Hamilton switches to Rotometrics tooling

Label production at the Hamilton plant is based on three MPS and three Nilpeter narrow web presses with two ABG print and converting systems. These generate demand for a significant number of dies. 

‘We have seen a 30 percent increase in job throughput here since we made a number of improvements in production,‘ said Paul Larkin, operations director at Hamilton Adhesive Labels. ‘This includes the switch to Rotometrics tooling that has seen a significant drop in downtime caused by the need to repair or replace dies. We can now complete one job of 300,000 linear meters with just one die, compared typically with the seven that were required before.’

‘I estimate Rotometrics dies cost 10 to 20 percent or sometimes more to buy, depending on the application, but because they last exponentially longer, they are by far the most economical to use. We analyzed one large job that we run on top coated thermal material and found that our previous dies were averaging 440,000 meters each, whereas the Rotometrics flexible dies that we use now give us 1.2 million meters each. That’s a major improvement in efficiency and reduction in production cost,’ added Larkin.  

Almost 400 flexible dies were supplied to Hamilton in the period September 2018 to October 2019. These were predominantly AccuStar Life dies with the Flex Premium longevity coating.

‘We really value our strong working partnership with Hamilton. Paul is a highly respected and knowledgeable figure within the industry, so we had to work hard through extensive trials to prove that our flexible dies outperformed the competition in terms of longevity. His comparison of seven competitor dies to one Rotometrics die for the same job is proof of this in real-time production,’ commented Lee Hadley, area sales manager at Rotometrics.