Press paths
Multi Site
A floor route for multi site operations in South Africa, structured for teams keeping standards aligned across more than one plant.
How Multi Site works over a live packaging week
The Multi Site page is for businesses running more than one plant and trying to keep flexo standards aligned across sites. It covers the practical side of matching plates, inks and floor methods from one packaging operation to another.
Start by comparing the same SKU across each plant, not by treating every site as a separate job. Plate thickness, anilox specification, ink reference, and substrate source need to be listed side by side for Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, and outlying conversion plants. Power interruptions, coastal moisture, and long transfer distances between sites can shift colour and impression long before the next repeat run.
Photograph the first approved setup at every plant before operators begin making adjustments. A short site sheet should travel with the job record so each team can see tape build, viscosity target, drying conditions, and any press-specific cautions. That record helps when one branch holds density and another starts marking film or wasting labels.
Cross-plant control points
The Multi Site route sets one working standard for repeat packaging jobs that move between plants. Expect a shared check sequence covering plates, inks, mounting, first-off approval, and stock coding. The aim is to stop one site drifting away from the approved result while another site tries to match it by eye.
Use Multi Site with the related Press paths page and a matching Ink notes record before adding more SKUs or another branch. Before stock or plates move between plants, verify the job sheet, ink references, cylinder details, and plate IDs against the latest approved sample.
- Shared settings for each participating plant
- Approved first-offs recorded per site
- One record for all site changes
Plant differences that affect print
A Gauteng plant and a coastal plant rarely hold the same print conditions over a full production cycle. Durban humidity can alter drying and ink behaviour, while inland dust affects cleaning frequency around sensors, webs, and rollers. Where stock is split between branches, note which mill batch went to which site before colour arguments start.
Multi-site work also changes how approvals should be stored and checked. If one branch runs film and another handles paper-based packs, dot gain, tape choice, and wash-up frequency may need different limits even when the artwork matches. Record those exceptions clearly so operators are not guessing from an old sample pulled from a file.
Operated by Astros Marketing (Pty) Ltd from 2 Makro Place, Sunnyrock 1401.
What to send for alignment
Brief Multi Site with site photos, timing across plants, current stock position, and what already failed. Keep the subject line accurate.
Include site photos, press names, substrate details, plate specifications, ink references, and the current fault seen at each plant. It also helps to list what changed recently, such as a new tape, supplier batch, operator handover, or revised artwork version. That gives Multi Site enough detail to trace whether the variation is coming from materials, settings, or handling between plants.
What our Flexo Printing customers say
Verified Google reviews