Smith & McLaurin invest to meet market demand

Smith & McLaurin, manufacturers of coated papers for variable information printing applications, have completed a major investment in the procurement of a specialty coating machine that will be installed at the company’s Kilbarchan Plant in Scotland, UK.

Named ‘Caledonian’ in line with the company’s penchant for naming its major plant equipment in association with its proud Scottish heritage, the new machine will enable the company to increase its manufacturing output of the widest range of standard and speciality products in Europe. The coater will be installed to satisfy customer demands for products required by markets including promotional and marketing goods and will also see an extension of the company’s current range of products for the personal care markets.

The ‘Caledonian’ can coat up to 1530mm, works exclusively with water-based adhesives and has a highly versatile coating system that enables the production of coat-weights from 3gsm to 30gsm.

The company said in a statement: ‘Customers will also benefit from flexible and changeable strip coating patterns that can be altered without significant downtime or cost due to the advanced technology utilized to produce strip-coat adhesives for dry peel applications and also on standard permanent and peelable grades. The versatility of the production capability enables low volume output to be supplied as standard.

‘The versatility of the ‘Caledonian’ will enable Smith & McLaurin to produce a wide range of materials including “self-wound” and the facility to produce more clear face materials including “clear-on-clear” that is high in demand for the personal care markets amongst others.’

Commenting on this investment, Mr Colin Gault, managing director said: ‘This major investment is deeply significant for Smith & McLaurin and underpins our reputation and commitment to innovation. Our customers are hungry for new and exciting products and the “Caledonian” gives us the flexibility and capability to manufacture specialty products efficiently and economically.’