Focus Label Machinery has appointed administrators ending a 45-year journey from a garden shed to factory in Nottingham shipping narrow web presses around the world.
This is where its problems lay with joint administrator and director of CY Group Justin Brown saying: “Focus Label Machinery struggled with cashflow pressures having been particularly affected following the US attack on Iran earlier this year, which resulted in delayed payments from its customers.
“The directors were unable to obtain further support from their bank, and have made the difficult decision to cease trading and to appoint administrators to preserve the position for the company’s creditors.”
The decision of company founder Brian Lee to step down as director last month came too late to affect the inevitable.
The company produced flexo label presses, as the eFlex and Proflex SE, hybrid integrating Konica Minolta UV 600dpi piezo inkjet heads over the last ten years and also acting as a dealer for Konica Minolta’s digital label press. Its presses were aimed at smaller converters or as the first digital press a customer might invest in.
That said, Linney has bought two of the UK machines. Having bought a six-colour flexo press some years ago, it more recently installed a Proflex 330SE hybrid press to handle its short run labels.
At Labelexpo last year Focus launched a water based version of the DFlex, a digital press including Memjet aqueous inkjet heads with the integration developed by Simply Inkjet. That machine included a priming station to enable the inks to adhere to film materials.
The DFlex was designed as a 330mm web with flood varnish possible, semi and rotary die cutting, and rewind. In a UV configuration the press offered a white as well as four process colours. The development earned the business as Stationers’ Company Warrant.
While the administrators hope to be able to sell the business, all 21 staff have been made redundant.
