The ink manufacturer and supplier bought a new CAD blanket converting machine and recruited new staff, according to managing director Grant Penfield.
The converter cost £80,000 but building work, installation and improving heating to ensure stability for rubber compounds pushed the total investment to £500,000.
Penfield said the seven-year-old 30-staff company, with total sales of around £15m, aims to grow 15% year on year.
The 8.5m-wide CAD cutter is fully automated for storing customer information and details in order to give a better and more accurate service.
Pomeroy supplied printing blankets, pressroom consumables and chemicals to the commercial printing and packaging sectors but filed for voluntary liquidation in April.
“When we bought Pomeroy we wanted quality and consistency and to build on speed and efficiency, so we needed automation, high performance and kit large in format.
“We supply ink, chemicals, consumables and blankets to the pressroom, so we hope existing customers of our inks will buy our blankets.
“But we needed good-quality blankets to give them confidence and us the credibility we to tempt our customers to move to us. We have to compete, but can't with high labour costs.”
A print company may spend £500,000 on inks in a year but only £40,000 on blankets, he said, and companies could not survive on selling blankets alone.
“The latest converting equipment was a necessary step to serve customers better and significantly increase capacity.”
Druckfarben stocks IMC perfect dot blankets and other brands for applications including special gauge, two-piece-can and pot print blankets such as the TyreF coating blanket range.
Penfield also recalibrated its two barring presses to give increased pressure when applying barring strips. The site is now able to cut and bar up to 500 blankets a day and more if required.
For specialist printing on foil, metal decorating, two-piece-can and plastic cup/pot printing Druckfarben has added a lamination service in-house.
For the TyreF coating blanket, the new CAD cutter is able to sculpt and cut complex patterns that would not be possible by hand.
“Our new facility allows us to cut and convert in a more accurate way, giving better consistency and quality control of blanket production.
“We have improved production speed and capacity through automation. But we have also recognised the need for specialist services that require more human intervention.”
Lee McLelland joined recently as blanket conversion manager and has over 12 years of experience in blanket conversion and new technology.
