Amberley has taken delivery of a new Digicon 3 converting line
It is a busy time for the members of our Digital Labels & Packaging Industry Group with many new acquisitions, appointments and expansions. Neel Madsen presents a roundup of news and recent achievements.
The members of the Industry Group represent some of the most proactive participants in the digital printing space for all things packaging related. They are a diverse bunch, producing anything from labels, shrink sleeves and pouches to flexible packaging and folding cartons, and the key to their success is continued investment and innovation to stay ahead of the game and offer added value to customers.
Busy year
With five new major investments, Abbey Labels has added considerable capacity to its Bury St Edmunds home over the past 12 months. The first two were made in the digital department, which saw the arrival of a second Xeikon CX3 press and a Digicon series 3 converting line from AB Graphic. Meanwhile an MPS EF 340 press with ArcLED curing, an Omega SRI slitter-rewinder and a new screen-printing module boosted the flexographic side of the business.
The effect of adding so much new machinery was the need for more production space as well as more staff, so the company added 10 people to the payroll over this time period. ‘Our customers are placing embellished and multi-sort label orders on a more regular basis, and therefore further administration and increased production capacity was needed. The new staff and more space will easily fulfil this demand and also give us plenty of room for further growth,’ said chairman Tom Allum.
Cartons on show
The Alexir Partnership has introduced a new web-to-carton platform solution enabled by its Xerox digital printing line. Most recently, the company has worked with Macfarlane Online, which launched its new ‘Brand It’ online range using Alexir’s know-how. With multiple carton profile styles, users can personalise or brand their cartons by adding logos, text and images, and also choose a colour or background pattern. Once the design is complete, it can be previewed in 3D before it is printed and despatched.
During development, marketing manager Claire Summersby said, ‘Our web-to-carton online solution will be ground-breaking in our industry. We see it as being a simplified and efficient ordering system for standard or bespoke profiles as well as repeat orders. This can be used for our own customers or as an add-on to their online packaging solution for the end-user.’
The company also held a very successful open house event in cooperation with Xerox. Among the speakers was James Cadbury, founder of Love Cocoa, who has worked with Alexir to produce innovative digital folded chocolate boxes for personalised corporate and consumer gifts. His range was on show at Packaging Innovations 2018 at the NEC Birmingham, where Alexir’s digitally printed folding carton capabilities could be inspected and admired.
Adding flexibility
After investing in three finishing machines from BGM last year, Amberley Adhesive Labels has most recently taken delivery of a new ABG Digicon 3 converting line. The modular system has been tailored to the company’s requirements with two flexo stations for adding colours, varnishes or cold foil, plus a hot foil/embossing head as well as both semi- and full-rotary die-cutting options. ‘This flexibility gives us the choice to use the machine as a standalone printing press or as a digital print conversion press,’ said managing director Trevor Smith.
Commenting on the added value the machine brings to the company, Mr Smith said, ‘Better efficiency serves our customers and the planet well. With the Digicon 3 makeready times and material use will be reduced by up to 20%. We can also expect to see an increase in speed, due to the shuttle web control system, which allows the machine to run jobs consistently at higher speeds; saving valuable energy and continuing to improve our eco credentials.’
Amberley has also invested in a new sign-written van, which will be delivering labels all over the country. ‘We shall be out and about the country making customer deliveries with our newly branded delivery van, creating a great impression and letting people know who we are,’ said Mr Smith.
The company, which works with Ultimate Group and Kalas Packaging to offer a complete proposition to brand owners, was announced as the first user of Pack Ready for Labels when it was launched by HP at Labelexpo last year. This method has been developed to enable label printers to produce high durability labels on the HP Indigo digital label presses.
Bakers has installed an Auto Set Vectra SGTR glueless turret rewinder
Doubling up
Baker Labels has recently picked up the keys and started work on expanding its premises in Brentwood, Essex. The company has resided in its own purpose-built factory there since the move from Walthamstow in 2011. Since then, it has been rapidly increasing production capacity, turnover and staff recruitment.
As part of his continued investment in the company, managing director Steve Baker saw the vacant neighbouring warehouse as an opportunity not to be missed and has exciting plans for the extra 10,000 square feet of space. He said, ‘It’s been seven years since we moved to Brentwood and it’s been an incredibly exciting period in our history with year on year very positive investment and growth. We look forward to continuing this trend, so we need more space and being next door it was a very easy decision.’
The new building will become home to the materials division. Mr Baker explained that the plan is to be installed there by the end of April, leaving the current materials warehouse available for further equipment investment and the possibility of branching into new, exciting areas of print.
Bakers has also added new Auto Set Vectra SGTR glueless turret rewinder from AB Graphic to its capabilities. ‘The demand for faster turnaround and higher output is key to our long term success and equipment like this helps to make it a bit easier,’ said Mr Baker. ‘Reinvesting the profits in equipment and staff training has, and will always be, our main priority.’
Breaking records
As the first UK label printer, Berkshire Labels broke records by passing five million clicks in a single month on its HP Indigo presses. This achievement was recognised by HP, which handed managing director Paul Roscoe the award for best year-on-year growth 2017 at Labelexpo last September. The award was presented to Mr Roscoe by vice president and general manager of HP Indigo Division Alon Bar-Shany and Ian Kimber, UK and Ireland country manager at the HP Awards dinner in Brussels.
The company is also continuing its sustainable journey by achieving FSC and PEFC certification. Mr Roscoe said, We have invested in this rigorous assessment process to demonstrate our commitment to a sustainable future for the world’s forests. These certifications complement our compostable label range, BioTak, which was developed and launched by Berkshire Labels.’ The range of compostable self-adhesive labels are derived from sustainable resources and fully certified to EN13432, the European Industrial Compostable Standard.
