It took delivery of the system three weeks ago.
Packaids director Steve Hutton said: “We exhibited at a trade show in October 2015 and met a guy called Hank Brandtjen, the president of Brandtjen & Kluge, the US company that makes these machines. They are into finishing equipment in the US and central Europe in a big way but didn’t have a folder gluer in the UK. We had a chat and it developed from there.”
The deal went through last February, after Hutton and fellow Packaids director Matt Burgess had discussed for a few months whether to buy the system. It cost around £100,000 for the glue system, the tape head and the machine.
Hutton added: “I really like the Brandtjen & Kluge way of dealing with clients and the quality of their machinery is first class in my opinion. It is very easy to use.”
The OmniFold 3000 has an operating speed of 450 folds per minute. Sheet size ranges from 121x96mm to 762x812mm, and it takes stock from 60-660gsm. It has an additional hot-melt system from HHS, running four guns and a Straub T-627 Tape Applicator.
The machine has replaced an Italian Fidia gluing system, which Hutton said was not versatile enough to handle what the company was looking to do for its clients.
Hutton said: “It has enabled us to produce folders and wallets and cartons much quicker than we were able to do hitherto and much more effectively. Being a brand new glue system, the gluing is really precise and of a very high quality, so it’s a much better configuration than we’ve had before.”
Founded in 1967, Packaids specialises in applying adhesives and coatings to printed sheets. It also operates five B1 bespoke-designed gluing machines and a Vega carton gluer.
It has six full-time staff in a premises in Twyford, Reading, that is 3,000sqm. Its turnover for the last five years is approximately £650,000 but it is looking to increase this to £750,000 for 2016.
Packaids will be exhibiting the OmniFold 3000 on behalf of Brandtjen & Kluge at Drupa.
