Founded in 1982, specialist label printer Secura Labels, based in Derbyshire UK, is a long established supplier of high quality labels to industry sectors, such as :
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Logistics
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Electrical
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Security
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Construction
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Packaging
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Food & beverage
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Automotive
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Chemical
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Medical
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Large trade label accounts
'A solid working partnership'
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‘Focus supplied our first Proflex press in 2006, which was installed alongside our trusty Nilpeter presses and very quickly helped increase our productivity. We have now installed our fourth Proflex, allowing us to retire our older Nilpeter presses and further modernise our production.
Managing Director, Simon Miller explains how the longstanding partnership with Focus has helped Secura Labels to gain market share and increase profitability.
A Brief History:
Secura Labels was established in 1982 and remained as a family run business until acquired by an investment company in 2000. The company has since grown steadily, achieving ISO9001 approval and eventually moving to a new production facility in 2014. Investment continued in 2015 with new finishing equipment, then again in 2017 with the purchase of a 6 colour, full UV Proflex flexo press from Focus Label Machinery. In recent years, further finishing equipment was added, including turret rewinders, two blank label converters, plus a Trojan inkjet press and now our latest Focus Proflex flexo press.
Why Change Press Suppliers?
‘Although our older flexo presses had served us well, we recognised that the only way to remain competitive was to invest in the latest technology in order to become more efficient and increase productivity. We were aware of Focus and liked the idea of partnering with a UK manufacturer. They had a good reputation for reliable equipment and an excellent technical back up service. We conducted some trials and it quickly became obvious that the Proflex press was perfect for us. The compact layout and the ease of operation were both important for us and the modular design meant that we could expand the configuration, as and when required.’
How Did Focus Presses Help?
‘The move over to Focus equipment proved to be extremely beneficial. We immediately noticed a big difference - not only in production speeds, but in job changeover times. The cassette-based print stations allowed us to change quickly from one job to another, with minimum downtime. Together with the increase in web width to 330mm and the change over to full UV curing, we significantly reduced our overall production costs, allowing us to be more competitive and win more orders. We were also able to connect automatic turret rewinders in-line with the presses, increasing productivity even further. Another big difference we noticed was how easy it was to consistently achieve high quality print results, with very little operator intervention.
Ultimately, these improvements gave us the confidence to take on new types of work that we may have previously turned away. In addition, the increased efficiencies also helped us to gain ISO9001 accreditation, thus opening even more doors for us.’
Moving To LED Curing:
‘For our latest Proflex press installation, we wanted to explore the benefits of LED curing, over and above conventional UV curing. We took advice from Focus and from GEW and decided to go for a full LED curing system, with interchangeable cassettes, allowing us to easily switch between LED and mercury lamps – particularly when applying a varnish in the last print station. We are conscious of the environmental impact of label production and are keen to reduce this wherever possible. Using LED curing will reduce our energy consumption and eliminate emissions into the atmosphere, as there is no need for waste extraction. Compared with conventional UV curing, LED lamps generate much less heat and require minimal maintenance, with a typical lamp life of around 10,000 hours, thus reducing our land-fill waste. Also, with no warm-up & cool-down time required, our downtime is further reduced, adding to our production efficiency.’
Going Forward:
‘We will continue to monitor the power savings for the LED system and will probably retrofit LED to our other presses, in due course. Focus has been a great partner for us and we will continue to work closely with them for our future printing press requirements.’
