Encore Group is to install a six-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106 plus coater to handle production of both envelopes and cartons at its Peterlee factory.
The press will arrive in the new year and will be operational by March and follows growing demand for folding cartons. The company has already invested to increase finishing capacity with Bobst NovaCut and ExpertFold platen and folder gluer. The folder gluer was installed earlier this year running to the first Cartonpack 4 automatic packer in the UK enabling the line to run at 450m/min.
The six-colour machine will sit alongside a five-colour Speedmaster CX102 that was installed seven years ago as its first Heidelberg. The additional colour will provide extra capacity for spot colours while the coater will achieve the extra finishes that customers are looking for according to managing director David Cooper.
The company will also gain from a faster running speed and shorter makereadies thanks to greater automation and consistency.
Cooper says: “This latest investment allows us to grow our business across both envelopes and packaging, offering exceptional production speeds with increased flexibility and without any compromise on standards and quality. We are committed to continuous strategic investment in the latest industry technology to ensure that we are delivering best in class service for all of our clients as standard.”
The company has enjoyed a steady increase in demand for cartons over the last two years, while envelopes continue to contribute the lion’s share of the company’s £39 million turnover.
It has more recently signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative on the road to meeting commitments for reducing carbon. It has measured the carbon intensity of every aspect of its business and can provide customers a carbon figure for every job as well as options for ways to mitigate that carbon. It has pledged to achieve a 90% reduction in carbon by 2050, with SBTI agreements as the first step towards that goal.
