Herbert Walkers continues to ramp up investment

The investment comes as Herbert Walkers scales up its capabilities in response to a sustained increase in demand from across the food and beverage, cosmetics, confectionary and gifting sectors. The new machine will operate in addition to the company’s two existing folding and gluing lines and will help to enhance efficiency with much faster make ready times and automated saving of completed jobs to enable rapid pre-programmed re-runs.

Managing director of Herbert Walkers, Mike Lammas commented: “With so many brands and retailers reshoring their packaging requirements to the UK, and our enviable reputation in the marketplace, we are experiencing exceptionally high demand for our expertise. It’s important to us that we maintain high quality standards and a responsive service as we continue to grow and this investment is part of that commitment.

“Our investment in the new Signature ELITE AutoSet follows the delivery of our new Bobst foiling machine and Xerox Iridesse digital printer last year, reflecting our focus on ensuring we have the quality machinery required to offer a rapid turnaround and industry leading quality standards across every aspect of our turnkey print offering.”

Designed by the printing industry’s foremost innovators, the Signature ELITE AutoSet system is a market leading folding carton gluer, which enables set-up of basic cartons in just two to three minutes. With a speed of 700 metres per minute, it is the fastest folding carton gluer on the market and, depending on the carton design, it is capable of  producing 225,000 cartons per hour.

The Signature ELITE AutoSet’s advanced electronics calculate the position of each section of the machine when the operator inputs the dimensions of a new carton, setting the job up automatically to achieve optimum results. The machine then stores the set-up for every job, enabling any repeat of the carton design to begin running even faster next time around.

Lloyds Print Services has supplied the Signature ELITE Autoset with an HHS gluing system, providing full quality control, glue detection, tracking and ejection, which ensures any substandard cartons are rejected, guaranteeing that only perfect product is delivered to Herbert Walkers’ customers.

Mr Lammas continued: “This new machine will be ideal for both repeat projects and for more complex, bespoke cartons. If the Signature ELITE AutoSet cannot produce a carton, it cannot be done, so this new investment will play a central role in our ability to keep innovating for our customers and responding to their creative projects.

“With full fault monitoring and management reporting, it will also support smooth and efficient operational management, aligned to our existing ISO certified management systems.”

Simon Lloyd from Lloyd Print Services adds, “I am so pleased that Herbert Walkers have purchased the Signature ELITE  AutoSet, it is the most advanced machine on the market and the future of carton gluers world-wide. Without a doubt, it will future-proof Herbert Walkers folding carton gluer department for decades to come.”