Lemorau partners with Vetaphone

Early years saw the company sell its products in the domestic Portuguese market, and it was not until the company exhibited at Labelexpo Europe in 2013 that its technology became known to and readily accepted by a wider international market.   

 

Natália Lopes, sales and marketing manager, Lemorau, said: ‘Until 2004 we had produced only flat-bed machines before moving into rotary technology for die-cutting, blank separation and slitter/rewinders. By 2009 we had extended production into auxiliary equipment for the label sector, including core cutters and roll lifters. But it was exhibiting at Labelexpo that really kick-started the business following our first international sale to an Italian customer in 2012.’  

 

Another showing at Labelexpo, this time in the USA in 2016, saw a boom in demand from American label converters. Encouraged by this, by 2018 the company had developed and launched a new modular concept line that allowed it to tailor the specification to meet the requirements of its customers.   

 

While the base configuration of the new customizable line remains the same but undergoes continual development and improvement, Lemorau offers a list of optional equipment that includes flexo and screen printing, hot and cold foiling, embossing, automatic slitting-knife positioning, an easy strip waste rewinder, turret rewinding, web cleaning and surface treatment.   

 

With the need for web treatment came the introduction of Vetaphone. Lopes added: ‘We had known of the company by reputation from the early 2000s and knew that it was the go-to choice of most narrow web press manufacturers and converters, so when the time came to choose a supplier, it was very much a “no brainer” for us.’  

 

Launching its new line at an open house in 2019, Lemorau fitted a Vetaphone web cleaner and corona treater to its new demonstration line and promptly sold three machines.  

 

‘We have to ensure the web is in the best condition possible for printing and varnishing and need to match the quality of the ancillary equipment we fit that of our own. So, either the customer requests Vetaphone because it’s the market leader, or we recommend it for the same reason. Our customer feedback has always been good, so we know we’re doing things right,’ Lopes added.  

 

Karsten Koch, area sales manager for Vetaphone, commented: ‘We’re at the very beginning of our working partnership with Lemorau and can foresee exciting times ahead with its plans to develop a product range that is already well known and appreciated by the narrow web sector. Vetaphone is looking forward to playing a significant part in Lemorau’s future development because we see a strong synergy between our respective companies.’  

 

Today, Lemorau operates from a production unit close to Porto’s international airport (OPO) and sells its products in 75 or so countries across five continents. Currently manufacturing around 200 machines per year, it has plans and is looking to grow through an expanding network of agents and distributors, without losing any of its reputation for close customer relationships.