David Savastano, Editor10.24.13
Special effect inks, whether they are metallic, fluorescent or pearlescent, are one of the ways that brand owners attract attention to their products. These inks are among the most challenging to print, and converters are drawn to ink companies that provide innovative products and excellent service.
As a result of its emphasis on customer satisfaction and customization, Arpro M-Tec, LLC has found its niche in the water-based special effects inks for flexo and gravure. Rajive Jhaveri, a 29-year veteran of management and formulating inks for the printing industry, founded Arpro M-Tec in 2011 in Morganton, NC. The company has been growing rapidly, and recently moved to a much larger facility in Morganton.
Jhaveri said that product performance and customer satisfaction are key drivers of Arpro M-Tec’s rapid growth. Metallic inks can be a challenge for printers, and Arpro M-Tec formulates its products with an emphasis on performance, quality, low environmental impact and price competitiveness.
“Product performance has been the key to our growth,” said Jhaveri. “Overall customer satisfaction is our primary focus. One of our customers commented, ‘Your inks are press operator friendly and never get foamy, which has helped increase our productivity.’”
Arpro M-Tec focuses its efforts on water-based flexo tag and label effects inks, and is exploring new markets. “We are currently doing beta site testing for flexible packaging effect inks,” Jhaveri noted.
Arpro M-Tec’s new facilities offer advantages in manufacturing, R&D and quality control.
“Our new facility has allowed us to further streamline our manufacturing process, increased storage capacity for raw materials and increased lab space for R&D and quality control,” Jhaveri said.
Jhaveri said that while the economy presents concerns, he anticipates further growth for Arpro M-Tec due to the company’s ability to provide top-quality innovation and service to its customers.
“The future holds challenges with the current state of our economy,” Jhaveri said. “However, we look forward to continue growing by addressing current issues that printers face with product performance when printing effects inks (metallic, pearlescent and fluorescent). We expect to meet these challenges with innovation and new product development.”