Investment and flexibility

In the current economic climate, it is crucial to have a strong business plan and to invest in people and machinery to ensure the company is in the best condition to weather the downturn,” says Esther Evans, managing director of Sefton Transmail. “It is also very important to communicate regularly both with company personnel to include them in the process of driving the business forward, and with customers so that they understand that their business is valued.”

Sefton Transmail, a leading UK independent manufacturer of self-seal PE envelopes and other film products, believes in investing for the future, even in times like these. A 6-colour Schiavi flexo press has just been installed at the company’s site in Liverpool to add capacity to the existing 4-colour machine, and a Dixon slitter rewinder is being installed at the Norwich site to ensure the ability to offer very fast lead times to customers.

Additional converting capacity is currently being installed at both sites to ensure that consistent, high quality product is produced across each of the operations. 

“Flexibility to serve our customers is very important at any time, but it is now key to business survival,” stresses Esther Evans. “Constantly listening to the requirements of the market and responding accordingly makes good business sense.”

Another successful project at the company has been the development of a wide range of environmentally friendly products. These include compostible corn and potato starch products, as well as photodegradable and oxodegradable films. The sale of 100 per cent recycled products has also taken off as customers seek to lower their carbon footprint.

Esther Evans emphasises: “We believe the film products market will become increasingly demanding of not only environmental responsibility but also of flexibility. Fast lead-times and short runs will become the norm as the very large orders are lost to electronic transfer of information or other mailing methods.

“Fast change-over technology and multi-use machinery will play an increasing part in retaining a competitive edge. Sefton Transmail will continue to invest and thrive in these challenging conditions.”