The ability to produce peel and peel/reseal labels for its blue chip portfolio of international food clients has resulted in Swedish converter Lexit Label installing a second 16″ (410 mm) Mark Andy 4150 flexo press. The latest (both were supplied by Convertec AB) is a six-color press, supplementing an eight-color machine installed last year. It is intended to lift Lexit’s output past €4 million in its second year of label production, and offers the company’s two new sales staff the extra capacity to develop existing and new markets.

“The ability to offer delam/relam capability was essential for one food customer in particular, and our intention is to add double layer capacity in the near future. As labels become more sophisticated, both as marketing tools and to meet the latest international legislation, converters need to add value to grow their business,” says Claes Rahn, managing director at Lexit’s Gothenburg plant.

While acknowledging that volume production is still his company’s main priority, especially in the food market, Rahn has his eyes set on the rapidly growing chemicals market, where a variety of label techniques are required to suit different environmental conditions. “We see the Mark Andy presses as ideal production tools for conditions that pose specific problems for labels, whether it’s rub resistance, or the ability to cope with massive variations in temperature or humidity,” he adds.

Currently the company’s label output is 85 percent on paper based substrates, which Rahn sees continuing as his facility builds on its current client/product base. What will change is Lexit’s need to outsource capacity for specialized products, which has already reduced from around 20 percent to near 6 percent, and will drop further with the two presses in full production. “Fast turnaround is a given these days, whatever market you are supplying — where we have an edge is in our working partnerships with customers that allow us to develop advanced packaging concepts into reality,” he says.