More print power
CS Labels has increased capacity by purchasing another Xeikon CX3 press, which replaces an existing 3500 model. The company has also installed a productivity pack for its Grafisk Maskinfabrik DC330 converting line to optimise speed and output. Another beta test will be of Xeikon’s new dashboard control system, which analyses the print performance of each digital press in detail, by the minute.
Managing director Simon Smith said, ‘Technology is changing rapidly and businesses can be assured that we’re on top of our game when it comes to selecting the appropriate ‘tool for the job’ that will perfectly harmonise with our processes and people-centred business culture.’
To house all this equipment and the growing business, CS will be moving into a new dedicated manufacturing facility this summer, which will double its footprint. ‘Due to ever growing demand for digital print we have outgrown our existing unit and I’m delighted with this new investment. We have designed a new customer demonstration facility that will enable prospects and clients of all business sizes to truly appreciate the power of digital print in action,’ said Mr Smith.
The new 20,000 square foot building will be kitted out with a new boardroom, new offices with extra dining, kitchen and restroom space and a shower room. He concluded, ‘We’ve come a long way since our initial 5000 square foot space, which we moved into in 2004, plus the expansion into the facility next door in 2012. This is the first time that we have been able to purpose design every single element of our facility.’
Hine Labels bought a low migration Screen press
Going LM
Hine Labels has invested in the new Screen Truepress Jet L350UV+LM inkjet label press. The deal was signed at Labelexpo Euope last year and according to owner Bill Hine, the decision to add another Screen press, this time with low migration inks, was made to meet growing demand and to future-proof the business.
‘We need the additional capacity, business is good and our experience with the Truepress Jet L350UV we already have has been very good. In fact, the reliability of the equipment has been absolutely amazing, so it just makes sense to have another,’ he said.
The company has been supplying labels to printers for over 30 years. As a trade printer, the markets served are varied and already include food packaging. ‘The L350UV press already meets the requirements of the market, however should legislation change, we will be prepared for it,’ said Mr Hine. ‘Meanwhile, we will have an extremely productive press, we’ll be able to print digitally onto thinner substrates and deliver an even faster service for our customers.’
Shining through
Label Apeel opened a permanent office in Scotland, appointing Stephen Anderson as business development executive to head-up the new operation. This initiative was taken to meet a rise in demand for the company’s labelling knowledge and printing expertise. It works with a number of Scottish drink brands, such as Innis & Gunn, House of MacDuff, William Grant & Sons, Moray Distillery and Kilchoman, as well as some of Scotland’s top agencies, including Breeze Creative Design Consultants.
Based in Alloa, seven miles from Stirling, the new facility will allow the team to provide a greater service north of the border, explained Stuart Kellock, managing director. He said, ‘Our overall aim is to offer unrivalled levels of customer service to the Scottish market, helping brands to produce labels that increase shelf appeal, value and overall profitability.’
For 2018, Label Apeel will be working with its sister company, Shuck Design, developing in-house label designs that showcase a variety of finishes and effects. The company holds master classes for designers and packaging experts, sharing its knowledge and experience of how labels are produced, as well as how the different components of a design should work together in order to ensure a good quality print.
‘We’ve recognised that all too often labels are one dimensional when it comes to decorative finishing and we want to put a stop to it,’ said Mr Kellock in his blog. ‘Ultimately, our goal is to encourage brands to expand their ideas and ignite new ways of thinking about label decoration and interaction by presenting our own R&D results to them, along with informed knowledge of what is and isn’t possible with new and emerging inks, foils and materials.’
Time for tea
Qualvis Print & Packaging was at Packaging Innovations 2018 in Birmingham to promote its digital capabilities by highlighting a number of recent projects, such as the creation of end-to-end branding, design and packaging for start-up children’s fruit tea brand, Tom’s Teas.
The packaging, from the initial sketches through to print-ready artwork, were produced by the company’s own design studio, Qualvis Innovations. Thereafter cartons, transit outers and online postal packs were also produced in house, prior to being printed by its digital packaging line, which incorporates a Xerox iGen 4 sheet-fed digital printer, side-by-side with an iGen 5 automated line.
Richard Pacey, creative director, said’ ‘Qualvis Innovations was formed to strategically deliver innovative packaging concepts from initial sketches through to the brands print ready state, then further manage the projects through production in Qualvis’ in-house print and conversion facility – our work for Tom’s Teas is a great example of this full service in practice.’
In February this year, the company announced the appointment of Adrian Collins as its new managing director. He replaces the firm’s current managing director, Jason Short, who becomes chairman of the business.
Working together
Ultimate Group continues to innovate in digital flexible packaging delivering value by offering a full service taking brands from initial idea all the way through to fulfilment, as seen in 2017 with the personalised KitKat campaign, which won a host of awards. The company has joined forces with Kalas Packaging and Amberley Labels to offer a new business model, enabling the three printers to cover the whole gamut of digitally printed packaging. ‘This relationship is very exciting, because we’re not just putting products together, we’re thinking about big campaigns and I strongly believe that personalisation is just the start of it’, said Chris Tonge, executive director.
In January, the company invited a select group of brands to its production hub in Grimsby for a day dedicated to digital print. In his presentation, Mr Tonge explained how Ultimate is changing the way brands can connect with consumers through dedicated digital campaigns for packaging. Guest speakers included Andy Humphries, from Hider Food Imports, Stefan Casey, from Nestlé Product Technology Centre in York, and Richard Askam, speaker and entrepreneur, who all shared their stories on how digital has made an impact to their brands. Mr Tonge said, ‘The Ultimate Digital workshop has opened the door to many possibilities and consumers will start to see a change within marketing strategies and packaging over the next
few years.’
If you would like to join the group, please apply by emailing marketing manager Chloe Ward at chloe.w@whitmar.co.uk.
