The foil and laminate manufacturer has installed a Bobst K4000 metalliser alongside its existing Bobst GVE metalliser, boosting capacity for the metallisation process at the site by 150%.
At up to 700m/min the new metalliser will run more than twice as fast at API's Bobst GVE, which runs at up to 300m/min. It is also wider at 1.7m, versus the 1.22m width of the older machine.
API Foils Europe managing director Will Oldham said: "We were finding that demand for our product was in danger of outstripping supply and we were already working 24 hours, six days a week with a view to becoming a 24/7 manufacturing plant.
"Last year we had to increase output by 20% and this year we have seen a further increase of 15%. It was becoming very clear that we needed to invest in production to meet future demand to satisfy our customers.
"In addition, this investment will further improve the quality of foil that we produce."
Oldham added that the new Bobst K4000 metalliser would allow the company to cut delivery times and offer its customers greater flexibility in terms of widths, while giving capacity for future sales growth.
"Having this more flexible machine at our disposal enables us to more closely match our client's requirements for different widths with less waste. It also means that we can manage changeovers and quantities more accurately," said Oldham.
He added: "The label market is the fastest growing market we serve and this new production equipment will give us the flexibility in terms of the width, the speed and the accuracy – particularly for the cold foil market where you have a very tight specification – to continue to meet that demand."
The second phase of the £5m investment will see a new coater installed in early 2015 to run alongside API's four existing coaters. API said the new coater would be "the largest investment" in its history at around £4m including associated factory works.
Oldham would not reveal details of the make and model of the new coater although he said it would also be 1.7m wide and run at up to 450m/min, 50% faster than API's four existing 300m/min coaters.
