TRENTON BOX IS DUE TO TAKE delivery of a Komori GL640 at its St Neots factory today (Monday), the final part of an investment cycle totalling close to £2 million. The carton printer has already installed a new platesetter, Bobst platen and carton folder gluer.
Managing director Eden Douglas says: “We’ve made substantial improvements throughout our production processes – all focused on uplifting this company’s offerings to the market and providing increased service and support to our customers.”
THOSE CUSTOMERS INCLUDE brands and retailers in the fast moving consumer goods sector, but not in ready meals where sales have dropped steeply since the horsemeat scandal dropped. However, the company will be prepared for tightening of purchasing conditions as the press will be running exclusively low migration inks and consumables. A dual pumping system to the coater will allow it to switch between aqueous and UV coatings.
The press is also specified with fully automated plate changing, the KHS-AI fast make ready system and interdeck drying. Maximum print speed is 16,500sph. “It will be 40% faster in running and five times quicker at makeready,” says Douglas. “That’s quite a substantial shift for us, which we nee to increase our ability to respond.”
The company has been a Komori user for some 20 years and the GL will replace a six-colour machine from the previous generation. It was no automatic decision to stick with the Japanese manufacturer. Trenton spent time in the European demonstration centre in Utrecht putting the press through its paces. “That the company chose us again after careful comparison with all our major competitors speaks volumes for the advanced technologies now incorporated in the G40 series machines,” says Komori UK director of sheetfed sales Steve Turner. Trenton is in the hands of the third generation of family ownership. “In the past we have suffered a little through under investment,” Douglas says. “This is a correction to that. We bought the CTP a few months ago, have started a repro department and have expanded the Bobst finishing capacity with more cutting and creasing and have installed a third gluing line.
“We are going to be able to offer customer better turnaround times and more flexibility.”
THE INVESTMENT COMES AT A time when customers are looking for shorter supply lines, bringing work back to the UK that had been produced overseas and matching this with shorter print runs. And Trenton wants to be firmly in the camp of businesses that can rise to these challenges. “We are finding that if we are sharp and fast there will be plenty of customers looking for this level of service,” he adds.
Likewise the decision to run only low migration materials is in anticipation of growing concern for food and materials safety. “We certainly see that rising up the scale of concern. This means we are doing the maximum we can do to support our customers in terms of safety of what we produce.”
