(Left Mr Santi Benimeli  - Sanbesan Owner and right Mr David Beynon - Daco Solutions Managing Director)

A New Conversion

Product and market development are key ingredients for the success of any business. In fast moving markets such as labelling and packaging they are critical activities if businesses are to grow in today’s competitive environment.

Capital investment in mainstream production equipment requires a detailed knowledge of customer needs and market direction. A good deal of management time is focused on buying the right equipment and often as not this investment can be diluted because the machinery purchased is utilised for only part of its designed purpose.

Take blank label production for instance. Frequently equipment designed for multi colour label work can be tied up running blank labels because there are no alternatives. Alternatively, blank labels are scheduled to run on older equipment that has seen better days and is only kept for such purposes. In this respect productivity is lost because such machines are slower and take longer to set up.

One Company, Daco Solutions Ltd has recognised that there is a demand for simple rotary die cutting equipment that can deliver plain labels at high speed from what amounts to ‘table top’ equipment in some cases. Of course, such machinery should be capable of taking the original die cutting tooling that firms use to process labels on mainstream label presses such as Mark Andy, Edale, Gallus, Focus and KDO to name but a few.

Daco, based at Beverley near Hull, is a relative newcomer to the label and converting machinery market but has quickly established itself as a source of innovative equipment that covers a multitude of needs such as splicing tables and slitter rewinders through to die cut to registers equipment and turret rewinders.

We have now sold equipment to 29 countries with destinations that include Russia, The U.S.A., Australia and Iran”. Says David Beynon who manages the business and has designed and built all the products supplied by the firm. He is a qualified electrical and mechanical engineer and often takes the unconventional design route if he feels it necessary.

“I try to design all our equipment so that it is as simple as possible to operate” says Beynon. This may seem obvious at first but when he explains some of his ideas you begin to understand they are unconventional when you compare them with traditional methods. “Since we manufacture equipment that is simple to operate we often sell to non-label outlets such as suppliers of thermal printers or bar code equipment. These businesses often get asked to supply labels by their clients and they now manufacture their own products instead of outsourcing them”. He continued.

The Company also offer a complete bespoke design and manufacturing service to meet specific client needs such as combining a variety of functions into the same machine. Space or width limitations may dictate a bespoke approach but more often that not a client will want to explore ways of making labels more quickly and with less waste than before.

“In this case we consult fully with the customer and put forward a range of suggestions that are designed to solve the problem”. Says Mark Laurence who acts as Sales Manager. “The Daco design staff use the latest Solid Edge 3D CAD software to prepare drawings of the proposed converting equipment for our in house manufacturing facility. The client is kept fully informed with the ongoing process regarding the converting machines development and changes are made if needed”. He continues.

Indeed the Company is well suited to this approach since they manufacture some 90% of their own components. On site they have all the machine tools and electrical jigs needed to offer a complete build and test bed for all machines supplied.

This is an important part of the service since the majority of the machines they build and supply are shipped thousands of miles and need to be operational as quickly as possible once they are unpacked. Clients are often able to commission new equipment themselves without having the expense of funding flights and accommodation for engineers.

The same facility is offered in the unlikely event of a breakdown with the Solid Edge software offering a full parts listing so that the client can identify quickly what is needed and this can be made, if not in stock, and shipped with the minimum of delay.

One of the most difficult problems Daco has had to overcome is the rewinding of very narrow reels, often no more than 1cm across. Such products are used in the security label market to carry tax and excise duty markings on cigarette packs and liquor bottles. These labels are self adhesive and also tamper proof and need to be supplied in long reel lengths to maximise efficiencies on bottling and packing lines.

“To meet this requirement we have developed a slitter and turret rewind that adjusts the tension in the reel exactly to the level required to balance rigidity and prevent ‘telescoping’. Handling these label reels is an art in itself because most are numbered too and any breakages or spoils during rewinding cause untold problems for the converter” Beynon warns.

Daco have supplied a number of systems specifically made to make tax stamps to meet the needs of several countries. The machines supplied also double up to supply rolls of self-adhesive visa’s too.

Daco told Package, Print and Converting that orders tend to come from exhibitions and referrals and the company works through agents outside Europe to ensure a steady flow of business. The company are looking for sales agents in South America, Africa and the Far East.

The company has done well to build such an impressive range of equipment over what is a relatively short period of time. Plans for the future embrace further development of existing equipment, increasing web widths and introducing inlay modules that will take reels of RFID chips and antennae and place them onto pre-cut labels before rewinding.

“We know that this is a delicate process and we have ideas that can be applied to remove many of the hazards associated with this operation.” Laurence concludes.

Article kindly reproduced with permission from Package, Print & Converting International

Daco Solutions Limited
Unit 2, Oldbeck Road, Beverley,
East Yorkshire, HU17 0JW, UK
Tel: 01482 860288 International: +44 1482 860288
Fax: 01482 880942 International: +44 1482 880942
Email: Sales Department