Bristol, UK-based based Kingfisher Labels has installed a Mark Andy Digital Pro 3 press at its production facility in Yate.  Established in nearby St Ann’s in 1996 by Martin Jackson and Stan Gladwin with two Mark Andy 830 presses, the company is now run by Karl Jackson and Andy Watts in an impressive 22,000 sq/ft industrial unit that houses three flexo lines and the new Mark Andy Digital Pro 3.

“We set out to grow the business through what we call Total Customer Satisfaction, which basically means that you listen very carefully to what customers say and adapt your production capability accordingly through innovation and a policy of ongoing investment in new technology,” says Andy Watts, who joined the company in 2007 and has seen turnover grow from £300,000 to £3m and staff numbers increase from the initial four to the current 25.

Kingfisher prides itself on its in-house capabilities that includes a full pre-press service to smooth workflow between artwork and finished product.  This helps shorten delivery times and reduces operating costs which are appreciated by its portfolio of customers in the medical, food & beverage, commercial, promotional and security market sectors.

With both water-based and UV ink capacity in up to 10 colors and extensive added-value finishing techniques including reverse side printing, multiple varnishing options, spot coating and cold foil, the company is well set-up to meet a diverse range of jobs.  The exception to this was digital printing and this is where Mark Andy stepped in.

Demand for digital print from Kingfisher’s customers had been growing steadily to the point where it made no sense to continue to outsource the work.  “We have many micro-breweries locally whose requirements typify the artisan product market and highlight the need for digital capability.  It’s not unusual to be asked for 10,000 labels of 12 or 13 different designs – go figure that with a flexo press,” states Karl Jackson, adding that although artwork might be received on a Wednesday for Monday delivery, the customer would continue to request changes.

Once the decision to invest in a digital press was made, it was a question of whether to go toner or inkjet. With a need to streamline production as far as possible, Kingfisher reasoned that a hybrid offering inline finishing would best suit its requirements.  Enter the Digital Pro 3, Mark Andy’s second incarnation of its successful Digital One press that combines a toner-based CMYK engine with the option of flexo print stations before and after, along with die-cutting, stripping the waste, and slitting for single-pass production.

Speaking for Mark Andy, sales manager Phil Baldwin comments, “The Digital Pro 3 offers the best of both worlds because it utilises well-proven technology that is supported by Mark Andy’s technical expertise.  So, all the flexo and web handling expertise we have acquired over the past 70 years goes into making Digital Pro 3 a productive and cost-effective commercial tool.  We have now installed more than 350 worldwide, which speaks volumes for its capability.”

Designed as a low cost-to-print press, the Digital Pro series makes short to medium run work an attractive business for its users.  It offers 1200dpi resolution at 23.4m/min across a variety of substrates from paper to BOPP, PET and PP films and vinyl, without the need for priming or coating.  The flexo units can be used for spot colour or varnish, as well as cold foil and an onboard air-cooled LED/UV unit gives it a small overall footprint, with no need for a clean-room environment.

“We are looking to grow our digital business with the Digital Pro 3, but just as important is that it will give us the opportunity to free-up space on our flexo presses for longer run work.  What we especially like is the colour quality that matches our flexo and allows us to switch jobs from one to the other as needed.  And for one of our major customers, it’s perfect for producing 80 different designs of 100m each!” concludes Watts.