The Hertfordshire firm moved from its Hatfield location to new premises in Letchworth over the Christmas break. The new site, at 4,000sqm, is more than four times as big as its previous facility.
Managing director Jon Lancaster said that original plans to build an extension at the old site became “complicated and expensive”, leading the family-owned firm to fast-track the purchase of its new building.
“It’s been quite intense with all the new equipment coming in. It was all done over Christmas and everyone has worked so hard on it,” he said. “The whole move was done in ten days.”
Finance for the £6.4m total spend has come from Clydesdale Bank for the property, and Compass Business Finance for the equipment.
The major re-equipping at the business spans both digital and conventional kit. As well as the new B2 Indigo 10000, the firm has sold its old Speedmaster XL75 and replaced it with a new, five-colour XL75 with coater that was up and running last week. Also new is a high-speed Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST450 saddlestitcher, and a Vega Mira 102 folder-gluer from Friedheim International.
The Indigo 10000 produced its first prints this week. It is being fitted with HP’s seven-colour facility, and Falkland will beta-test the white ink option on the press. White ink is a mainstay of production on its own-brand range of metallised board products.
Next month the company will top off its digital investment with the installation of a Highcon Euclid digital cutting and creasing system, the second such system in the UK.
“The 10000 means we can produce larger and more efficient packaging impositions, the Highcon allows us to finish shorter runs and the Vega gluer means we can take on new types of carton work,” Lancaster explained.
A raft of existing equipment, including an Autobond laminator and HP Indigo 5600 has been relocated to the new site. Specialist Ashley Willard handled the move.
“It’s what I’ve been working towards for the past eight years – having a nice site and a great setup. It’s exactly how I wanted it to be, and logistically the new factory is great – we had 27 pallets delivered today and didn’t even notice it,” Lancaster added.
“We’ve only utilised a third of the new space so far, it’s really nice to have so much space for work-in-progress and future growth.”
The 30-staff firm turned over around £3.6m last year. It has a number of routes to market including its www.printedeasy.com ecommerce site.
Lancaster expects the firm to grow sales significantly in 2014, particularly in bespoke and short-run packaging, and a number of new roles will be created at the business as a result.
