Sandon Global has recently invested in a state of the art thermal plasma coating system and is already planning the purchase of a second one. But that is just part of a major investment programme being implemented by the anilox manufacturer. By Neel Madsen.

Cheshire-based Sandon Global was established in 2004 and has in the last nine years become one of the fastest growing anilox manufacturers worldwide. It is currently embarking on a programme of large investments, and significantly expanding its facilities on the Manor Park industrial estate in Runcorn.

John Millington, managing director, said, ‘Our success has been based upon maintaining a small company ethos by closely supporting all our customers. Our order books are full and we believe it is our commitment to the quality and consistency of our products that has initiated our significant expansion plans during 2013.’

Coating control

Central to the company’s plans is a recent £600,000 investment in a Sulzer Metco Triplex thermal plasma coating facility, which has been supplied with a hydrogen gas system as opposed to the more widely used helium option. Having previously outsourced the chromium oxide (ceramic) coating to an external accredited aerospace coating supplier, this has brought the procedure in house, and more importantly, under the complete control of the Sandon Global expertise. A large filtration system has also been put in place with sufficient capacity to accommodate the second coatings system that is already on the table for 2014.

Bringing the coating in house gives the company more exacting control over the entire production process and also the ability to develop new products going forward. Nigel Hedges, operations director, said, ‘Our company is driven on a technical basis and having this high level of control enables us to guarantee the high quality of the aniloxes we produce. It also means that we can respond to individual needs better, create bespoke solutions as needed and process urgent orders instantly. There are also a lot of ideas and product developments that we can now realise that we weren’t able to consider previously.’

The Sulzer Metco system has been modified to fit Sandon’s specific requirements and branded as ‘T-Coat+’ to signify the company’s own unique coatings standards. It was installed over a four month period and employs robotics in a safe enclosed clean condition environment, as well as self-diagnostic software which alerts the operator during the process to any malfunction or errors. Mr Hedges explained that the hydrogen option offers a number of advantages over helium, notably improvement in the consistency of the coating, increase in the hardness of the ceramic if needed and reduction of the porosity levels.

More investments

Increasing capacity in one area of the business naturally necessitates expansion in others too, to avoid creating bottlenecks in production. Consequently, a fifth laser has been ordered for the clean condition and climate controlled laser engraving department where four thermal optic lasers are already working to full capacity. Meanwhile the engineering
department, which manufactures both anilox rollers and sleeves as well as offering a complete refurbishment and repair service, is awaiting delivery of two new grinding machines with 2.5 and 3.5 metre capacity respectively, and for finishing, two new machines are currently being built.

To house the new equipment, the company is expanding its already large premises considerably by taking over the adjoining business unit and relocating the engineering and finishing departments. This will increase the floor space by 16,000 square foot, bringing the total to 32,000 square foot. All in all, an impressive expansion for a company that will be only be celebrating its 10th anniversary next year. Amidst all these developments, the company has also found time to relaunch its website. Six months in development, the new site upgrade makes product information more easily accessible to customers.

‘It is now easier to find information and technical details on the products and services we offer,’ said Mr Millington. ‘Stunning photography and interface updates provide visitors with a unique view into our engineering and cleanroom facilities and illustrate our laser engraving capabilities.’

Quality control

Statistical analysis of tab sampling procedures carried out on each product is one of the main tools the company uses to maintain absolute consistency and accuracy. Each anilox roller or sleeve is checked to ensure it falls within the tight tolerances of the specification before being shipped out.

‘We are constantly questioning our capabilities and accuracy,’ said Mr Millington. ‘It is not enough that the volume of an anilox is correct, the cell structure and its specific ratios have to be correct and balanced to ensure optimum ink pick up/release are achieved to provide the highest and most consistent print quality achievable. Some of the Triaxial ratio engravings that we have developed with our iPro/HVP engravings are complicated and need the highest control mechanisms to be in place to maintain total accuracy. Simply, if the final product does not match those exacting standards, we reject the anilox and start over again.’

Along with the emphasis on quality control, the drive to improve the technology is also in evidence at Sandon. Its HOC (high opacity colour) engraving was developed for the narrow web market segment to enable the printing of high colour density in the solid areas. This was a natural progression from the HOW (high opacity white) engraving, and both offers the printer an alternative to screen printing for heavy laydown of inks, giving significant savings on costs. Another proprietary technology developed by the company is its Enhanced Densification Treatment (EDT). This runs in parallel with the coating process, enhancing the characteristics of the ceramic coating and ensuring complete consistency. The company maintains that with this proprietary process it is eradicating issues such as substrate corrosion, which can be seen in anilox rollers particularly in water-based print applications, such as the corrugated post print market segment, where the ceramic separates due to interface corrosion from the underlying substrate causing the anilox to fail.

Printing partnerships

For Sandon Global, working in close partnership with its customers is the main priority. The management team has many years of experience in the thermal coatings industry, both from an engineering and printing perspective, and it is obvious that they all still burn for the business to which they have devoted their lives.

Mr Millington said, ‘We develop creative partnerships and engage in two-way communication with our customers. We don’t just manufacture and sell anilox rollers and sleeves, we work hard to build customer confidence in us as a company and in our products.’

But the company is not just servicing its customers; it takes a proactive approach to driving the flexographic printing technology forward by being a part of development projects with partner companies along the supply chain. Mr Millington said, ‘As a business we get very excited about development. We see ourselves as a leader not a follower and that is a lot to take on for a small company.’

Accolades

The dedication of the Sandon team is in evidence in the company’s boardroom where a
large number of award certificates cover the walls. In March this year, the company received Supplier of the Year for the fifth consecutive year at the EFIA Awards. With three silver awards and one gold in the same category already in house, it scooped another silver at this year’s ceremony as chosen by the association’s members.

‘Winning the EFIA Award is a great achievement and reflects continuing customer confidence in our products and services,’ commented Mr Millington. ‘Achieving a fourth silver reflects the dedication of our manufacturing team in taking flexographic printing to the highest standards of quality and profitability. We thank all of our customers who took the time to vote for us.’

Of course winning awards is just the by-product of dedicated business practices from a company that has its eye firmly on the future. Mr Millington concluded, ‘Whatever we do as a business, there is a clear purpose behind it. We are looking for results that will benefit our customers in the best possible way and find solutions that will help them deliver exceptional print quality.’