World’s first Screen Truepress Jet L350UV+ headed to Northern Ireland

The UV inkjet press, launched at Labelexpo Europe 2017, will be used to produce food, beverage and chemical product packaging labels.

Following a near nine-month process of due diligence travelling throughout Europe to visit different manufacturers, James Hamilton Group chose the Screen Truepress Jet L350UV+ press for its combination of efficiency and quality.

Keith Hamilton, James Hamilton group managing director, explained: ‘The business needed more capacity and we knew right at the start we were looking for a digital solution to complement our existing flexo press lines in order to respond to the ever-increasing requirements for shorter run lengths and increased SKUs. The Screen Truepress Jet L350UV+ was a clear choice for us because it ticked so many boxes; Screen’s UV inkjet technology delivers tried and tested quality, it has an excellent reputation for reliability and with the 60m/min speed, it’s becoming a real rival to flexo production.’

John Doyle, UK sales manager at JH Label Solutions, said: ‘It’s very difficult to price for downtime especially if that is a regular occurrence with a machine. This will be our first Screen press, but the company’s reputation and reliability which we have experienced for many years with using Screen CtP machines, was a factor in our decision. Our relationship and several visits to Screen in Holland persuaded us we’re going to have an extremely productive press when you combine the running speed with the uptime.’

James Hamilton Group was established in the 1920s as a paper and twine merchant, before moving on serve the local linen industry in Lurgan and Portadown with packaging materials. In the 1960s the company expanded further, adding the JH Print & Packaging division. In 1973 it moved into office stationery, in 1982 into disposable hygiene products, and in 1991 JH Bearings and Transmissions was formed. JH Label Solutions was formed in 2008.

‘The labels business was started because we were being requested to supply a label portfolio by a lot of our packaging customers,’ noted Keith Hamilton. ‘It was a good fit with our existing packaging business, so we started to outsource labels. The business developed really quickly and our own in-house production of labels became a serious consideration as we knew it would benefit our business. We then bought our first flexo press and within six months had bought and installed a further two new presses to keep up with demand. Our objective was never to be the biggest, but we strive to be the best and we’ll often over deliver on service for our customers.’

Delivering repeatable print quality and precise accuracy, as required for chemical, food and beverage product labelling, is important to the company. The Screen Truepress Jet L350UV+ features proprietary screening technology with one of the smallest droplet technologies commercially available. Smooth color gradations, image and text detail is achieved by the system’s high-resolution screening and ink spread compensation software functionality.

“Our customers expect premium quality print,’ states David Hedley, general manager at JH Label Solutions. ‘With the new Screen press we’ll be able to offer something different in the extended orange color gamut, which in turn will meet their stringent quality requirements, in addition to providing a faster service. I believe our customers will be very happy with our choice.’

Richard Styles, sales director at Litho Supplies, Screen’s partner in Ireland for the last fifteen years, said: ‘Following this world first, we’re confident in securing more business as the high-speed inkjet label market develops.’