UK Label Printer, ‘The Label Centre’, based in Dudley, West Midlands, has become the latest company to install the d-Flex digital hybrid press from Focus Label Machinery Ltd.
Established in 1999, the family owned business
has continually invested, to grow the business, but this – their biggest investment
to date – coincides with their 20th year in the industry.
With a variety of print and finishing equipment,
narrow web and wide format, The Label Centre is capable of producing most labelling
requirements. However, they are renowned for their short run work, servicing
the durable industrial labels industry.
Opting for a 250mm width, with inkjet white
as well as CMYK, the installation is the culmination of several years of
research once it became clear the next major investment would be in the digital
market.
“It became clear the market was changing”, states
Managing Director Derry Bryan, “not only were runs getting shorter, we were
being asked to produce more complex artwork”. “There is a base of work we can
migrate over from not only our flexo press but also the wide format”. “The
majority of the jobs however will be new work as this investment opens up a
wide range of opportunities for us”.
A toner-based machine was quickly ruled out,
as inkjet continues to improve all the time, with the ability to print on most
materials being a major advantage. “We were not restricted to a fixed width of
material which is the case with toner-based systems – particularly important
when considering special materials”. Comments Mr. Bryan.
All that remained was to find a UV inkjet
system that would work best for their requirements.
“Once we decided we required a system that would
allow us to print and finish inline, we then looked at the other factors that
were important to us as a business”, continues Mr. Bryan, “naturally, the
quality is a priority – but we also had
to consider the footprint of the machinery”.
Of course, when a major investment such as
a new press is being considered, it is not just the machine itself that is
important. The supplier itself is an important factor.
IIJ’s Compact ColourPrint 223HiQ Print Engine“We were looking for a supplier that would offer exceptional service and treat us as an individual”, Mr. Bryan commented. “Focus ticked all the boxes for us as we were keen to work with a family business, such as our own. It was also good to support British manufacturing with not only the press coming from the UK, but the digital inkjet system from Cambridge based Industrial Inkjet Ltd”. Mr. Bryan continues, “of course we already had a relationship with Focus as we have the Proflex and two Reflex’s in operation so knew we could expect a high level of service and have confidence in the reliability”.
Antony Cotton, Sales Manager for Focus Label Machinery
commented:
‘We are delighted that The Label Centre has
chosen Focus for this important investment. Although this is an existing
customer, we worked hard on making sure that the Dflex was the right fit and
would be suitable for the range of work they need to produce on the press. Extensive
print trials and sampling were conducted at our Technical Development Centre, using
a range of substrates and customer-supplied artwork files to ensure that we
achieved the high-quality results required.’
Mr Cotton added… ‘We like to work closely with
all our customers, offering the best possible back up service, as we firmly
believe that this is the basis for a strong future business relationship. In
addition, we listen to the feedback from our customers and we continue to
develop our equipment, making sure that we are able to offer the very latest
technology to meet their requirements.’
Small Volume orders, variable data & images
can be easily handled with the Dflex Inkjet system. 4 Colours plus white are
possible with current production speeds of up to 50 Mts/min. Available press width
formats are 250mm or 330mm.
Ink Jet technology combined with a flexo print station and full options
labels can now be printed, coated & converted in line with no fuss at the
press of a button.
