Thomson Print & Packaging has installed an EasyMatrix 106CS from Heidelberg as the Edinburgh company increases its focus on carton printing. This will be followed in May by delivery of a Bobst Novafold folder gluer to retain carton finishing in-house.
The company moved across the Scottish capital to a larger 1,115m2 factory last year and this has enabled the business to take control of carton finishing. Production director Michael Thomson says: “We evaluated a few suppliers, but the EasyMatrix provides with the best solution for our requirements. We have outsourced this type of work previously, resulting in a substantial productivity for us by moving this operation in-house.”
The business serves the Scottish drinks market aiming a more limited runs than the packaging groups in Scotland target. It began as a wet glue labels printer, adding bottle collars, swing tags, booklets and cartons to the mix.
It installed a Speedmaster XL75-5 in 2016 and has the ability to foil, emboss and cut and crease using older technology. “As cautions were growing for us more than the wet glue business, we decided to put more effort into canton work,” says managing director Jim Thomson who started the business in 1998 with the acquisition of a small label printer. Before that he had a background in carton print.
Now with investment of £1.5 million underway, the strategy is to take turnover from around £2 million a year to £3.5 million over the next two years.
The investment marks the increasing role played by Michael and sales director Barry Thomson in taking the business forward. The company has already invested in cutting table and digital print capacity to produce mock ups, proofs and samples.
The EasyMatrix investment is a future proofed investment as it will support a B1 sheet which Thomson Print & Packaging is not capable of printing – yet.
