Printweek - Offset Print & Packaging in double K&B investment

High quality carton manufacturer Offset Print & Packaging has invested in two new Koenig & Bauer post-press machines to boost its capacity.

The Aylesford, Kent-based business has bought an Ipress 144 K large-format cut and crease machine from Koenig and Bauer Iberica and an Omega Allpro 145 folder-gluer from Koenig & Bauer Duran. The latter device was purchased through Friedheim International, which supplies Duran’s specialist folder-gluers in the UK.

The Ipress 144 K, which will be delivered in March, incorporates both stripping and blanking and has a maximum speed of 7,500sph with 600 tonnes of punching pressure. The stock range is paper, cardboard and corrugated board up to 4mm thick.

The machine is being adapted to take existing forms from the original manufacturer to save retooling costs.

The Omega Allpro 145 folder-gluer, which was delivered today (13 January), will increase Offset’s gluing capacity by 10%. The machine has a maximum belt speed of 300m/min and is suitable for cartonboard ranging from 200-600gsm. It can also handle corrugated materials N, F, E, C, B, EC and EB flute.

Offset Print & Packaging managing director of operations Vince Brearey said: “We have been looking into cut and crease investments for the past 18 months in line with our strategic growth plans and were undecided on format size and manufacturer.

“Having looked at alternatives and deciding on format size we were impressed with the build quality and operator friendly equipment on offer from Koenig & Bauer Iberica.

“The Omega Allpro 145 was not in our initial plans but after seeing a machine at the Koenig & Bauer open house we decided to invest and upgrade our gluing department with this additional piece of kit to maintain our position at the forefront of production technology.”

The investment makes Offset the first company in the UK to be equipped with Koenig & Bauer’s full range of print and finishing equipment – it also operates a six-colour Rapida 106 with coater, which was installed in 2017, and a Rapida 142.

The new kit will be partly installed in a space at the company’s 8,640sqm site that was previously used to produce greetings cards.

“We’re stopping doing greetings cards production now as our key strength is packaging; we want to stick to what we know,” said Brearey.

“So we’re using the greetings cards area and part of the warehouse, plus a bit of an extension, to accommodate the new machines.”

Also running additional finishing kit from Bobst, Heidelberg and Grassi, Offset Print and Packaging employs 90 staff and is on track to turn over more than £11m for its current financial year that ends in April.

The company serves clients ranging from blue-chip customers to small independent businesses, both in the UK and Europe.