Overview of International Flexographic Printing Machine Brands

The flexographic printing market in Europe and the United States accounts for as much as 50–70%. This huge market demand has spawned many flexographic printing machine brands. However, the brands that are often known to the public are only those exported to China. In fact, there are far more flexographic printing machine brands abroad than we think.

Taking the Drupa exhibition as an example, flexographic printing equipment manufacturers are enthusiastic about participating. Among them, Germany leads with 30 manufacturers, and many brands from Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries also join the exhibition. These brands include industry leaders such as Germany's Windmöller & Hölscher (W&H). Since its establishment in 1869, W&H has set a benchmark in the industry with its excellent satellite flexographic printing machines. In particular, in 1954, W&H produced the first satellite flexographic printing machine, establishing its leading position in this field. To date, W&H has become the imported brand with the largest number of installed machines in China, with more than 100 units installed, showcasing its brand strength and market recognition.

bfm S.r.l has been focusing on the production of satellite flexo presses since 1975. F&K flexo presses have many installations in China, especially the Sunshine Concept wide-format satellite press, which has been widely praised and later acquired by Bobst. KBA-Flexotecnica S.p.A. successfully entered the flexographic market in 2013 by acquiring Flexotecnica near Milan, Italy. BHS mainly produces unit flexo presses, while Lemo has also made remarkable achievements in flexo printing. UTECO, located in Italy, has developed into a leader in flexographic, gravure, and special lamination equipment since 1985, becoming Italy’s largest and one of the world's leading equipment manufacturers.

OMET has a factory in Suzhou, China, and maintains stable sales locally. Since its founding in 1963 in Lecco, Italy, OMET has focused on producing medium and narrow-format flexographic printing machines, accumulating rich industry expertise. Gidue, with more than 30 years in the industry, has mainly served the cloth label market, showing its strong specialization.

Moreover, Cerutti is one of the world's largest manufacturers of gravure and flexographic machinery and has performed excellently in China. Brands like Schiavi, BOBST, Valmet, and Omso also maintain a significant presence in the flexographic field.

It is worth mentioning that Gallus, established in Switzerland in 1923, enjoys an excellent reputation in the printing industry. In 1999, Heidelberg acquired 30% of Gallus’s shares, integrating it into the Heidelberg Group. Gallus has demonstrated strong competitiveness in the domestic narrow-web flexographic market, with the Gallus 330 model becoming especially popular.

Overview of the US Market

Mark Andy is a leader in narrow-web flexographic printing and has long maintained the highest sales of imported narrow-web flexo presses in China. PCMC, founded in 1935 by German engineer Fernand Walders, specializes in wide-web flexographic printing machines. Although PCMC has established a sales company in China (Shanghai Panhua), there are currently no reported installation cases.

In Europe, emerging brand SOMA Engineering from the Czech Republic has achieved success in narrow-web flexo, albeit with relatively few installations. Spanish brands such as ComeXI, TALLERES LEMU, and ROTATEK each have their own characteristics but have limited market penetration in China.

Denmark's Nilpeter, founded in 1919, is renowned for its expertise in medium and narrow-web flexographic printing. While its installation numbers in China are modest, its technological strength is well recognized.

The Netherlands’ MPS Systems B.V. focuses on medium and narrow-width flexo presses. Japanese brands such as Taiyo Kikai (Sun), along with Taiwan's Labelmen and KYMC Kunyu, have also carved out success in their respective markets.

Meanwhile, it’s important to highlight that Chinese brands such as Weifang Donghang, Ekofa, Xi'an Aerospace-Huayang, Zonten, and Weigang have built solid reputations in the narrow-web flexographic press segment.

Integrated Solutions for Printing Quality Control

With the continued advancement of flexographic printing technology, quality control during production has become more critical than ever. To address this need, SICHANGO web inspection system offers an advanced solution for real-time print quality monitoring. Designed specifically for flexographic and label printing machines, SICHANGO systems such as the Observer 4000M provide high-resolution imaging, 20x optical zoom, AutoScan, and programmable position scanning (PPS) to help detect printing defects early, reduce waste, and ensure consistent output quality. Many leading international brands now pair their high-end flexographic presses with inspection systems like SICHANGO web inspection system to enhance operational efficiency and maintain high-quality standards across every batch.