A packaging firm has invested £2.5m in the next-generation printing press – further bolstering its fleet of machines.
The Wilkins Group, which is based in Colwick in Nottinghamshire and produces packaging for most supermarket chains, has added a Komori Lithrone G40 press to its impressive portfolio.
The new addition will help to increase productivity and enhance the finish of its products – further cementing the firm’s place at the helm of its industry.
The news comes just over a month after the firm’s multi-million-pound phase three factory development was launched.
The latest addition is a 40” seven-colour machine, with two varnishers.
The machine also saves energy and resources, reduces harmful chemical substances released during printing and reduces noise.
Billed as an “environmentally responsible press”, it sits in synergy with The Wilkins Group’s eco-friendly and sustainable values.
Bryan O’Dowd, production director with The Wilkins Group, said: “It will give us a 30 per cent increase in productivity, compared to the machine it’s replacing – a Komori six-colour machine.
“There will be quicker print runs, which will allow us to take on more business, to put more sheets through the plant.”
He added: “Komori is a company we have worked with for many years, and they have always been reliable for us.”
The Komori Lithrone G40 offers a maximum printing speed of 18,000 sheets per hour and delivers very stable high-speed operation with a wide range of sheet thicknesses, from ultra-thin to thick sheets.
Its plate changer significantly improves working efficiency and greatly reduces set-up time, while its operating system reduces waste.
The Komori investment comes just five months after The Wilkins Group took delivery of a new die-cutting machine, and a year after the firm bought a £1.1m Bobst cutting and creasing machine.
In 2022, The Wilkins Group, which employs around 500 people globally, also invested £5.2m in a state-of-the-art phase three development to its headquarters in Nottingham.
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