With its new facility in Pune, India, Polymount is strengthening its reach across the growing flexo markets of Asia and MEA. Founder and CEO Jan Willem Boers speaks with Ben Daniel about tapeless plate mounting, sleeve economics, press efficiency and waste reduction — and why he sees a strong decade ahead for flexo.

 

 

Ben Daniel: Polymount’s story goes back several decades. How did the concept behind the company begin?

Jan Willem Boers: It began around 30 years ago, when a printer in the Netherlands proposed using the tackiness of polymer to mount a printing plate, eliminating mounting tape. The idea came to the company I was working for, and I was given the project to develop. I was passionate about it from the beginning because it offered the possibility of mounting printing plates without tape.

 

I subsequently worked for MacDermid, which owned the Twinlock patent, and continued developing the technology. Those first five years allowed me to develop the concept within a large company. In January 2003, I started Polymount and began developing the business independently. Over the following years, the sleeve product gained users internationally.

 

The business later went through a different phase, but when my contractual restrictions ended in 2021, customers began contacting me again. Their demand effectively pulled me back into the market, and I was happy to return.

 

 

Ben Daniel: What are the main barriers to wider adoption of Polymount’s Self-Adhesive Sleeve technology across the Asia and MEA flexo markets?

Jan Willem Boers: The printing industry is extremely conservative. Even when something new looks attractive, people want to know who else is already using it. Plate mounting is part of a production process that printers depend on every day. If you propose a structural change, they need confidence that production will continue reliably. Adoption therefore happens gradually. A printer might initially test the technology on one colour and observe its performance for months before expanding its use.

 

So the biggest obstacle is not necessarily the technology itself. Change is what scares people.

 

 

Ben Daniel: Why did Polymount establish a local facility in India?

Jan Willem Boers: India is a growing flexo market for us, where adoption can be faster than in some European markets. We generally perform better where we have local production and service capabilities. The facility brings us closer to customers, improves logistics and provides local inventory and support not only for our sleeves, but also our plate, film and anilox cleaning technologies. Ultimately, it gives us a stronger base to support growth in India.

 

 

Ben Daniel: Beyond India, where does Polymount see its strongest growth opportunities in this region?

Jan Willem Boers: Turkey is already an important market for us, with significant penetration. We also see further growth opportunities in the Middle East, where we already work with companies in the region.

Africa is part of our development agenda, particularly South Africa, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria. We cannot develop every market simultaneously, so we have to prioritise.

 

 

Ben Daniel: How does plate mounting contribute to OEE, waste reduction and press productivity?

Jan Willem Boers: Efficiency and sustainability have to go hand in hand. Eliminating tape provides a consumable saving, but the bigger benefit of our sleeves is efficiency. We have customers reporting 20–25% higher output, alongside greater consistency, faster start-ups and fewer tape-related stops. Our plate, film and anilox cleaning systems complement this by extending plate life, reducing start-up waste and supporting consistent ink transfer. Together, these technologies help improve efficiency, reduce costs and increase profitability.

 

 

Ben Daniel: Is the case for Polymount’s Self-Adhesive Sleeves moving beyond tape savings to efficiency and repeatability?

Jan Willem Boers: Yes. The focus is increasingly on efficiency, output, quality and consistency. Our calculation is that the additional coating cost pays back after approximately 25 uses compared with tape. Beyond that saving, the sleeve reduces variables associated with tape and operator mounting. Outside-diameter control supports repeatability and consistent performance, particularly on longer production runs.

 

 

Ben Daniel: ‘Press bounce’ can limit print quality and speed in CI flexo. How does Polymount’s sleeve construction help reduce this effect?

Jan Willem Boers: We use polyurethane in the construction, and its absorbing characteristics help significantly reduce bounce. I would not say we eliminate bounce completely — that would be incorrect — but we can reduce it substantially. Reducing bounce can also create opportunities to increase press speed. Our experienced press operators work with customers to optimise production, and we have seen jobs previously running at around 300 metres per minute increase to around 400 metres per minute with our sleeves.

 

The important point is not simply the sleeve itself, but what greater stability can contribute to overall press performance.

 

 

Ben Daniel: What is the key advantage of Polymount’s laser anilox cleaning technology?

Jan Willem Boers: Our system, developed with a laser-cleaning specialist over more than 20 years, uses controlled cleaning parameters to minimise the risk of damaging anilox cells. It requires relatively little maintenance and helps maintain clean anilox rolls for effective, repeatable ink transfer.

 

 

Ben Daniel: Coming back to the economics, what should converters consider when comparing the initial investment with conventional tape mounting?

Jan Willem Boers: A normal sleeve might cost around €600, while a sleeve with our coating might average around €1,000. Roughly 60% of that total is the sleeve and 40% the coating. The base sleeve carries a guarantee of between two and four years, depending on the market, while we state a 10-year performance period for our product.

 

As mentioned, our calculation is that using the coated sleeve around 25 times pays back the additional coating cost compared with tape. But printers should look beyond consumable cost alone. The broader calculation should include press uptime, start-up performance, consistency, achievable speed, waste and overall output.

 

 

 

 

Ben Daniel: Finally, how do you see flexographic printing developing over the next five to ten years?

Jan Willem Boers: I think flexo will look broadly similar to today — but it will be bigger. I do not expect dramatic changes because this industry does not change particularly quickly. As a company, we look ten years ahead, and even over that period I do not foresee a fundamental change in the process.

Flexo will continue to grow as long as it remains economically competitive with digital printing for the work it serves. From my perspective, flexo has ten very good years ahead of it. And, to be fair, I have been saying that every year for the past 20 years.

 

The India perspective

Tarak Trifaley, Managing Director – India, Polymount International

“How will Polymount’s new production and warehousing capabilities in India support the adoption of its self-adhesive sleeves and cleaning technologies across India and neighbouring markets?”

Tarak Trifaley: “Polymount India is now equipped with its own production and warehousing capabilities to serve customers across India and neighbouring markets with our wider flexo portfolio. This includes our self-adhesive plate-mounting sleeves, as well as plate, anilox and film-cleaning systems. We are seeing growing interest among Indian converters in moving away from single-use flexo mounting tapes towards reusable sleeve technology, driven by the need to improve efficiency, control costs and reduce waste. At the same time, our film and plate-cleaning technologies are helping printers address material waste and plate life. Establishing these capabilities in India brings us closer to our customers and strengthens our ability to support the region locally.”

— Tarak Trifaley, Managing Director – India, Polymount International.