Kingfisher Labels opens expanded production facility

UK-based Kingfisher Labels has welcomed over 100 visitors into its new, 22,000-square-foot factory in Yate for a look behind the self-adhesive label production curtain and to showcase recent investments in flexo and digital printing technology, such as the Mark Andy Pro 3.

The company has been doubling down its efforts in 2024 to increase capacity, elevate quality and meet its ambitious sales target for the year, including relocation to larger premises and continued investment in quality digital printing machinery.

Kingfisher Labels has installed a Mark Andy Digital Pro 3 press in March this year to respond to the increasing demand for digital printing, work which previously has been outsourced.

'We have many micro-breweries locally whose requirements typify the artisan product market and highlight the need for digital capability,' said Karl Jackson, director at Kingfisher Labels. 'It’s not unusual to be asked for 10,000 labels of 12 or 13 different designs – go figure that with a flexo press.

‘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,' added Andy Watts, who runs the company with Jackson. 'What we especially like is the color 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.'

‘We have invested heavily in the new premises and latest flexo and digital technology and it’s really paying dividends. Having digital capability rounds out our offering and shows we have grown into a good size business that can offer a full service on jobs from very short to very long, and all with a great deal of customer care,’ added Jackson. ‘We were delighted with the number of our valued customers and suppliers that attended and the positive comments they made about our organization and production workflow.’

Just over a year ago the company has also installed an 6-color, 350mm Edale FL1 Prime featuring preregistration and Edale’s unique UNiPRINT technology, in line with its ongoing strategy to ensure it operates the latest technology with the ability to customize the press to meet the growing needs of its customers.