Midland Regional Printers backs optimism with £450k die

Dominic Bernard Thursday, April 13, 2023

Midland Regional Printers (MRP) has ordered a new Sanwa 1060 SCB Axia blanking and die-cutting machine, to be installed in September 2023.

The machine represents a £450,000 investment for MRP, which has been enjoying a bumper few years, according to Matt Seaford, the company's sales director.

The Axia die-cuts and blanks solid and corrugated boards at a speed of 8,000sph, and will join MRP's Heidelberg Easymatrix, Sanwa 1060 and Heidelberg Platen cylinder at the firm's Nottingham site.

The new machine, bought directly from Sanwa, will be able to break out cartons from their sheets automatically, delivering a loaded pallet to the glueing machine.

Over the course of a million cartons, this will save MRP several days’ production time, according to Seaford.

"Financially it should be very good to us, saving that cost of breaking out," he said.

He added that the machine's ability to handle board up to 2mm thick would likewise provide additional work for the company.

"We’ll be opened up to more of the games side of the market, and some models.

"We already have customers saying ‘If you can do this, we’ll give you the work’. They’re almost begging us to do the work for them – it's a good position to be in, as we should be able to get more work in straight away."

The company itself, he added, is in a fortunate position considering the wider difficulties in the economy.

With 70 staff, and a turnover that surpassed expectations by jumping from £6.5m to over £7m last year, MRP is "going for growth", Seaford said, with the new Axia set to help.

Part of this growth has been because of the company's newfound focus on packaging work over commercial print, according to Seaford, though with a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL, the commercial side is certainly not forgotten.

He said: "It's all looking positive at the moment: We’ve been gaining more and more packaging work, it has been a bit of a change from when I started, as we were more commercial [print].

"Now, we’re primarily packaging with a bit of commercial print. It has been a good transition and I’ve been happy to see that happen over my time with the business."

Catherine Tew, the company's marketing director, added that the market's shift towards cardboard over plastic had helped the firm: "This latest investment marks a significant moment in terms of growth for Midland Regional Printers.

"We have been tirelessly working with brands to redesign their plastic packaging into cardboard due to the consumer appetite to reduce single-use plastics."

While the company considered a few options for the new machine, it was always going to be a Sanwa.

Seaford said: "Our guys on the shop floor, the die-cutting operators, wanted a Sanwa.

"It's quite difficult to go against their recommendation, considering they are the ones running the machine – and they were pushing strongly for a Sanwa because they think they are the best [on the market]."

MRP is also looking at ordering a fourth gluer to add to its stable of machinery.