Alexir Packaging has started production at its new site just ten weeks after fire completely destroyed its Crawley factory. Bobst Group raided its worldwide demonstration centres to enable it to supply machines to the new Alexir Packaging plant in record time.
Alexir Packaging, the packaging manufacture business of Alexir Partnership, has started production at its new factory in Edenbridge, Kent, just ten weeks after fire completely destroyed its Crawley production facility. The first live production job to leave the new plant was run through the company’s new Bobst Expertfold folder-gluer last Thursday (13/1/11).
To help Alexir Packaging establish its new site in record time, two Bobst folder-gluers and a Bobst diecutter were taken from use at the Bobst Group demonstration and training centres in Switzerland and the USA. The process from the order of three machines to their arrival at the new site was completed in just three weeks.
Robert Davison, Managing Director of Alexir Packaging, said “We have had a phenomenal response from our staff who have worked 24/7 to get us back into production, and they have been supported by an amazing response from our suppliers and by the industry in general. Bobst in particular has pulled out all the stops, taking three machines out of their demonstration centres to get us up and running in the minimum time possible. Our other equipment suppliers have made similar huge efforts.”
Alongside the Bobst Expertfold, a Bobst Masterfold 110 folder gluer and a Bobst Expertcut 106 PE diecutter are currently undergoing installation and commissioning at Edenbridge, as is a Komori LSX640+C(H) six colour printing press. This press was supplied by Komori from their demonstration facility in the Netherlands. Other equipment supplied in short order includes a Fuji CTP system, a Kohmann window patcher, and a Heiber+Schröder tray former.
Robert Davison said, “It’s a huge relief to see cartons coming off the Bobst line after all we have been through and it really marks the return of Alexir Packaging. It’s almost unbelievable how far we have come in the last ten weeks, especially if you factor in the disruption caused by the snow and by the Christmas break. We now expect to be fully operational by the end of the month.”
The Bobst Expertfold 110 which produced the first live work at the new plant has been designed for straightline, crashlock, and 4/6 corner carton folding and gluing. The line is complete with an hhs glue detection and code reading system. The Bobst Masterfold 110 folder-gluer currently undergoing installation is expected to be the next machine to come on stream and will eventually be augmented by a Bobst Cartonpack GT automatic packer.
Stuart Taylor, Bobst Group’s Area Sales Manager for the south of the UK said, “It really is impressive to see the progress that Alexir Packaging have made in such a short period of time and at Bobst Group we are happy that we could help them with this. Our sales and service teams in three countries have worked flat out to get the equipment dismantled, packed, shipped, and reassembled here as quickly as possible. There is still work to be done, but once everything is up and running Alexir will have one of the best equipped plants in the UK.”
Alexir Packaging’s disaster recovery plan was implemented following the fire at Crawley, with production being handled by the company’s disaster recovery partners, F.G.Curtis and Qualvis. Robert Davison said, “Our plan partners have been superb in ensuring that our customers have suffered the minimum of disruption following the fire. Amazingly, several other companies that we would normally class as competitors have also come forward to offer help. We are now working with a pool of nine carton plants, which shows what a remarkable packaging industry we have here in the UK.”
19 January 2011
