Labour Saving Solution For Carlton Cards

Saving money was the name of the game when Advanced Dynamics Ltd, the leading supplier of packing and labelling equipment was called in by one of the largest greetings card companies in the country, Carlton Cards, the West Yorkshire based arm of UK Greetings.

The company was seeking to install equipment in its Dewsbury factory, which would end a labour-intensive process of unpacking and repacking cards and envelopes so a price label could be attached.

So Carlton Cards decided it was time the process was automated – and that’s where Advanced Dynamics came in. The company, formed out of the amalgamation of WLT and Crusader Europe, was well-known to Carlton as a supplier of top quality, well engineered machinery.

Talks began which culminated in the installation of two all-in-one feeding and labelling systems, which have provided the high speed and pinpoint accuracy which was demanded. The feeders are from Kora Packmat and the labellers from Eurokett, both manufacturers whose names are known and trusted throughout the industry – and for both of which Advanced Dynamics act as sole UK distribution agents.

Each of the two systems, capable of operating at a rate of 200 cards per minute, use a vacuum suction conveyor for accurate product positioning and drive, and a stepper motor driven applicator to maintain high speed and high label accuracy.

The Kora Packmat feeders are ideal for thin or sensitive products like greetings cards because they use two grippers to pull the lowest card from a pile while the Eurokett Ultra can handle most general needs and is capable of operating 24 hours a day at a high speed. Its ease of operation and adjustment gives it an added edge over the competition.

Dave Jackson, Carlton’s finishing manager, is delighted with the machines. ‘’The machines are excellent, so much so that we sometimes have the odd problem finding enough work for them but at least that means there is spare capacity when we want to expand. And we are currently getting through 80,000 to 90,000 cards a day to supply major multiples and we now have the potential to make significant savings.’’

Mr Jackson is hardly surprised at the quality and efficiency of the equipment. ‘’We have known Malcolm Little (Advanced Dynamics’ joint managing director) for a good while and have worked with both Crusader Europe and WLT in the past. So we knew we would get quality and good service.’’

Malcolm Little commented: ‘‘The Carlton Cards contract brings significant cost savings to the company and we were delighted to be able to assist them. ADL has a wide range of solutions offering reduced Labour costs that will benefit a wide range of businesses. ”