Tim Clifton with the new guillotine.
London trade print finisher and book binder Cliftons has targeted double digit year-on-year growth after completing an £800,000 investment programme to support its expansion into layflat and PUR binding. The latest kit is a B2 Horizon AFC-566FG folder and a Perfecta 115SE guillotine from Intelligent Finishing Systems.
Tim Clifton, managing director of Cliftons, said: ‘We looked at layflat binding that shows off great panoramic views about five or six years ago but at the time the market wasn’t ready.
‘In the last 18 months we have been pushing the layflat product quite hard and now it has really taken off. Layflat has added about £350,000 to our turnover last year and we expect that growth continue by 10% to 12% year-on-year.’
The company had a 13-year-old Horizon folder and decided it was time to replace it. The new one has helped it to further streamline throughput and has increased production by 20% to 25% due to faster make readies and consistent running speeds. The Horizon AFC-566 offers 17 fold patterns which are set up via an icon-based touchscreen. All roller gap settings are then performed automatically by inserting a single sheet at the calliper.
The Perfecta 115SE guillotine replaces an old Polar 137. It is suitable for sheets such as paper, board or even films and foils, rubber, leather, sandpaper and many other materials.
