Beamglows senior management team will visit Ipex on Wednesday (10 April) to discuss the final specification of the press with top Komori executives, including president Yoshiharu Komori and Komori UK managing director Martin Rickards.

But Beamglow production director Colin West said the firm would be keeping the exact spec of the machine under wraps. Were very much an R&D-driven company and our Komori presses play a big role in this. All I can say is that it will be a highly flexible multi-unit press thats truly bespoke, he said.

West said the company had worked very closely with Komori to come up with a very creative combination of press units, drying units and coating technology.

The fully automated 16,000sph machine will go on-stream at the end of the year and will join Beamglows other B1 Lithrones.

This latest order comes three years after a similar ground-breaking Komori installation at Beamglow. In 1999 the company installed a six-colour bespoke press said to be capable of producing gravure quality while retaining the flexibility of litho printing.

Managing director Moira Griffin said the success of that installation put Komori in pole position for this latest order. At the time Komori was very willing to work with us on the project. Our two companies worked well together and the project was very successful, she said.

Beamglow employs 100 staff and specialises in high-end cartons for markets such as cosmetics, toiletries and fine fragrances. Some 40% of its sales are for export.

Story by Lauretta Roberts