UK label printer migrates towards digital

The UK label printer has chosen the seven-colour model of the HP Indigo WS6600 and the HP SmartStream Labels and Packaging Print Server. It also has a pair of Digicon Series 2 finishing lines from AB Graphic International for near-line finishing.

Windmill Tapes & Labels was formed in 1980 and initially produced adhesive tapes before moving into label production in 2005. Its customers range from food and FMCG retail suppliers to plastics and chemical companies.

The HP Indigo WS6600 will be used by Windmill Tapes & Labels to increase its digital label production capabilities, improve quality and migrate work from conventional printing.

Andrew Southern, owner and managing director of Windmill Tapes & Labels, said: ‘Label production has driven virtually all our growth and today accounts for roughly 60 percent of our business. This steady growth has accelerated the need for additional production capacity in order to meet increasing demand for high-quality labels.

‘The HP Indigo WS6600 gives us the print quality, power and speed needed for a first-class digital label printing operation.’

‘We’re hoping the new press will increase our output by about 20 percent. That would be through a combination of new business and work migrated from our flexo presses, and driven by HP technology.’

The press will be installed in September at the company’s new facility in Stockport, which will bring together Windmill’s original operation with those of Commercial Label Products, which it acquired in 2010.

‘Part of our reason for acquiring Commercial Label Products was to gain a digital printing capability,’ added Southern. ‘We were very impressed with its HP Indigo press ws4050, and that led us to make this latest investment in HP Indigo technology.’