Europe's First Komori Lithrone SX40 for Benson Group

October 2009

Europe's first Komori Lithrone SX40 sheet fed press has been installed at Benson Group's Integrated Packaging site in Gateshead. The 18,000 sheets per hour, 40 inch press is equipped with six print units and a coating unit capable of adding UV or water-based finishes. The new press will be used to produce food packaging product for Benson Group, the UK's Packaging Company of the Year, and is expected to produce some 40 million sheets in its first year of production.

In addition to the £1.9 million LSX40 installation, Benson Group's six existing North-East based Komori presses are all being upgraded with Komori's K-Station, the Komori Management System (KMS), and Print Density Control (PDC) spectrophotometer. The upgrades are expected to increase the throughput of these existing presses - all six-colour with coater (one with double coater) - by as much as 5 million sheets per year, per press. These existing presses are split equally between Benson Group's Gateshead and Newcastle factories.

Commenting on the new addition, and the need for the enhancements to existing machinery, Mark Kerridge, Managing Director of Benson Group, said: "Expanding the printing capacity of our North East facilities was an essential ingredient for our continued growth plan. We examined all of the leading press suppliers' products at Drupa last year, and were certainly impressed by the developments that had been made, especially in terms of makeready. Whilst we have added new Heidelberg equipment to our Bardon site, we felt that it made sense to stay with Komori for the North East. The new LSX 40 is an extremely impressive product. This new print capability coupled with the upgrades to our existing machinery provides a significant expansion of printing capacity within the group should ensure that we are able to cope with the additional carton business that we expect to win over the coming year."

"To have secured the first European installation of the flagship Lithrone LSX 40 within the Benson Group is very pleasing," said Steve Turner, General Sales Manager, Sheetfed presses, Komori UK. "This powerful press is packed with features such as the new Fully Automatic Plate Mounting System, PDCS II closed loop colour management system and the unique Komori KHS-AI Advanced Intelligence, self-learning pre-inking system which ensures the job is ready for production after very few makeready sheets.

"These features combine to create a press which offers the fastest ever Komori makeready, fastest running speed, and importantly, as there is so little waste substrate the environmental impact is much reduced, especially as it can also run alcohol free.

"The Benson Group is already a major user of Komori Lithrone LS40 technology. As the business continues to grow and prosper, this latest generation LSX machine will enable this dynamic company to greatly increase its production capacity in the North East."