Built from scratch in Switzerland, the £1.4m die-cutter was installed at Wilkins’ Nottingham headquarters in October, swinging into production in late November to support the company's five presses.
Joining three other Expertcuts and three Heidelberg MK Mastermatrix 106 CSB die-cutters, the new machine is expected to handle 40 million sheets annually.
Justin Wilkins, joint managing director of the family-run firm, told Printweek the new machine’s “bells and whistles” – including automatic pile transfer, Bobst Smart Feeder 2, and automatic registration – will help the firm build up for growth in 2025.
He said: “The guys know [the Expertcut] inside and out, so we were up and running pretty quickly, even with all the logistics [systems] on the machine, which is something we’ve now started using.
“That takes a little bit of getting used to, but it’s hit the ground running: it’s a fantastic machine.”
The Expertcut 106 has replaced an older Bobst, which the company has now sold.
Running alongside the Heidelberg MKs, the 106 has made the company’s cutting room one of the strongest in the country, Wilkins said.
“We’ve got seven die-cutters in the building, and all relatively new – and all busy,” he added, noting the firm’s 2024 investment in a Komori Lithrone GLX-740+CC Advance EX seven-colour offset press, installed over the summer.
The £2.7m machine arrived shortly after another major Komori purchase, Wilkins’ £2.5m seven-colour 18,000sph GLX40 carton press, with the high-spec die-cutting department necessary to keep up with production, Wilkins said.
“We’ve now got five presses we’re running, where we used to have four – and they have a lot of firepower, so we’ve had to back that up in the other departments,” he said.
“I think we’ve found a niche in the market for an independent, family-run business of our scale,” Wilkins added of the £50m group.
“We’ve managed to keep investing, and to stay independent. We’ve got the capability to handle the volume end of the market, but at the same time we have the smaller company mentality.
“We’re a flat-structured business, so if any customers have a problem, they can pick the phone up and speak to me. It’s that simple for us – where in bigger groups, unfortunately, it’s not so straightforward.”
