Installed at the self-adhesive label manufacturer’s site in March, the L350 was selected by Mercian for its ability to add to the ongoing automation of its kit portfolio, which includes Edale flexo presses and a Xeikon CX3 dry toner digital press.

“We’ve been monitoring the improvements in UV inkjet technology for some time and feel that now the technology has got to the point where it will reliably deliver the quality we require, and crucially the automation integration to reduce production waste, cost and lead times,” said Mercian Labels managing director Adrian Steele.

“This in turn is shortening delivery times for our customers which is key to our speed and service USP to the market.”

The company has been using an automated JDF workflow integration between digital print engines and its CERM ERP system for the past five years which, through auto-plan batching and organisation of print jobs, has maximised production time with minimal waste.

The L350 will replace one of Mercian’s two digital toner lines, do the bulk of its digital printing jobs and take some shorter run jobs from its existing flexo line.

It has a print width of up to 330mm and operates at speeds of up to 60m/min. Time is also saved in changing and resetting between jobs as there is no need to clean the machine.

Steele added: “Our customers know us for our ability and determination to turn a job around in industry-beating lead times, so anything we can gain in that area is very important.”

Mercian employs 65 people at its 2,300sqm site in Burntwood, Staffordshire.

The company exhibited at Packaging Innovations when it returned to Birmingham for the first time in two years in May and in 2021 it acquired a sector of business from barcode label specialist Computype Europe to add to its core product lines for Europe.