Established in 1999 by founder & owner, Mr Derry Bryan – The Label Centre has recently moved into a newly renovated, modern production facility in Dudley, UK – from where the company services the following industries:
- Logistics
- Security
- Packaging
- Automotive
- Medical
- Electrical
- Construction
- Event badges
- Chemical
- Industrial
‘Flexibility and ability to adapt is key’
‘We pride ourselves on delivering solutions for some of the most challenging label applications.
Whether the problems are to do with compliance, temperature, abrasion, difficult surfaces, hostile
environments, or novel applications. We have an unrivalled track record in delivering high-quality, cost effective label solutions, quickly and efficiently.’
Managing Director, Derry Bryan relays the importance of consistent investment in people and the latest technology when it comes to company expansion and progress.
Background:
Since incorporation in 1999, The Label Centre has grown steadily, to become one of the UK’s
leading suppliers of industrial labels, tickets and tags, serving both trade and end-user
customers with a wide range of mostly short-run and medium-run narrow web products,
across several industry sectors. With a mix of flexo, inkjet, hybrid, hot-foil and finishing equipment, the company is well placed to be flexible and is easily able to adapt to the ever-evolving challenges
presented by their customers. Personnel and skill levels have also increased, providing a wealth of knowledge and experience.
The Big Move:
Having moved once already in 2002 to a 350m2 unit, space gradually became more and more of an issue until it became clear in 2022 that another move was now necessary, due to the natural expansion of the business. With a raft of wide format inkjet printers, flexo & converting presses, plus rotary inkjet and hotfoil presses, the company needed more space for the equipment and material storage. Mr Bryan, purchased a second building, just a few miles away, which had formerly housed a
steel fabrication business. Although the building had plenty of space, it also required a lot of renovation and re-purposing.
The renovation project began in February 2022, with the installation of new, fully insulated roofing, followed by new floor covering, wiring, lighting and heating. New offices, meeting rooms, kitchens, toilets and storage racking were also added, together with new communication systems, servers and
a pre-press graphics suite.
Finally, in February, 2024 – the freshly painted new home for The Label Centre was ready to move into.
With help from Focus Label Machinery, all existing production equipment was successfully moved from the former building to the new factory, recommissioned and back in production, with minimal disruption.
The Need For Digital Capability:
Although The Label Centre had been printing low-volume label jobs for a number of years on wide
format inkjet printers, the company was facing increasing demand for short-run, multi-sort label work, so needed a more efficient method of production.
“It became clear the market was changing”, states Managing Director Derry Bryan, “not only were
runs getting shorter, but we were being asked to produce more complex artwork. There was a base
of work we could migrate over from not only our flexo press but also the wide format. The majority
of the jobs however, were new work as this investment opened up a wide range of new opportunities.’’
‘’Of course, when a major investment such as a new press is being considered, it is not just the
machine itself that is important. The supplier itself is an important factor.’’
“We were looking for a supplier that would offer exceptional service and treat us as an individual”,
Mr. Bryan commented. “Focus ticked all the boxes for us as we were keen to work with a family
business, such as our own. It was also good to support British manufacturing with not only the
press coming from the UK, but the digital inkjet system from Cambridge based Industrial Inkjet”.
Mr. Bryan continues, “of course we already had a relationship with Focus as we had the Proflex and
two Reflex’s in operation so knew we could expect a high level of service and have confidence.
Which Digital Press?:
In the words of The Label Centre, ‘We chose the Focus d-Flex hybrid press, as it is one of few on
the market that allows for in-line converting. It meant one investment for a complete package. It
gives us the capability to produce a highly durable UV print for industrial label production with the
facility to add varnish and laminate all in one pass with highly accurate cut registration. It was a
clear decision for an all-in-one solution.
Focus Partnership:
The longstanding partnership with equipment supplier, Focus Label Machinery began in 2010, with the installation of a Proflex 250 6 colour flexo press, which enabled The Label Centre to move into new market areas and to increase productivity. In 2013, the company purchased a Reflex 250, single colour label converter, with auto-re-registration facility, to alleviate a backlog in their finishing department and to for high-speed production of blank labels.
The business continued to expand and in 2015, a second Reflex 250 was added, to further strengthen the production facility.
Next Steps:
‘As a company, we have found that flexibility and the ability to adapt is key, when formulating our future plans. We will continue to invest in our team and in the very latest technology, so that we can stay flexible and continue to give great customer service. Looking ahead to 2025, we hope to install a toner-based press and another digital finishing system to give us the greater flexibility we need’.
For further information, contact:
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