Founded thirty years ago as a service bureau in Pomezia (Rome), D&D Flexo Italia specializes in the supply of flexographic and offset printing plates for flexible packaging sector, particularly labels and corrugated board. D&D Flexo Italia has always chosen Hybrid Software as its partner, in particular PACKZ editor and Cloudflow workflow. We discuss this in the article and the in-depth video interview with Marco Diamante founder of the company and the graphic operator Moreno Dalla Costa
The story of D&D Flexo Italia is similar to that of many Italian companies that achieve great things on their small scale: “at the beginning I had a small workshop dedicated to producing printing plates for a local box manufacturer, and I was helped by a young woman who later became my wife”, says Marco Diamante, founder and owner of the service, which today has a team of eight people. “We are certainly small, and precisely for that reason we must guarantee an effective service to our customers. By leveraging our company structure and the expertise we have developed, we are able to operate efficiently. Our strength lies in offering personalized, top-quality services with flexibility and punctual delivery times, optimizing our customers’ printing processes, who over the years have remained loyal to us. When we started, having a nearby service for plate production was very important for box manufacturers because it solved many logistical problems. Today that is no longer the case, and in order to compete with larger companies, following technological evolution was the only viable path for D&D. For this reason, we now have various technologies and systems for plate production, enabling us to serve every type of market, although currently the sector we work with most is labels”.
Building value together with customers
Few may remember that Hybrid Software was founded “only” in 2013 by Guido Van der Schueren, already founder of Artwork Systems, with the clear goal of rethinking software for packaging and label industry from scratch, using modern technologies and a modular approach. Separate modules can be combined according to needs, ensuring both vertical and horizontal scalability. PACKZ has no legacy dependencies, offers high performance, and supports modern standards (PDF, automation, VDP). Cloudflow has also made an incredible leap forward: being browser-based, it features a modular architecture designed to evolve toward new standards without being locked in; automation is advanced, and API integration is supported. The full Cloudflow system installed at the service also enables the delivery of external services through dedicated portals.
Marco Diamante knows this very well: “we have known Hybrid Software practically from the beginning, and they have proven through facts that they are able not only to listen to us, but also to propose the right solutions based on what we wanted to achieve. We were among the first to choose PACKZ, which immediately demonstrated great flexibility and efficiency. Their technicians are skilled and ready to solve any problem, and this aspect is very important for a company like ours”. The evolution of their software has been constant, yet always targeted and practical, precisely to meet prepress needs. Above all, Marco emphasizes that “thanks to their experience, Hybrid Software’s technicians are able to accurately identify workflow criticalities and therefore provide targeted consultancy to fully exploit the potential of the solutions we have installed. The learning process never really ends, because as we continue using these solutions, we keep improving and optimizing our production processes”. It is clear that Hybrid’s solutions help D&D Flexo Italia not only improve quality but also increase speed and efficiency while reducing the margin of error.
The service also uses Hybrid Software RIPs, based on Global Graphics Harlequin technology with native PDF 1.7 and high-speed PS RIP, allowing a single device to manage all equipment and output to various devices. They are equipped with a complete set of features for all printing technologies, including full control of screening sets and calibration.
Perfect mounting with a PACKZ-based solution
This solution, based on the PACKZ editor and native in PDF, enables the direct and automatic transfer of data to AV Flexologic systems, eliminating manual settings that can generate errors and ensuring greater precision in the mounting process. Specifically, D&D Flexo Italia uses the AV Flatmount system by AV Flexologic. The solution, developed within PACKZ with data export to AV Flexologic for automatic camera positioning, significantly increases efficiency and productivity in the mounting system. “A solution designed to reduce costs, waste, and manual operations, particularly in corrugated board applications”, explains Marco.
The future
Hybrid Software is developing a customized production management system for D&D Flexo Italia, with ad hoc status and direct data import from production equipment to better integrate production workflows, for example, eliminating paper job tickets and enabling job tracking in every department, thereby optimizing processing times and the overall production process. This level of control will be also extended to the warehouse to provide precise statistics on consumption, waste, and much more.
“We are confident that based on the collected data we will be able to make decisions with significant economic impact, because we will understand where the weak points are and therefore be able to make changes. Once again, Hybrid Software is listening to us and advising us. It is great to be supported in this way; for them all customers are equally important, regardless of size or turnover, and they always manage to offer tailored solutions for everyone”, Marco states convinced. This approach is fundamental because it allows everyone to grow and optimize available equipment without necessarily investing in new machinery, thereby fostering professional growth.
A further step will likely be taken in color management: integration between ColorLogic solutions and Hybrid Software platforms enables precise and consistent color management, combining advanced tools and specialized expertise within a single ecosystem.
“Our business model shows how technical specialization, customer orientation, and deep industry expertise can make a difference even for small and medium-sized companies like ours”, Marco concludes.
