Employing a total of 55 staff, this family business has already proven its eagerness to embrace innovation on several occasions. For example, Sefra was the first company in Italy to install a web offset press for self-adhesive labels back in 1988.

Two decades after it made its industry debut with paper labels (primarily for wines and spirits), Sefra moved on to producing labels printed on film. “The hey day of paper labels is pretty much over,” says the company's owner and managing director Romano Franchini, “even though orders are still increasing slightly. By contrast, the  film printing business has been growing continuously over the past few years.”

Two decades after it made its industry debut with paper labels, Sefra moved on to producing labels printed on films.

First printing machine from Muller Martini
Sefra previously specialized in forms and still prints these classic products for a few customers. However, the vast majority of the new customers it has acquired in Northern and Central Italy over the years are in the new business segment.

In an effort to remain competitive in this line of business, Sefra invested in an Alprinta 74V web offset press offering infinitely variable sizes. After having used ten machines from other manufacturers, this was the first time that the company had opted for Muller Martini. “Because we have so many size changes,” says Romano Franchini, “it was an easy choice for us to make – especially after our tests at the Muller Martini Print Training Center in Maulburg produced extremely persuasive results.”

The Alprinta 74V offering infinitely variable size offset printing is the first Muller Martini web offset press that Sefra has used.

Diversified Job Structure
The handy, carbon-fiber plate and blanket cylinders on the Alprinta 74V can be changed in under five minutes, meaning the machine can be quickly converted to a new size. This was what led Sefra to its decision. Romano Franchini, whose father founded the company in Verona in 1973 and still sits on the executive committee today, says: “With a maximum of 50,000 units per job, our work structure is extremely diversified. We therefore frequently need to make changes to the printing press.”

According to Romano Franchini, his two machine operators find this extremely simple to do: “One of them is of a certain age, but even though he had never worked with Muller Martini printing presses before, the training has shown him how to gauge the electronic controls.”

The handy, carbon-fiber plate and blanket cylinders on the Alprinta 74V can be changed in a few  minutes.

Alprinta Now Features Innovative Control

One of the highlights of the Alprinta web offset press from Muller Martini is the unrivaled ink zone control. The ink profile, which is imported via CIP3 data, can be clearly visualized and manipulated by means of a touchscreen. The machine operators can submit orders quickly when working in conjunction with the automatic Make Ready System, which preconfigures the machine and eliminates duplicate order data entries. The Alprinta V StretchCorrect™ software is used to print in offset rwechnology on thin and stretchable films and, thanks to intelligent servo drive technology, printers using the software package can have a direct impact on the required print result. StretchCorrect™ features printing-length and printing-width correction components, which reduces the amount of waste paper and significantly decreases the set-up time.