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IndustryNewsandProductupdates

ShouldYourPrintingOperationSwitchtoUVInks?

Whenthinkingabouttheanswertothisquestion,onehastobeginwiththeirobjectives.What’sthedeliverableandonwhatsubstrate?Onceyouhavetheanswertothatquestionandbytheway,UVoffersahigherlevelofversatilityregardingsubstratesthananyotherinktype,youmaynowweightheprosandconsofswitching.

Ifyouhavetolaminateyourfinishedwater-basedproductforoutdoorusage,you’reobviouslywastingtimeandmoneydoingso.WithUVasthechoice,you

justneedtoprintandplaceoutdoorsandthat’sit.UsingUVinksonoutdoormaterialsprovidelongevitytotheprintforuptotwoyearswithoutfadinginmostclimatessonoextrahoopstojumpthrough.

Ifyouwantaccuratecolor,especiallyforabrandorlogo,UVinksarethechoicebecausetheyareeasiertocontrolastheycureinstantaneously,lockinginthecolorandallitspigment.Solventandwater-basedinkstaketimetodry.Duringthedryingprocessnon-UVcuredinksareexposedtodifferentlevelsofhumidityandenvironmentalelements,creatingtheriskofcoloralteration.Thenumberofunknownvariablesnon-UVinkscouldbeexposedtoduringthedryingprocessmakesitextremelydifficulttoguaranteehowthecolorwillturnout,resultinginvariationsofcolorandappearance.UtilizingUVinkseliminatesthisrisk.

Didsomeonemention“environmentallyfriendly”?Ifthisanimportantfeatureforyourorganizationlooknofurther.Generally,printinginksconsistofthefollowinggroupsofingredients:

Binders(resins,orinUVinks:monomers)PigmentsAuxiliaries(e.g.photoinitiatorsinUVinks)Solvents(notinUVinks)

UVcurableinkswerecreatedasanalternativetosolvent-basedproducts.Conventionalheatandair-dryinginksworkbyoxidationandevaporationofsolventsintotheair.InUVcuringinkstherearenosolventstoevaporate.

SomeadvantagesofusingUVinksversesotherinktypes:

·Lessinputofinknecessary·Curingwithinseconds,nosubsequentdryingnecessary·Fasterprocessingingeneralduetoimmediateprocessing·Suitableforquickdouble-sidedprinting·LongservicelifeoftheUVlamps·Highmechanicaldurabilityoftheprint·Highqualityprintingresults·Suitableforsubstratesthataresensitivetoheat,likefilms·Nosolvent(VOC)ormineraloilcontaininginks·Lessprinterwaste·UVprintingissuitableformanytypeofpaperandPEaswellasPPfilm

STSUVCompatibleInks

LUS120-LUS175

STSultra-premiumUVCurableInksoffer:stunningcolorgamuthigh-performanceaccuratecolorreproductiontheabilitytoprintonawiderangeofmedia1Lwithchip

LH100/LF140/LF200STSLED-UVprovidesinstantdryingverylowodorlevelnocloggingand/ordeflectionsuper;sharpprintqualityresists fading when exposed to outdoorconditionswaterresistant

VUTEKEFI

HighprintdensityExtremelywidecolorgamutQuick drying with excellent substrateadhesionSuperiorscratchresistance,Outdoor durability without lamination similartoOEM,

1L,3L,5L

FB250TheHP250isavirtualmatchoftheoriginalit’sPlug&Printexceptionaldurabilityandmediacompatibility5Lboxwithchip

ManagingCross-CulturalProjectTeamsintheCOVIDEra:A

ManagementChallenge

In recent years there has been a transformation in the way thatglobal projects are managed. In most cases the use of cross-cultural project management teams for design and execution hasbecomecommonplacefor largecommercialandindustrialventures.Many years ago, project teams were comprised of homogeneousgroupsthatsharedsimilarcustomsandbackgrounds.

As international communications processes developed and becamemore readily available, the trend for virtual project planning anddesign has markedly increased. Today, complex projects are beingplannedandexecutedinvariouslocations,somemanythousandsofmiles fromeachother, inplaces likeMumbaiandBeijingespeciallynowthatCOVID-19haseruptedacrosstheglobe.Additionally, teammembers are comprised of individuals where English is a secondlanguagewhichoffersnewchallenges for theperson incharge; theprojectmanager.

