The Covid-19 pandemic has been a disruptive force for supply chains the world over and has compounded many issues that were simmering below the surface. The weaknesses of the predominant supply chain models before the pandemic – notably ‘just in time’ and ‘lean manufacturing’ – which depended on extended supply chains, tight delivery windows, and minimal stock holdings, were laid bare by worldwide parts and labour shortages, and spiralling transport costs.
The pandemic revealed a pressing need for greater scalability and flexibility among many UK label printing businesses. Fortunately, the digital printing and finishing technology already exists to allow businesses to scale production to changing market needs while keeping production costs low, and to facilitate rapid growth when required.
TOPS spol. s ro has developed from a trading company to a manufacturer of self-adhesive labels in the Slovak Republic since 1991. Mainly forgery-proof security labels are produced, but multi-colored labels on a wide variety of materials as well as thermal transferlabels are also part of the portfolio. That made the investment in a new machine necessary.
eFlex Narrow Web Flexographic Press for Kenya. www.paperhouse.co.ke Focus Label Machinery Ltd, based in Bingham, Nottingham, is pleased to announce the completion of a new order from ‘Paperhouse’ based in Kenya, who have confirmed their selection for the modular ‘eFlex’ flexographic Press. The 10 Colour, full servo 430mm wide press will be housed in their Nairobi facility running alongside the existing flexographic lines, including a Focus Proflex Servo previously supplied in 2010.
Modern label production is a complex, multilevel process, with plenty of room for waste to develop, and equally as much scope for improvements in efficiency and reducing waste. Modern print equipment aims to increase productivity, usually measured in faster, smarter print cycles, higher product volumes, and the number of printing tasks that can be carried out by each press. But productivity is only one side of the equation. On the other sits efficiency, which is measured in how much (or how little) time, money, and resources are needed to carry out each task.
Tomorrow’s innovation is a museum piece the day after tomorrow. Such is the story of technological advancement since the industrial revolution. In recent years the pace of new technology & developments are arriving at a dizzying pace , increasing efficiency and productivity, only to be replaced and made obsolete a few short years later.
