ProPrint Group has installed a new Komori Lithrone GL640 Advance six-colour plus coater B1 press to increase capacity for printing fast turnaround cartons for FMCG customers. This is the first carton specification Lithrone Advance in the UK.
The new press was delivered in July to the factory in Wellingborough and runs alongside the company’s first B1 Komori, a Lithrone GL640 installed five years ago. That has proved to be a smart purchase says ProPrint managing director Nigel Tollman. “The support that Komori has given us on the first press has been brilliant. We have grown rapidly as a business over the last couple of years and needed additional capacity. It made sense to stay with Komori.”
The new machine is a step forward in terms of automation, operation and productivity. The press can run with either conventional or UV inks. Interdeck UV lamps can be easily transferred between all units for ultimate flexibility when printing complex designs. The coater can run either aqueous or UV varnishes. The new press has a fully automated delivery logistics system. This is able to move a full pallet away from the delivery and replace it with a new pallet without intervention for non stop printing.
Komori’s PQ-A closed loop density control and camera inspection systems monitor and maintain print quality. The latest PDC XS systems ensure that the sheet is within the colour tolerances set by ISO 12647-2.
A single large screen keeps operators informed about how the press is performing. As a result of the technology, waste and makeready times are minimised and running speed is increased, delivering a net production increase of 40% in sheets produced an hour, says Tollman.
ProPrint’s strength is fast turnaround food packaging where quality and speed of response with short lead times are paramount. As demand has grown, the single-press operation came under increasing pressure to meet tight deadlines. With the introduction of the second press, this is no longer a concern.
The business employs 146 across three sites amounting to 7,700m2 in all. As well as the carton division, there is a pressure sensitive labels operation which focuses on labelling for fresh food. It includes an Edale Graphium inkjet press. It has installed a Digicon Series 3 finishing line for labels this year.
There are synergies between the two, says Tollman. “This opens doors to customer business and as brands favour board more than plastics there will be more crossover,” he says. The group also offers a contract packing service to keep the process and levels of service to customers under control.
The new press has been in full 24/6 production just weeks after installation started with the original press taking more of a supporting role and to provide greater flexibility over shift patterns.
Managing director Komori UK Steve Turner, says: “It’s great to witness how the team at ProPrint has strategically managed the significant growth and diversification of the business since the first Komori press was installed in 2017.
“The new G40 Advance series press matches the print quality, reliability, and low cost of ownership ProPrint has become so familiar with, and in choosing Komori’s automatic in line colour management system PQA for quick makereadies, and the fully automatic nonstop delivery system for continuous running, the new press offers outstanding productivity whatever the size of the production run. This press can easily support the continued expansion of the ProPrint business, and we look forward to continuing the excellent relationship we enjoy with ProPrint.”
