Cutting Downtime, Boosting ROI: A Real-World Success with ADIM

How a Southeastern Printer Achieved Over $420K in Annual Savings with Daetwyler’s ADIM Process

How do you reduce operational costs by nearly half without compromising output quality? With Daetwyler’s ADIM approach—Analyze, Design, Implement, Measure—one major printer found out how a few critical changes to their workflow and consumables led to dramatic, measurable savings across six presses.

Before Daetwyler

A high-output flexographic printer in the Southeast was facing persistent and costly downtime. Their teams were spending 20–25 hours per week dealing with issues like:

Before partnering with Daetwyler, the pressroom was facing common but costly issues—back doctoring, seal leakage, and ink contamination on sleeves and press components—clearly visible in images like those below.

ADIM in Action

Daetwyler’s technical team partnered with the plant manager, corporate ink manager, and director of printing to roll out their proven ADIM methodology.

Analyze

The team began with a press-side assessment, operator interviews, and data review to identify the primary causes of downtime. Key issues included end seal leakage, back doctoring, and ink contamination on adjacent components.

These problems were clearly visible onsite and confirmed by operators, yet frequently misdiagnosed—leading to overcorrections like excessive chamber pressure or repeated cleanups. This thorough analysis provided a data-backed foundation for designing a targeted solution.

Design

Custom trials were developed to test optimized blade and end seal setups based on the plant’s anilox specifications. Trials ran across multiple press stations over 24-hour periods, with daily progress reports delivered to leadership. A cost-impact projection supported internal alignment and buy-in.

Implement

Following successful trials, a full implementation plan was rolled out across the press line. This included adjusted blade change intervals, upgraded consumables, and hands-on operator training. Reinforcement training and technical support were also provided to ensure consistency and adoption.

Measure

Results were tracked weekly and compared to historical benchmarks. After one year, the post-implementation data confirmed substantial savings and performance improvements, validating both the trial findings and long-term impact.

After Daetwyler: The Results

Metric	Before (Competitor)	After (Daetwyler)
Blade Change Interval	Every 2.5 Days	Every 5 Days
Downtime per Press (Annual)	138 Hours	69 Hours
Downtime Cost per Press	$110,400	$55,200
Consumables per Press	$39,728.78	$24,465.32
Total Cost per Press	$150,128.78	$79,665.32
Total Cost (All 6 Presses)	$900,772.70	$477,991.94
Annual Savings		$422,780.77

Beyond the Numbers: Training for Long-Term Success

When measured against real post-rollout data, actual savings came in at $420,654.55—a nearly 47% reduction in total spend.

The Daetwyler team also delivered targeted seminars covering:

Proper blade/end seal setup
Installation best practices
Maintenance routines to reduce plate contamination
Hands-on training matched to each press’s anilox specs
Q&A support and follow-up training

The Bottom Line

This success story shows how a data-driven, consultative approach like ADIM can cut costs, boost uptime, and build long-term operational resilience. And while every plant is different, the results speak for themselves: consistent ROI with expert support at every stage.