Durham Box, the first UK packaging company to install the EFI Nozomi 1800 single-pass inkjet press, has added finishing equipment to cope with the growth the digital press has created.
It has taken delivery of a Bobst platen and gluer, a flatbed plotter cutter and a box taping machine as part of a £2.5 million investment in the business.
The company has also extended its Bishop Aukland factory by 2,000m2, helped by a £200,000 grant from the County Durham Growth Fund. Durham Box committed to the creation of a further 20 jobs over the next three to four years at the site as part of this, and has already achieved this with recruitment covering sales and design, as well as in production.
Commercial manager Dan Morris says: “The acquisition of the land and investment in new machinery has put us in an ideal position to expand our client base and improve efficiencies.
However, to facilitate this increase in volume and to cope with the rise in demand of our products and services, the company needed to redesign the factory layout, and with the support of the County Durham Growth Fund we have been able to do just that. We will continue to invest in people and technology as well as the production facility, to ensure that we stay ahead of demand.”
The growth has come through the Nozomi and its ability to handle short runs beyond the scope of flexo printing. This has led to work for micro breweries, producing gift packs for the likes of Turning Point Brew Co and Edinburgh, a collective effort by the city’s breweries in the run up to Christmas last year. This included an advent calendar with slots for 24 cans of beer. The Turning Point Brew job also included a shipping box, printed in vibrant pink on brown board using a single flexo colour rather than inkjet.
At the time, Paul Barker, regional sales manager, said: “Our offering is centred on providing a total packaging solution, whatever the requirement”. “Whether a customer is looking for 200 gift boxes, or 20,000, the investments we have made enable us to create eye catching digital packaging for every conceivable application.”
This becomes even more feasible for the business with the installation of the additional finishing equipment. The company has also invested in a mobile pallet racking store for the extension, giving Durham Box 4,000 pallet locations in all.
