The kit replaced a 13-year-old machine from Wraps UK, said managing director James Wheeler, who is using it for jobs including shrink wrapping of books. His company paid £18,500 for the equipment, supplied by Friedheim International. “The old equipment was coming to the end of its useful life and we wanted more speed and better options on size – this kit goes up to A3,” he said. “We were keen to increase not so much turnover but to make the work we do more profitable.” The EM 24 EL-Matic sealer runs at 600 to 2,400 packs per hour and the TM 18 TE-Matic shrink tunnel has a conveyor speed of 2.8 to 9.4m per minute. Kensett, based in Hove employs 40 staff and makes £1.8m turnover. It’s nearby sister company K&L Laminators has 10 staff and makes a turnover of around...

The company installed five Ricoh Pro 1106 EX high-speed mono printers, which totalled £80,000. They replaced five Hitachi DDP 70 machines and the fastest new printer runs at 110 images per minute. The old kit produced 70 images per minute. The 25-staff company also paid £30,000 for a second Norpak P9 polywrap inserter to allow staff to process, print and polywrap documents at double the speed, up to 8,000 feeds per hour. Baker Goodchild spent £15,000 on an Astrojet 3800 high-speed address inkjetter that runs at 40,000 sheets per hour. The mailing house does direct mail, international mailing and bulk postage work for charities, the city council and businesses. Production manager Wesley Sinclair said: “As we continue to grow it is essential we update and increase our plant and machinery to keep ahead of our customer demands. With more kit we can now run bigger jobs, and have doubled the speed of our printed outputs. “We needed more equipment to meet growing production needs – it’s a big thank you to our sales team and the quality of our products. Each year we want to increase business bit by bit: our turnover is £3.6m and this year we hope to go over the £4m...

The company installed five Ricoh Pro 1106 EX high-speed mono printers, which totalled £80,000. They replaced five Hitachi DDP 70 machines and the fastest new printer runs at 110 images per minute. The old kit produced 70 images per minute. The 25-staff company also paid £30,000 for a second Norpak P9 polywrap inserter to allow staff to process, print and polywrap documents at double the speed, up to 8,000 feeds per hour. Baker Goodchild spent £15,000 on an Astrojet 3800 high-speed address inkjetter that runs at 40,000 sheets per hour. The mailing house does direct mail, international mailing and bulk postage work for charities, the city council and businesses. Production manager Wesley Sinclair said: “As we continue to grow it is essential we update and increase our plant and machinery to keep ahead of our customer demands. With more kit we can now run bigger jobs, and have doubled the speed of our printed outputs. “We needed more equipment to meet growing production needs – it’s a big thank you to our sales team and the quality of our products. Each year we want to increase business bit by bit: our turnover is £3.6m and this year we hope to go over the £4m...

The pressure sensitive Protac high coat weight (HCW) films will improve the life and colour integrity of UV printed output on permanent and semi-permanent signage, according to the manufacturer. The new solvent adhesive Protac HCW films include the anti-graffiti 50 micron PET, designed to enhance graphics and images that require a “popped” or 3D effect, and a glossy 80 micron monomeric PVC film. The latest films follow the introduction earlier this year of the anti-scratch matte 100 micron monomeric film. The Protac HCW laminates include UV inhibitors within the adhesive designed to extend the life of the UV inks beneath them. Drytac Europe sales director Steve Broad said: “One of the problems of UV ink is its limited outdoor durability in south facing light conditions. This is due to the fact that the inks are manufactured with minimum levels of inhibitors so they cure more efficiently. These films have high levels of inhibitors which overcome this issue and protect UV-printed output from sun damage.” He added: “Our tackifiers in the adhesive help with adhesion to low surface energy substrates which is especially important if your products are going to be cut on digital cutters. The films offer up to three years’ protection outdoors and are available in a range of widths between 1040mm and 1550mm. Protac glossy is available on 50m reels while anti-scratch and graffiti come in 50m or 100m reels. Starting price is around £297 per reel. Drytac products are available through Antalis, after the supplier secured an exclusive distribution deal earlier this year....

His appointment forms the last stage in Rhapsody’s expansion into the cross-publishing arena using the firm’s Emagine asset and workflow management system, said the firm. Rahim will be responsible for devising and implementing digital strategies across the client base and overseeing digital output. “My goal is to help catalogue companies produce better, more engaging digital content for use on technology such as iPads, and really bring a new level of understanding,” he said. “Some publishing companies are strong on digital but most are in the transitionary phase. “There is still a role for print: a lot of titles are fantastic and deliver great value to their customers, but digital can offer something different and enable people to delve deeper. Print isn’t going to go away but its relationship with digital is changing, driven by the customer.” Rahim’s career spans 17 years in the digital arena for employers such as Fitch, Harvest Digital and Modem Media. He has worked with Apple, Penguin Books, Conde Nast Publishing and government departments, and before Rhapsody he worked in retail design. “The way we consume media has changed beyond all recognition and publishers and brands are still questioning how best to integrate print, digital, and mobile content to ensure consistent user experiences irrespective of the medium or format,” he said. Managing director Les Pipe said: “This is a key appointment for Rhapsody and reflects our commitment to innovate, manage and deliver clients’ content across all media. John’s experience in digital adds value to our compelling suite of services in print and on-line.” Rhapsody, owned by Walstead Investments which also owns Wyndeham Group, has several blue-chip clients such as Boden, De Beers, Superbrands, Marie Claire, Orient Express and Waitrose Food. Walstead boasts £125m sales....