A Friendship Both Old & New

Published: August 01, 2006, By By Yolanda Simonsis Associate Publisher/Editor

It's my distinct pleasure to introduce PFFC readers this month to a familiar name who will serve as an expert contributor to our editorial staff. David Argent comes with a resume so full of qualifications that this column may be too short to list all his credentials, but I'll try.

Dave's experience spans the course of 30 years in the converting industry, starting with Coates Bros. in London, where he worked in all areas of ink technology. He developed the first pigment chip dispersions, managed worldwide technical manuals, and developed quantitative offset ink transfer measures.

With a degree in chemical engineering, Dave started fluid ink operations for Canadian Fine Color in Toronto, ON, Canada. Upon joining Sun Chemical in 1969, he managed the flexo packaging R&D lab, developing many first-generation solvent- and water-based products. He also derived flexo ink transfer and cost-of-use calculations to promote high-performance products.

In 1973 Dave moved to Sun Pigments to develop high-strength pigment press cakes and manage the flexo customer service lab while implementing a marketing strategy based on cost of use. By 1976 Dave had joined CZ Inks as technical manager, supervising development of new solvent- and water-based ink systems. He helped formulate products as well as a strategy for EPA compliance through VOC management and thin-film printing.

Through the period of 1986-1996 at CZ Inks, Dave developed the first formal Total Printing System (TPS) program and the concept of company supplier alliances. It was during this time frame I first met Dave. He was deeply involved with the formation of the Flexo Quality Consortium with DuPont and Union Carbide back in July 1991 at Fox Valley's D.J. Bordini Technological Innovation Center in Appleton, WI. If one could measure variables in a press, Dave believed, the process could be managed. He joined Alper Ink Group in 1969 and in 2000 moved to Flint Ink to manage the TPS marketing strategy.

It was 2005 when Dave, with his background and experience, finally took the plunge into independent consulting. He wanted to help put systems in place to fix problems at the root cause.

Which brings us to “Process Management.” In his monthly column for PFFC, Dave will provide technical expertise in process analysis and improvement, with special emphasis on ink and coating design and performance. He believes it is in these areas that efficiencies have a real impact on savings from the standpoint of minimizing waste.

Starting with this issue, Dave has outlined a list of subjects he plans to cover for the remainder of 2006, barring any unforeseen topics that may loom into the news:

• Process Models
• Ink 101, Part 1
• Ink 101, Part 2
• Managing the Ink Film
• Ink Mileage

As many PFFC readers know, Dr. Richard Podhajny's monthly columns, prior to his untimely death a year ago, addressed Material Science. Dave Argent knew Rich well, both having shared a common love of ink chemistry. Dave's contributions will add a new perspective to a subject our readers have previously enjoyed here.

We are honored to have Dave Argent's name grace our masthead, and we hope you will welcome him as well after reading his new column on p14.

For more information on the converting industry beyond this issue's contents, visit www.pffc-online.com. We offer content there you cannot find here, and it is updated weekly. Once there, be sure to e-mail your feedback to me, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..