Chicago, Ill. – July 11, 2007 – The DiTrolio Flexographic Institute (DFI) is about to begin a dynamic new era. Having built a very successful flexographic training concept during the past 10 years, the school will now expand its reach and curriculum to provide educational opportunities for more young people interested in a career in flexography. This action will enable DFI to respond in a positive manner to the growing number of inquiries from the industry for skilled workers with an in-depth knowledge of the flexographic process. And that takes money. With government funding options increasingly limited, owner Vince DiTrolio called his friends Ron and Katherine Harper to solicit their advice and to assess alternative methods to increase revenues to fund a more comprehensive program.
The Harpers, known for their passion for flexographic education, responded with a $50,000 grant to kick-off an aggressive fundraising campaign for the school. DiTrolio then decided on the naming of “The Ron and Katherine Harper Flexo Lab” to honor the Harper’s commitment to flexographic education. He hopes to attract other major donor-partners, both converters and suppliers, to contribute to the ongoing education of future flexographers for the industry – primarily through scholarship programs. A naming dedication and celebration date for the flexo lab will be announced soon.
DFI’s state-of-the-art, highly acclaimed 2,700 square-foot flexographic training facility is located about 20 minutes from downtown Chicago. The lab includes an impressive range of flexographic equipment including, but not limited to, an 830 Mark Andy three-color press, a four-color Webtron and a five-color 13″ Propheteer with DMS Hot Stamping and Prime UV’s on four print stations. Plus Anderson & Vreeland plate-making equipment, an Air Trim waste removal system, a BST Promark web inspection system, Rotometric dies, Action rotary dies, a Harper proofing system and Harper XLT Platinumâ„¢ anilox rolls. (For a complete list of equipment, please visit http://www.flexotraining.com.)
DiTrolio Flexographic Institute offers a comprehensive 18-week flexography training program as well as a wide range of shorter customized courses to train people for jobs in the flexographic printing field. The school boasts a 100% job placement rate since July 2005 and has had numerous articles written about the many successes of its student graduates.
About Flexography Flexography (also called surface printing, or “flexo”), is a method of printing commonly used for packaging. (Packaging is the fourth largest industry in the U.S.) Typical products printed using flexography include brown cardboard boxes, flexible packaging including retail and shopping bags, food and hygiene bags and sacks, flexible plastics, self adhesive labels, and wallpaper. More than 40 major newspapers now print flexographically. It’s estimated that more than 90% of the items in a grocery store are printed on a flexographic printing press. Currently flexography is taking over approximately 7% of the printing industry each year. Already holding about 50% of the printing market, it’s likely that flexography eventually will be the method used for almost all printed material.
About the DiTrolio Flexographic Institute: The DiTrolio Flexographic Institute, Inc. was founded to meet the flexographic industry’s need for quality, off-site training to counter the problems of on-the-job training: wasted production and equipment time, wasted raw materials, and inconsistent skill sets. The institute offers industry-specific training seminars for all skill levels – from beginning press operations to advanced printing applications – and features a state-of-the-art environment where new press operators and seasoned industry professionals alike can gain hands-on exposure to printing and finishing processes.
For further information, please contact Jazmin Kluttz at 704-588-3371 or jkluttz@harperimage.com.
