Label and packaging specialist Springfield Solutions Ltd, Hull, UK, has invested in Europe's first Screen Truepress Jet L350UV digital label press to make it one of Europe's leading all-digital label print firms. The £570,000 investment in the press doubles the company's label printing capacity, boosts productivity and enables it to develop new label applications.
The new single-pass Screen Truepress Jet L350UV, installed earlier this month, is already in production and complements Springfield Solutions' existing trio of HP Indigo digital label presses.
Springfield Solutions is ISO 9001, 14001 and BRC/IoP accredited, along with Fogra 39L proofing certification, and prides itself on investing in the latest technology and techniques to remain at the forefront of the label industry. It provides its numerous FMCG and industrial Fortune 500 'Power Brand' clients with a full design-to-print service, including prepress, asset management, personalised labels and smart interactive label solutions.
"The decision to become an 'all-digital' label company in 2011 is the reason why Springfield Solutions is successful," says Operations Director Dennis Ebeltoft. Ongoing investment in new technology over the last couple of years led to a 26% growth in print turnover in 2013 alone. "The market for labels is changing rapidly as retailers take advantage of the creative and production benefits of digital printing," he says. "While run lengths are decreasing, the number of label variants is increasing quite significantly. In just a year the number of jobs we handle has jumped from 800-1000 a month to 1500 a month at an average run length of circa 300m each – although run lengths can go as high as 10,000m. Our clients are constantly requesting faster turnaround times and without digital printing technology we couldn't meet these tight deadlines."
To drive the next phase of growth and ensure it can deliver high-quality, decorative labels fast and at competitive prices, Springfield started its search for a high-volume digital label press two years ago. After testing all the presses on the market using identical files, it chose the Truepress Jet L350UV + high-opacity white. "This press delivered the best combination of speed and quality" says Ebeltoft. "Plus, we have used Screen equipment in the past and we have great confidence in the quality of engineering that the company delivers. Screen was not the first to market with a digital label press, but the performance of the new Truepress Jet puts it in the premier league.
"Our Screen and HP presses complement one another very well. Driven by an Esko Automation front end the 50m/minute Truepress Jet with in-line finishing will allow us to access new business opportunities," says Ebeltoft.
The company has streamlined design-to-print production to maximise efficiency and flexibility while minimising turnaround times. GMG colour management tools ensure that the Screen Truepress Jet and HP Indigo presses are calibrated to deliver exactly the same results on metallic foil, transparent film, PP, PET and paper substrates, giving Springfield the flexibility to allocate jobs to any press, right up to the last minute.
"It's a significant endorsement of the Truepress Jet L350UV that such a leading digital label printing company has chosen it to drive the next phase of growth," says Brian Filler, President, Screen Europe. "Springfield has huge confidence in how the press can expand production capacity and enable them to develop new label products and open up new creative market opportunities."
