Reflex Label Plus has acquired a new 14-colour FA
flexo press from Nilpeter, for its Keighley site in England, to meet customer
demands for unique designs, high quality and embellishments, and achieve ambitious
business expansion goals.
Initial
thoughts – shelf appeal and wow factor
"The label sells the product. In this
ever-growing market, there are more and more craft breweries and distilleries,
all looking for shelf appeal, wow factor, and differentiation from competitors.
At the same time, labels are getting very complicated, and the use of multiple
print processes is often necessary to meet customer demands with regards to
unique designs, high quality and embellishments,” says Shaun Hanson, Operations
Manager, Reflex Label Plus.
“Although our existing press bank is quite
comprehensive, there are limits, and we want to future-proof with this new
investment – by having many print processes combined to produce complicated
labels in one single pass. And also adding additional capacity to cope with our
ambitious expansion targets,” he continues.
“Our challenges relate to how many different
embellishments we can do in one pass. The new press will alleviate these
issues, and save us a lot of time. We are looking to expand this exciting
business through innovation – our customers want labels that make their
products stand out, and this new investment will enable us to meet and exceed
those expectations,” Shaun Hanson explains.
The most
versatile flexo press on the market
Reflex Label Plus’ new FA is a 14-colour press,
with 10 flexo printing units, two hot foil/embossing units, cold foil, and two
fully independent RSI screens. The press will primarily be used for high-end
beverage labels, craft beers, wine, spirits, cosmetics, and high-end
combination labels. Installation has been planned for April.
The new FA is the most versatile flexo press on the
market – designed to accommodate the printer’s ever-growing needs, and built
around the modern print operator, with an intuitive user interface and fully
mobile print controls. The FA allows printers to enhance the performance of
their press with Value-Adding Units, Application and Automation Packages,
according to application needs and budget. All main components are manufactured
in-house at Nilpeter, meaning higher production quality and control.
Opportunities
in high-end label production
“Our new press will be the sixth Nilpeter press on
this site over 20 years. Reflex Label Plus went on an extensive tour of Europe,
looking at press manufacturers, print shops, and processes. Important decision
factors in acquiring another Nilpeter press was build quality, first and
foremost, but also technical ability, know-how in single-pass printing and
combining different print processes,” Shaun Hanson explains.
“Another big factor was support and service, not
just from the parent company, but local "feet on the ground" –
Nilpeter is the only company to offer 24/7/365 service and support, and they
have skilled engineers living locally, frankly ticking all our boxes,” he
continues.
“This FA press represents a major investment and a
big vote of confidence in the Keighley site, which was acquired by Reflex in
2015. This press will give us both opportunity and capacity for rapid growth in
high-end label production,” he concludes.
Group CEO
happy to invest
Reflex Group CEO, Ian Kendall, added, “we are
delighted to be investing yet again in Shaun and his team. This machine is not
only about giving our customers more of what they currently want; it’s also
about anticipating future market requirements in advance. We are totally
focused on efficiency in our business, and this machine is going to help use
materials more effectively.”
