Weedon invests £1m in new die-cutter and corrugator upgrade

21 March 2014

Point of sale

Weedon Group has invested £1m in an Enko ES2200 large format die-cutter and a corrugator upgrade to support its expansion into the high-end retail ready packaging (RRP) market.

The Hednesford, Staffordshire-based group has installed the Enko ES2200 at the £10m-turnover group subisidiary Weedon PSC, which manufacturers RRP and Point of Sale (PoS) displays.

It can cut sheets from 900x1,300mm to 1,700x2,200mm at speeds of up to 2,100 sph, which will allow Weedon PSC to produce the largest display pallets from just two pieces instead of four.

The company said that this would provide cost benefits for manufacturers of household products, breakfast cereals, food and beverages and other bulky products that are delivered to retailers in full-size pallet displays for in-store promotions.

John Weedon, managing director of Weedon PSC, said: "The trend with retailers is moving increasingly towards pre-filled displays. So display pallets now need to be more robust to withstand the rigours of the supply chain.

"But the production of fit-for-purpose display pallets can eat into a promotional budget. Our new die-cutter offers significant potential for reducing the cost of such displays."

Meanwhile, Weedon Group has also upgraded the 2.2m wide corrugator at its Weedon Corrugated Products subsidiary in Audenshaw, Manchester with the installation of two new JS Machine single facers.

This will allow Weedon CP to produce a new type of corrugated board, Less-flute or L-flute, in addition to B, C and BC double wall corrugated sheet and packaging, E flute, EL double wall and EB double wall.

L-flute uses eco-friendly paper in a new flute profile which is thinner than B flute but said to deliver better print quality than the more conventional B flute. Weedon said it was ideal for display packaging and RRP, particularly for food products and the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market.

The £20m-turnover group has also recently opened a new storage and co-packing facility at its Staffordshire headquarters and reported growth arising from its one-year-old strategic alliance with Germany-based THIMM Display, which enables Weedon PSC's customers to buy displays for delivery anywhere in Europe from a centralised purchasing base.