Modernizing the Equipment You Already Own · Kevin Loos · VP of Sales & International Business · MCS

For many printers and converters, the next big investment doesn’t necessarily have to be an entirely new press.

At LOOP Americas in Chicago, Morten B. Reitoft talks with Kevin from MCS about how retrofit inkjet technology can add new capabilities to equipment already installed on the production floor.

MCS is returning its focus to labels and tags with new four-color technology designed to bring high-quality CMYK variable printing into existing production environments.

And the economics are changing quickly.

According to Kevin, a four-color inkjet system today can cost roughly as much as a monochrome print bar did just a few years ago. That opens completely new opportunities for companies that want to add color, shorter runs, personalization, and variable data without replacing their existing flexo or finishing equipment.

The same trend is visible in direct mail, where demand for four-color variable data continues to grow.

For MCS, flexibility is a key part of the strategy.

The company’s controller technology enables it to work with various printhead platforms and technology partners, including Fujifilm and HP, allowing MCS to tailor solutions to specific applications rather than forcing every customer into the same configuration.

The new four-color systems can deliver 1200 dpi quality at speeds of up to 600 feet per minute — around 180 meters per minute — using technology already proven in high-volume production.

But Kevin also points to another challenge facing the industry: people.

The workforce is changing. Experienced operators are retiring, apprenticeships are less common, and production systems increasingly need to become easier to operate. That means simplifying workflows, removing proprietary formats, and building around standards such as PDF.

For MCS, that is part of a much longer journey.

From mechanical and analog technologies developed by the previous generation of the family to today’s high-speed digital inkjet and variable-data systems, the company continues to evolve around one fundamental question:

How can existing production become smarter, easier, and more productive?

In this INKISH film, Morten talks with Kevin about labels, tags, four-color variable data, retrofit inkjet, HP and Fujifilm technology, workforce challenges, and why modernization doesn’t always mean replacing what you already have.

Sometimes, it means making it considerably more capable.