Cartes and Vetaphone celebrate 12 years of partnership

Established in 1970 as a supplier of bespoke label manufacturing technology, Cartes is still owned and managed by the Lodi family and has its headquarters in Moglia, Italy.

Sales and marketing manager Enrica Lodi said: 'We have always specialized in the high-value-added sector of the narrow web market and have a reputation for pioneering innovative solutions for the self-adhesive, linerless, roll-to-roll printing, finishing and converting processes.' 

Cartes has had a relationship with Vetaphone since 2012.

Inventor and pioneer of corona surface treatment, Vetaphone is a family-owned business with a customer-focused approach that aligns well with Cartes.

Giuseppe Rossi, Vetaphone area sales manager for Italy, said: 'We understand that customer requirements can vary considerably and that a ‘one size fits all’ approach will not work, especially when dealing with a specialist manufacturer like Cartes.'

Cartes wanted to work with co-suppliers whose technology could be fully integrated with their own, such as Vetaphone’s corona treater and web cleaner.  

The two units, which are mounted adjacent to each other, can both be controlled from the same operator panel that integrates with the Cartes machine.  

'This is especially useful on machines where we have more than one corona treater, sometimes as many as three, all of which are at different positions in the line. Being able to integrate them on one control panel is both more ergonomic for the operator and maximizes efficiency for the entire production line,” explained Lodi.

Rossi added: 'From a supplier’s point of view, Cartes makes life straightforward because all its machines have the same 350mm working web width. By limiting one parameter, both companies can focus on maximizing efficiency and cost control. Vetaphone corona treaters can be specified with a variety of options to meet exact production requirements, but if we are always manufacturing to the same web width, we can offer cost-saving production benefits too.'

Cartes now manufactures and ships around 120 machines a year, which is likely to accelerate as the demand from the digital sector continues apace.  

'Our technology makes life easier for the operator, which, in a global market that is experiencing a worrying level of skill shortage, highlights the need for more automation. This means more control integration, and that is the strength of the Cartes/Vetaphone working arrangement,' Rossi added.

Cartes' product portfolio includes technology for hot stamping, silk screen printing, digital embellishment, flexo printing and varnishing, flatbed and semi-rotary die cutting and embossing. In addition, Cartes offers laser technology for die cutting and converting. The single or dual 350W laser is suitable for paper or film, and it works across any shape or cut-through program due to its RF power control and ‘cut on the fly’ software. Known by Cartes as ILC (Invisible Laser Cutting), it allows dark printed labels to be die-cut without a white edge.

The company’s workforce has more than 60 technicians in design and manufacturing at its 12,000sqm facility in the Mantova Province, some 200km southeast of Milan. Among its accomplishments, Cartes opened a new factory in 2012, launched Jet D-Screen technology in 2019 and established a branch facility in New Jersey in the US in 2020.

Looking ahead, Lodi sees future investments targeted at increased automation on the production floor and ramping up output to meet growing demand from markets in the US, Brazil, Chile and Argentina, as well as in France and Spain. 

Rossi stated: 'It’s always a pleasure to work with a company like Cartes where there is so much synergy with the Vetaphone business ethos. We have developed a strong cooperative partnership based on mutual trust and a joint desire for innovation, and we look forward to playing a key part in their growth and future development.'