Finishing equipment manufacturer A B Graphic International (ABG) has installed two non-stop unwinders at Wolverhampton, UK-based security printing firm, Cartor. The investment has helped Cartor save valuable production time and create workflow efficiencies.

A long-standing customer of ABG, Cartor has been involved in security print for the last 40 years, dominantly working in the postal domain to over 180 countries. The non-stop unwinder solutions (NSUs), have both been integrated into Cartor’s finishing systems, which embrace non-stop technology.

“The main reason for purchasing the non-stop unwinders from ABG was to improve efficiency,” says Ian Brigham, Cartor’s managing director. “Beforehand, we would lose about 15 minutes of productivity per hour changing reels. Now, because of this excellent piece of equipment having been seamlessly integrated with our Omega Converter 430 machine, we are now saving vital  minutes of production time, which makes a huge difference on long-term contracts.”

ABG incorporated non-stop winding technology into their finishing solutions portfolio in 2020, since which they have experienced unprecedented sales. Manufactured at its Spanish facility, the non-stop rewinders and unwinders can work with any printing or converting equipment, thereby providing increased flexibility and choice.

ABG’s winders are of particular interest to customers with medium to long runs, looking to increase productivity, improve product quality and control/reduce material waste. Their standard unwinder system ensures the non-stop feed of web-type materials and can be used in conjunction with converting lines or label presses. ABG’s range of rewinder options can also provide continuous rewinding of a self-adhesive matrix produced with a label cutting and printing process.

The winder solutions have a range of applications and can be used with an existing press, or converter as is the case with Cartor.

“We’ve always been entirely satisfied with the finishing solutions that ABG have provided. We give them complex problems to solve and we integrate a lot of special equipment. The two non-stop unwinders are amazing and we’ll be buying more equipment from ABG in the future,” adds Brigham

“It’s great to see that Cartor is happy with the equipment, installation and support that they are getting from ABG,” says Matt Burton, ABG’s global sales director. “Customers like Cartor find our one-stop-shop very appealing as they can come to us for their whole solution. Our winder systems continue to be a particularly popular part of our product portfolio, fully complementing the complete range of ABG products.”