Abbey Labels has taken delivery of its second Xeikon press and have a third on order
Having installed the first digital press just two years ago, Abbey Labels now has a second machine on the shop floor, with a third on order. Neel Madsen visited the family-owned company in Suffolk to hear why digital has become such a major part of its operations.
Abbey Labels has its origins in the production ofcontinuous stationary. It was founded by current chairman Tom Allum’s parents in 1982, and has since moving into labels in 1994 grown to become a leading trade printer, supplying BRC grade and ISO 14001 approved labels to the food, beverage, cosmetics, industrial, security and pharmaceutical industries.
The Bury St Edmunds business turned over £4.2 million last year and sales have grown by double-digit figures since the start. The company’s first digital press, a Xeikon 3300, was installed in the spring of 2013 along with an AB Graphic Digicon 2 finishing system. This investment was a reaction to a changing market and wanting to follow the company ethos of continual investment to further growth.
‘About three or four years ago, the tide was beginning to turn,’ explained Mr Allum. ‘We were starting to lose the odd small four colour run and the market was changing for us. Customers were also increasingly asking for multiple sorts, so we decided to examine the potential for digital and the equipment available. Questions about the speed of digital devices, print quality, and the space required to set up a digital operation were constantly on our minds.’
Managing director Barry Pettit said, ‘We began to struggle to compete on price for short run colour work, so we would outsource this work to our competitors that had already installed digital presses. After a period, we said, ‘Well we are sending quite a few out now so let’s go for it’.’
But the story doesn’t stop there. Digital production at Abbey Labels grew by 30% last year, and the increase this year is projected to be 23-25%. As the job queue was getting longer and longer, it became clear that more digital capacity was needed, and an in-depth study of the market leading technologies was undertaken. Although presses from other manufacturers were seriously considered, the company have opted to have another Xeikon 3300 installed right away, with a new faster Xeikon CX3 on order for January next year.
Chairman Tom Allum (left) and managing director Barry Pettit are taking the company into new markets with digital
Read the rest of the story in the September issue of Digital Labels & Packaging
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