Gearing up to make the most of Brexit, Reflex Labels’ CEO Ian Kendall has invested in seven new Performance Series flexo presses, all due to be installed at the company’s plant in Boston (Lincolnshire) before September 2017. The order, secured by Mark Andy’s UK & Ireland Sales Manager Paul Macdonald, matches the largest single order for Performance Series flexo printing machines since the platform was launched in 2009, with now nearly 700 installed worldwide. It also brings to 23 the number of the manufacturer’s flexo presses currently installed at Reflex’s plants in the UK.

Mark Andy UK’s Paul Macdonald with Reflex Labels’ Commercial Operations Manager Sharon Preston, and Production Operations Manager Tanya Greenfield

The new order is for a mix of P3 and P5 models, from four- to 10-colors and all with the 430mm (17 inch) web width and full UV curing. Options include cold foil, delam/relam, Mark Andy’s award-winning QCDC (Quick Change Die Cut), and a rail system for maximum flexibility and the addition of further converting options, as required. According to Kendall, the new Mark Andy presses will offer a production increase of at least 50% over the outgoing Italian machines based on existing shift patterns: “But we know the P Series will boost output much more than that from our experience elsewhere in the Group, and allow us to offer our customers the degree of label enhancement that they need to stay ahead of their competitors,” he commented.

This tranche of investment is part of Reflex’s program of ongoing improvement and expansion of pre-press and finishing capability. It will see Group turnover grow rapidly from its current £80m per annum. Kendall continued: “We are investing in all 14 of our sites, which currently employ over 500 people – a number we anticipate growing to meet demand. We will continue grow organically and by acquisition and are further standardising our production capabilities across the Group. We have committed to Mark Andy because we see them as a no risk investment for the bulk of our business.”

Kendall says Reflex Labels is well placed to mitigate raw material cost increases and maximise on the wealth of new global opportunities that will present themselves once the UK is outside of the EU. “You don’t grow a business with a negative mindset – I see all new challenges as opportunities to succeed – that’s why we keep investing and growing!” he concluded.