In the past days over the world or even in Japan now, most of corrugated printers (95%) are outsourcing their plate for they may presume that plate making is a total different production for a box printing company.
Now a days, they found the profit of outsourcing plate is taken so much from them that many corrugated factories are getting interest in making their own plates in plant from which may reduce this part of cost to only 10-20 % from what they are paying every month.
They may think of complications of first, film making then plate making, to hire more people for this purpose, no easy to have skilled engineers for the job. Most important is considering if there is a SOP to success the plate making. After they buying the equipment may just increase they capital investment and cause other problems of people management.
Obviously to save cost of everything inside the manufacturing factory is a trend for every industry now. Less people to work in plate making room with contemporary equipment of digitalization and automation by investing less cost machine for future production, this dream of 80-90% cost saving of your plate can come true.
Due to trade war between countries, JP corrugated box factories are predicting a recession is coming soon, for this reason, they have to cut off the high cost items and put into first innovation list. Changing from outsourcing plates to make it in plant is almost the first consideration and decision now so as the same way of thinking in Korea.
CTP (Computer To Plate), direct image without using film by inkjet printer is a first choice of economic investment for plate making now a days. With automatic washout machine for SOP process. Both are good and important weapons for digitalization and automation as well as for less cost effective investments. Two persons are required in the plate making room, and raw material cost is also limited to the photopolymer plate in boxes only.
