Contact Originators is pushing into the supply of plates for flexible packaging and labels, expanding from its position as a leading supplier of plates for printing on corrugated.
The change of strategic direction comes following installation of a third Esko CDI Crystal XPS imager at the Contact Originators greenfield site at Dukinfield, near Manchester. Growth opportunities in its corrugated markets are limited, so expansion into a new area makes sense for the business. The specialist flexo platemaking business has spent more than £5 million since moving to the greenfield 3,000m2 site just over two years ago. Its line up of three Esko Crystal imagers is unique in Europe.
CEO Steve Mulcahy says: “This investment underpins our business growth and development for 2023 and beyond. We believe it is critical for the future of platemaking and provides greater capacity for us as we begin to gain market share in the flexibles and label markets and back up to our already established corrugated business.”
In its early days Contact Originators produced plates for labels and flexible before its corrugated business took off and drove growth of the company. It has remained in touch with the new sectors and has taken on people with experience.
Operations director Nick Mitchell says there are two key customer groups, first providing plates as a confidential trade supplier and secondly working with brands that are specifying flexible packaging. “We have the workflows and capacity and are able to supply high quality plates with a fast turnaround,” says Mitchell. “We feel flexible packaging is the most logical diversification for the business.”
While it works with all plate material providers, plates for this market will be McDermid’s IPT60 with the Esko Crystal screening. This has the quality to deliver the most from the screening technology. And this ability provides the platform for Contact Originators to build on. The company relies on word of mouth rather than sales people to drive business.
“We have technical experts,” says Mitchell, “this means that people come to us to solve their problems. As a result we can supply plates with a high degree of innovation that they struggle to get anywhere else. This a characteristic of the UK market which is different to anywhere else in the world. It is highly competitive which in turn this drives innovation and we compete on quality service and innovation.
“We are only now realising the potential of the business and the machines that we have here.”
