Finishing & Screen Printing

Labels specialists invests in giant Polar line

Monday 21. January 2013 - Gavin Watson has invested over £500,000 in a complex and highly automated Polar cutting solution for the production of wet glue labels, primarily for the food and drinks industries.

The system has been installed at the Glasgow factory and has allowed the company to refine its production methods. The automation of the machine has made output more predictable across shifts, taking some of the graft out of the operation and enhancing the operator’s role as a skilled technician.
The line consists of a Polar 115N Pro Autotrim, a Polar 115N AT Automated Cutter with a pressing station and Polar BM105 multi-station bander, JDF connected via Compucut.
Compucut minimises the time required to set up the line. This is particularly useful with complex label sheets. It takes cutting data directly from prepress and prepares the machine for the cuts required.
Autotrim removes the paper waste automatically into a Kongskilde waste extraction system, which is compacted by an external baler, producing tonnes of waste paper a month which is sold for recycling.
“The label cutting line would be hobbled without extraction given the high volume of cutting involved in label production,” says Ian Johnstone, chairman of Gavin Watson.
“This new cutting line adds additional capacity, helping to remove bottlenecks and it runs alongside an existing Polar 115XT Autotrim line that will continue to be used for ad hoc and commercial work. We did look closely at other systems but concluded that the Polar solution was the best and that Heidelberg could supply top class support and training. This line will run for many years so the quality of service becomes a major issue and we are confident that Heidelberg is well placed to look after us for the long term.”
In the last 12 months Gavin Watson has also invested in a Gietz hot foil blocker, Kongskilde waste extraction system, two Audion shrink wrapping lines and improved racking and palletising in its warehouse.
The company produces over 1.5 billion labels a year for a prestigious client list across the food and drinks industries and prides itself on its relentless pursuit of quality and efficiency.