UK printer boosts capacity by 228 percent with latest Xeikon investments

Established in 2009 and based in Doncaster, FastLabels has grown quickly, relying on its website to generate business. It offers free next-day delivery by UPS for all UK orders. FastLabels produces thousands of medium-to-large orders in a wide range of fields, including retail, food and drink, manufacturing and pharmaceutical.

The Xeikon CX3 5-color digital label press hardware offers variable substrate widths up to 330mm (13in). This latest machine gives FastLabels a top printing speed of 30m/min (96ft/min).

FastLabels director Shaun Pagin said: ‘Adding the new Xeikon CX3 will provide a wealth of benefits to our customers. Its speed of production will help us to reduce our prices to some of the lowest in the UK while offering the highest quality print, even lower minimum order values and faster turnaround.

‘While we currently have the capacity to cope with demand, we have decided to introduce the new press sooner rather than later to benefit our customers in these ways. It means we can instantly improve our service, and are well prepared for the growth we have planned in the future.’

FastLabels has also upgraded its existing Xeikon 3030 to the 3300 model. This increases the maximum quality print speed from 15m/min to 19.2m/min.

Pagin added: ‘The speed increase that the Xeikon 3300 upgrade provides is essential to our business model. It means we can print at maximum quality and still maintain a very cost-effective print speed. This brings savings in many different ways that we can pass on to our customers.’

He continued: ‘The new press line-up will increase our label print capacity by 228 percent. It’s our mission to prove that low prices don’t have to sacrifice quality, and our new Xeikon CX3 together with the upgraded 3300 will help us to achieve exactly that.’

Filip Weymans, vice president of global marketing at Xeikon, commented: ‘FastLabels has a unique approach to the market and has grown at an unbelievable rate since being founded by Shaun only nine years ago.

‘This second Xeikon machine, along with the upgrade to the first, will allow this fantastic business to go forward and continue to grow with confidence. We have been delighted with the UK uptake of the CX3 model. The ability of the machine to be more productive, print even higher quality images, as well as use a wider range of substrates than ever before is really appealing to label printers.’