Albéa chooses FlexoWash for clean and green production

Leading international tube laminate manufacturer, Albéa, has installed a FlexoWash PW45 plate cleaner at its plant in Colchester, UK.  Described as: ‘One of the smallest, but one of the best investments we’ve made,’ by production supervisor, Julian Suttle.  He explained: ‘We were experiencing plate damage from manual washing and a degree of inconsistency in performance on-press.  In particular, the hard brushing affected tonal areas, and ink residue left unremoved caused an orange-peel effect on the plates.’  
 
This meant that plates could be reused only three times before damage occurred.  Now, plates can be reused four times or more, giving at least a 25% saving on annual repeat plate costs.  Not only are the plates more effectively cleaned, and longer lasting, but the FlexoWash unit, which is located on the production floor, has made for better workflow and an improved working environment for the crews, who can set the machine going and then be deployed on other jobs.
 
Where disposal of the PM solvent created a problem, the cleaning agent used in the FlexoWash is collected and recycled.  Formulated to last one week, Albéa has found that the solution actually lasts twice that long, thus halving cost, during which time it will clean 1680 plates (140 sets) to keep pace with the company’s 24/7 working pattern.  Best of all, the FlexoWash system is almost maintenance free, requiring only a filter change.
 
Albéa is diversifying sales into the food and pharmaceutical markets, which have long been the domain of the aluminium tube.  With growing demand for more colours and vignettes, special finishes, such as metallics, and the use of metallic foils, recent investments at Colchester will raise the plant’s capacity from 580 million tubes this year to 630 million in 2012, all from a staff of around 190.