Sales manager Zoe Deadman said the company, now in its 30th year, was getting busier all the time and the existing factory in Launceston, Cornwall, had become too small to comfortably accommodate the required workflows.
“Because we’re buying more materials in and sending more stuff out more frequently, we’re running out of space,” she said.
The new bay being built on one side of the factory will add an extra 190sqm to the 1,020sqm building.
More than 80% of KCS’ business is manufacturing integrated label forms for e-commerce retailers, particularly in the fashion sector. KCS wanted to have the extension built and the plant rearranged in good time to handle its Christmas rush.
“We are fortunate in that we are supplying a growing market,” Deadman said. “E-commerce sales are growing year-on-year and so the need for our forms is growing year-on-year too. There are a relatively small number of companies in the UK that can do what we do – we are one of four or five maximum.”
Another factor that has contributed to the company’s recent growth was the fitting in 2015 of Domino inkjet heads to its Tamarack hotmelt label machines, to facilitate the printing of personalised labels and sequential 1D and 2D barcodes.
“Whereas before we would do normal print and then put the labels into the form, now we can personalise every form with the inkjet printer,” Deadman said.
“A lot of e-commerce retailers want to offer their customers the option to return items via the Post Office, but in order to use the Royal Mail they have to have a 1D and 2D barcode on the form. We are the only people that can manufacture that for them.”
Before moving into labels KCS started out as a traditional printer, and still produces some continuous business forms and pads on Didde Glaser and Morgan web presses. It also has a Xerox digital department and produces some signage and banners on Mimaki and Epson large-format machines.
It employs 28 staff and is expecting to exceed £3.2m turnover this year, up from £2.9m last year.
