Nottingham packaging firm makes Romanian investment

A Nottingham packaging firm which employs 500 staff across five countries has made a €350,000 in a new gluing machine for its Romania factory.

The Wilkins Group, based in Colwick, Nottingham, bought the Omega Allpro 110 Folder Gluer from Turkish company, Duran Machinery. It is expected to speed up production and do a job that was previously being done by two machines.

Justin Wilkins, sales director, said: “This is an interesting investment for us because it is the first one we have done with Duran Machinery. They have done something that is comparable with the company we used before but at a more reasonable cost. The kit does all types of weird and wonderful gluing constructions that we have.

“The reason we invested in this is to increase our output on the finishing side. This machine is a real uplift to what we’ve already got out there in terms of speed and set up times, so it will really uplift that end of the business.

“We already have high speed die cutting and printing machines but the gluers were slowing it down. We needed to invest in the gluing area to bring it in line with the rest of the factory. It will make a big difference.”

The kit that this machine is replacing consists of two machines which need two operators and six assistants to operate it per shift. The new machine will need just three people in total, per shift. The remaining staff will be given jobs in other parts of the factory, says the firm.

The machine will be in place by the end of the year, with the potential of The Wilkins Group utilising the technology in its other bases. It employs around 500 staff globally, including in Sri Lanka, China, India and Bangladesh.

The company has recently taken on more staff in its Romania factory, and now has more than 60 people working for firm in Romania.

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