seven 40cm, 395nm interchangeable AeroLED cassettes. David and Shyam also discuss the benefits the company have enjoyed from being able to utilise GEW’s ArcLED technology, by having both E2C and AeroLED on the same press.
Read the interview below:
David Lyus (DL): Hi Shyam, thanks for speaking to me. To get us started, please describe your company’s activities, and your role within the company.
Shyam Chirkoot (SC): Hi Dave. To give you some insight, Clomark started in the mid-1970s in downtown Johannesburg as a supplier of automotive trim; we still have an automotive division today. Slowly we progressed our product offering, as we later got into label printing, using silk screen and hot foil.
In the mid-1990s, Clomark moved to Midrand, and by the mid-2000s, we had purchased a Mark Andy Scout press from SArepco, the GEW distributor for the region, which allowed us to get into flexo printing – unsurprisingly, this press had a GEW UV system on, which is where our relationship started. At this point, we were using this press to print labels for automotive batteries, decals, etc, before we diversified into F&B, pharma and FMCG, amongst other things.
In 2012, our Gidue (now Bobst) press was commissioned, again with GEW UV – this is the same press we have recently retrofitted as we look to sweat this asset to maximise its value. The purchase of this press got us into flexible packaging and shrink sleeves at the time, and led to the growth that means we now employ 50 people; most have been here over 15 years, which we think reflects well on our company.
As a company, we differentiate ourselves on quality and are recognised and awarded for this internationally, meeting a number of recognised standards, including ISO90001, ISO450001, IS14000i, and also qualifying for Unilever’s responsible sourcing audit (URSA).
On a personal level, I am from a technical background, and Dhiraj, our Operations Director, is from a printing background. I’ve been with Clomark since 2001 and Dhiraj has been with the company since 2003; we did a management buyout in 2014 as we believed that by putting heads together around the table, alongside our highly skilled machine operators, we could innovate quickly and come up with products that our competitors are unable to make, giving us an edge in the local market. And so far, that’s proven to be the case.
(DL): How long has your GEW system been installed and why did you decide to upgrade from mercury UV to GEW?
(SC): The system was installed in September 2024, so we’ve had it for over 6 months. In terms of why we made the move now, the answer is less simple. We had been looking at LED systems / solutions for years, but always felt like either the technology wasn’t quite where we needed it to be or, more recently, that the ink availability wasn’t at the level needed for us to satisfy the orders we were getting. As the technology is more mature now and LED inks are now in line with conventional inks, it made economic sense to make the change.
As a side note, we also knew that making the change to LED would open up more possibilities for us, particularly in terms of different finishes. We can also now do online embossing, debossing, matte, gloss and cold foil, giving ourselves, and as a result our customers, more possibilities.
When it came round to making the choice about who we would do this upgrade with, GEW always seemed like the sensible choice. The GEW brand is internationally renowned, we know and trust it, and we believe in it. We also felt it was the best value for money system available, and it reassured us that the system will be well supported locally by SArepco, GEW’s distributor for the region.
(DL): What applications is it being used for?
(SC): To summarise quickly, we focus on printed packaging, including self-adhesive labels, shrink sleeves, pouches/wrappers/sachets, cartons, cardboard products, branding solutions and printed packaging inserts (PIs). The new LED system is used for most of these on a regular basis, although we like the opportunity to switch to our mercury arc UV lamps, E2C, where necessary with certain jobs.
(DL): What benefits has the GEW system brought to your business?
(SC): As a business owner, the impact it’s had on our electricity consumption has been the biggest benefit, with an 18-20% reduction in electricity consumption across the whole factory.
I’d also highlight that it’s been a pleasure working with GEW and SArepco getting this system up and running, and the training the operators received, which focused on the transition to LED, has made the process of moving to UV LED quick and easy.
(DL): What can you do now, that you could not do before you had the GEW UV system?
(SC): For us, the use of the hybrid ArcLED system is an excellent tool as we use a range of specialist coatings on the machine for different jobs, so being able to switch between arc and LED across different print units has been a game changer. We love this technology.
(DL): How did you manage the transition from UV ink to LED UV ink?
(SC): The transition was not difficult at all; we were pleasantly surprised! We were expecting some challenges, but there weren’t any. We prepared by sorting inks out in advance of the installation. It was the same anilox, same plates. The only real difference is the definition, which is now better.
(DL): Describe your overall experience with the GEW team (sales and installation).
(SC): GEW has always been strong in South Africa and the equipment is good. GEW’s local distributor SArepco has always been a reliable source of information and support. They also introduced us to flexo printing originally and have been there all along to support this shift. SArepco taking on the GEW agency a few years ago gave us belief that we would get the required support if something went wrong.
SArepco specifically were very supportive throughout the transition process and installation; their world class technicians worked tirelessly to a fantastic standard.
(DL): Are there any other notes that you would like to add?
(SC): We believe we are using the best inks and papers in the world, and now the best LED UV system in the world, which means we can make the best products. Overall, the shift to LED has been a positive experience for us at Clomark and we encourage our customers to give us the impossible, and we’ll make it happen.
(DL): Thanks for your time Shyam!
(SC): Thanks Dave.
To learn more about AeroLED2, GEW’s latest UV LED curing system for printing applications up to 70cm, go here.
