Following its acquisition of S&C Labels in Huddersfield earlier this year, Print-Leeds is investing nearly £3m in a new B1 Heidelberg press and CtP (computer to plate) system.
This move comes ahead of the centralisation of operations in Leeds where a building programme is increasing capacity from 10,000 sq ft to 19,000 sq ft. The press arrives at the end of November and the business transfer will take place over the Christmas break.
The new press will be in production for January 2013 which will double capacity because of its increased speed and reduced make-ready times.
The new press is a Heidelberg Speedmaster CX 102-7+L with Inpress Control* which will be 80% used for the labels work but will also handle some of the Print-Leeds’ plastics printing, primarily POS and promotional work. The average run for the labels business is 20,000 sheets, much of the work for the beer, water and food industries. The plastics orders tend to be much shorter, averaging about 1,000 and frequently including lenticular work. Previously Print-Leeds has used B2 technology so this will enable them to handle larger B1 sheets when necessary.
Managing director of Print-Leeds, Rod Fisher says the company looked widely at its options but came down in favour of Heidelberg. This is the third Heidelberg press the company will have owned and it replaces an existing 11 year old press.
“In the printing industry you can’t stand still, the technology is evolving all the time and we’re looking for perfection on the run,” says Mr Fisher. “On older presses you can see fluctuations in quality and I have certainly seen variations across labels on supermarket shelves. We want perfect and predictable results. Customers will undoubtedly benefit from superior quality as a result of this investment.
“Aside from the persuasive quality improvements, the new machine will also provide other cost reductions – it will double our production capacity, significantly reduce our power bills and cut make-ready times. All these make us a leaner, greener and more efficient company.”
Print-Leeds, which is 11 years old, has made two acquisitions in the last three years and doesn’t rule out other purchases in future if the fit is right. The company currently has a turnover of about £5m and employs 40 staff.
Source: Print Leeds
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