The Hungerford-based label printer’s ambitious growth plans, which it hopes will take it from this year’s expected £15m turnover to £20m next year, will make for two significant installations of equipment in six months.
The P7E, installed in July, and Bobst machine, due in January, will likely mean expansion on the company’s 3,250sqm site. Plans are already drawn up, managing director Paul Roscoe told Printweek, for a new digital centre to sit alongside the existing building.
Berkshire Labels ordered the Bobst in late October.
“We wanted something different,” said Roscoe.
The Bobst Digital Master 340 is a hybrid digital UV inkjet/flexo press with in-line embellishment and finishing, and can reach speeds of up to 100m/min.
“I’ve been looking around,” Roscoe added, “and I think inkjet is the correct ‘next level’ investment that we should make, because [the Bobst] will sit nicely alongside our current HP Indigos, but will also enable us to do some of the short run flexo work on there.”
UV inkjet’s durability, robustness, vibrancy and opacity were all selling points for him.
“We chose Bobst, because we did all the comparisons side-by-side, it just came out the highest. Speed and capacity [too], uptime is big for us.”
Berkshire Labels currently runs three HP Indigos for its digital operations, which make up about 40% of the firm’s revenue. It also has a Mark Andy P9 and P7, alongside the recently installed P7E.
The P7E flexo press, 17 inches wide (430mm) with in-line hot and cold foil, rotary screen, lamination and back-print capabilities, went in in July. Up and running in August, “it started to make its mark in September,” Roscoe said.
He added: “I am delighted to say that October was a record month for us all. [...] Our first £1.5m sales for the month, which is an excellent milestone and achievement for us all.
Berkshire Labels’ spate of installations has meant operations will now require a significant amount of power, catered for by the installation last year of a substation on site.
Once the planned building of the digital centre is complete, perhaps as soon as 2023, the company, which currently employs 75, aims to grow to £25m in turnover.
Roscoe said: “We’re looking for continuing, controlled growth in the right areas.”
