Ultimate Packaging has taken delivery of a new Bobst Expert CI press, its fifth flexo press from the Swiss manufacturer.
The investment comes as the company enjoys an uplift in business, supplying food packaging during the pandemic. The Grimsby company, the largest independent provider of flexible packaging for food in the UK, has also taken a lease of a new warehouse to increase its agility and flexibitity.
The round of investment is completed with an order for two Bimec slitters which will increase the company’s ability to respond rapidly.
The eight-colour Bobst is configured to be able to print with both solvent and water based inks, meeting growing requirement for more sustainability in plastic packaging. This will complement the Ultigreen films and AdaptMAP systems for shelf life enhancement.
Operations director Jon McCarthy says “this latest GPS press adds even more capacity and flexibility to our production facilities. It will fit seamlessly in with the other presses, enabling us to ramp up production very quickly and with the added benefit of also being able to print water based inks it further enhances Ultimate‘s sustainability journey”.
The press is expected to in production by the end of August, the company says.
At the same time it has taken a lease on a newly built 3,000m2 building, which adds to the 12,000m2 space the business already has. “Having the additional space will give us many more opportunities to be more flexible in our use of our overall Europarc footprint, to facilitate better workflows and increased efficiency, resulting in being able to be even more agile and cost effective throughout our operations,” says group managing director Jeremy Hodson.
“It’s extremely challenging to move operations around and locate new machinery when running 24/7 and this investment will definitely free up much needed space to help us to achieve that too.”
As well as flexo printing, Ultimate has been a pioneer in digitally printed flexible packaging, with the UK’s first HP Indigo 20000.
Ultimate Packaging is installing a fifth Bobst at its factory in Grimsby where it runs both flexo and digital presses, as the largest independent flexible packaging suppliers to the food industry in the UK. The company has taken a further unit on the Europarc trading estate as additional warehouse space.