Manyfactorshavebeenassociatedwiththesuccessesorfailuresofworkingwithcross-culturalprojectteamsinenterpriseprojects.Anyleadprojectmanagersthatdonotunderstandthosefactorsdosoattheirownperil.

CulturalAwareness

Duetotheriseofinternationalpartnerships,foreigncompanieshavebegun to collaborate locally in the region where a project will beexecuted. This invariably leads to the use of cross-cultural projectteamswhichmaybeseparatedbygeographybuthavethecommoninterestforasuccessfulprojectcompletion.Themanagingofsuchamultinationalmixture of professionals of varying cultures poses aninteresting challenge for the project manager but can offer great

rewards as well. One key factor in this exercise are the roles ofculturalawarenessprograms,asareasforlackofunderstandingareenormouswhereculture,environment,andeducationallplayapart.In Gordon Adler’s, The Case of the Floundering Expatriate, anAmericanexecutivewashurriedlysenttoEuropetoleadacorporatedivision that was staffed with a microcosm of European Unionmembers, all with their own organizational and behavioralmethodologieswhichstemmedfromtheculturalenvironmentstheyoriginatedfrom.Theexecutivehadnoexperiencemanagingacross-culturalgroupofprofessionals,norwasheculturallyawareof theirdiversities. He assumed that work was work, and themulticulturalgrouphewastoleadwouldoperatebythesamenormsandmatricesasAmericanbusinesses.Eventhoughtheexecutivehadsomecross-cultural training and experience, he was ill prepared for therole since many project management processes came of age in adifferentcompetitiveenvironmentandbeforetheculturalimpactonmanagement became an issue. The processes had been gearedtowardauni-culturalworldwhereoneprojectmanagementapproachwastofitallcultures.

Here, a newmethodology was warranted, discarding the old beliefthat project management practices are universally applicable,instead of culture bound as the current condition relates. Thefloundering expatriate was unaware of the mounting evidenceleading to a change in basic assumptions and due to suchnegligence,subsequentlyfailedinhisassignment.Forthesetypesofprojects to be successful the project manager must take culturalfactorsof traditions,values,customs,andbeliefs intoconsiderationat the project planning phase so that project objectives areconsistentwiththevaluesandcustomsofthestakeholders.

CommunicationsManagement

Over the years, projectmanagement principles and practices havedeveloped with an emphasis on variables that lead to projectsuccess.Awell-preparedcommunicationsmanagementplancanbeone of those variables. An analysis of the impacts of culturalcomplexities to communicationsmanagement, and their relation totheoutcomeofprojectsuccesshadbeenexaminedbyOchiengandPrice in 2009. There was evidence that integrated teamwork is aprimarykeyineffortstowardimprovingprojectdelivery.

The study presented a balancebetween the experiences of projectmanagers from European and Asian perspectives and aimed toexplorehowprojectmanagerswithdiverseculturalbackgroundshad

AboutSTS

managed communications on multicultural project teams.Specifically, the study intended to examine the efficacy of cross-culturalcommunicationstrategiesforcomplextechnicalprojects.

The structure of the research and datacollectioncomprised interviewswithprojectmanagers inSingaporeand the UK with results selected from a cross section of projectteams, organizations, and project environments. The resultingsample was designed to achieve both Singaporean and UKparticipantswiththeirexperiencesofculturalcomplexityonprojects.It was established that effective communication is the key tomanaging expectations, misconceptions, and misgivings onmulticulturalprojectteams.

It has also been shown that sound communication strategies andeffective project planning influenced the success or failure rates ofprojectswithmulticultural teams. Inmany studies, communicationsmanagementisthenumberoneissueaprojectmanagerfacesonaproject. If that project has a cross-cultural project team, the taskbecomesfarmoreformidable.

STS currently has over 700 distributors in over 160 countriesthroughout the US, EU, South America, and Asia. STS’smanufacturingprinciplesarebasedoncontinuousimprovementandefficiency. We take pride in strong relationships with our OEMcustomers,ensuringathoroughunderstandingoftheirrequirements.We deliver customer support from concept through the productlifecycle which offers clients unique industry-specific solutions thatcanleadtoacustomizedproduct.

ForTechnicalsupport&RelatedInquiriespleaseemailsupport@stsinks.com