The Peterborough-based company installed the CMC JWR line around a month ago. Additional to its kit portfolio and joining two polywrap lines from STS, the machine was sourced from Spain and then rebuilt and supplied to the company by experienced engineer David Feldon at Feldon Mailing Solutions.
The business had been considering making its initial paper wrapping investment for some time, to further enhance its green credentials and commitment to the environment. It had considered several options from various manufacturers, but the coronavirus pandemic temporarily halted its plans.
KJS managing director Stuart Speechley told Printweek: “We were trying to look for an entry-level way into paper wrap for the last couple of years so we could dip a toe into the water with it.
“We were supposed to go and look at a machine in Italy but that was just as Covid broke out, so that stopped us and we could no longer get the machine that we were going to get.
“We ended up bringing this machine in from Spain; it’s taken a bit longer than we envisaged but we’ve finally got there now.”
The company first started to move away from using single-use plastics a couple of years ago, when it actively began encouraging its customers to mail either in envelopes or compostable potato starch wrap.
But it found that some local councils would not accept potato starch wrap in compost waste, and recipients were not always sure which bin to place it in.
Speechley said wrapping for a few regular weekly titles that it produces have gone straight onto the new machine already. Others are expected to move from polywrap to paper wrap over the coming year.
“It’s going to be a long transition for a lot of people but a few of our customers want to go over to paper wrap so there will be a transition – we’re already doing two or three titles and I think it will escalate from there.”
While the machine will primarily be used to serve KJS’ publishing clients, Speechley said he anticipates the company will also use it for products like brochures and programmes for its clients in the entertainment sectors. It also serves the charity and financial sectors, travel companies, and many other commercial markets.
All of the paper used by the company, including the reels used for paper wrapping, is either sourced as recycled stock or carbon balanced through the Woodland Trust.
Its customers receive a certificate from the Woodland Trust to show how much carbon dioxide they have removed and what area of trees have been replanted for the paper they have used.
The business already runs other CMC enveloping equipment and earlier this year it invested in a Horizon VAC-1000 collator and a pre-owned Horizon SPF-200a bookletmaker from Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS).
It produces litho print on an SRA2 Sakurai LED-UV four-colour press and digital print on a number of Xerox devices.
24 staff work at the £3.5m-turnover business, which operates from a 1,000sqm site and celebrated its 21st birthday in 2019.
