The shop floor at OPM is dominated by five Nilpeter UV flexo presses
OPM Group is a shining example of a lean operation where each piece of equipment has its place and each person functions as an invaluable cog in the wheel. Strong leadership by management who are confident in their employees’ ability characterises the Leeds-based printing company. Neel Madsen paid The Colour Box a visit.
Having moved into new modern premises on the outskirts of Leeds in 2013, owners Chris and Sue Ellison are very clear about how they want to run their company, and their vision has been carried through every aspect of the business.
‘The move into what was essentially an empty box, gave us the opportunity to build an optimised workflow according to lean principles and completely customise our facility to our needs,’ said Sue Ellison. ‘We designed an open plan factory where walls are low, every room has a window and everyone can visually connect. This promotes a team environment and enhances communication.’
There is a natural flow through the new premises with client-facing operations at the front of the building and production central to operations – all based around improved use of time and just-in-time production. There is even a fully equipped gym and shower facilities within the new-build.
The focus is firmly on customer satisfaction and OPM believes that this can only be achieved by having a fully trained and happy who are satisfied in their roles. ‘We passionately believe in happy people who are on top of their game. It is paramount that they have the most advanced tools to do their job to a high standard and that we show the team that we believe in them. This gives our customers a positive experience and confidence in us as a company.’
Brand colours are matched in the ink lab using X-rite software
Trust and let go
As well as establishing an in-house training academy, OPM has also brought in external training experts to coach the newly formed Heads of Departments (HoD) team. The team has received continual professional development (CPD) in communications, understanding the dynamics of the production chain, staff management, time management and other management skills. It meets once a month to exchange ideas, talk about investment needed, potential for future innovation, and other day to day issues. These meetings have an open format and are not attended by the directors, more evidence of the trust they put in their employees. It also gives the individual departments a better understanding of how their decisions and actions influence others.
Chris Ellison said, ‘The HoD team has been running for a year now, and it is the most radical initiative we have taken so far in terms of management structure, but the savings achieved and ideas that have emerged so far have been impressive.’ He continued, ‘You can’t grow your business if you don’t grow your people, and I get a huge amount of satisfaction out of watching staff grow in confidence and professionalism. You have to make the jump and share control to let the business grow.’
This is all backed up by detailed training guides for each job put in place to reduce human effort, provide a consistent service to customers and ensure efficient use of assets.
Production
Privately-owned OPM (Labels & Packaging) Group Ltd was established over 40 years ago, originally as an engineering company manufacturing mechanical overprinting machines. The company was bought by the current shareholders in 1988 and rapidly began producing plain and printed self-adhesive labels under the new name of OPM. The addition, in 1999, of a further site allowed for production of flexible packaging.
On the factory floor stand five Nilpeter UV flexo presses; with a new nine colour FA-4* is due to be installed in June. These are complemented by finishing equipment from Bar Graphic Machinery. In 2013, OPM invested in a Nilpeter FA-5 584 mm 10 colour press with inline solvent lamination (the only of it kind in Europe), and in 2014, it added an advanced crossover unit for the production of multi-layer labels. The latter enables production of intricate coupons in a number of ways with different features and embellishments.
Consistent and repeatable colour reproduction is achieved across multiple presses on multiple substrates and all presses are calibrated and can record print data. Nikka Research 100% inline print inspection units monitor printed images economically and to reduce human error.
All products are produced to ISO 9001:2000 and BRC/IoP standards for food packaging using low migration inks. The majority of jobs use Kodak Flexcel NX plates, the remaining (around 15%) jobs are printed with In-the-round (ITR) sleeves from DuPont and Flint. Plates are made press ready using an automatic plate mounter from JM Heaford and cleaned in a Flexo Wash PW 45 WR unit.
A complete colour management system is in place to drive efficiencies and avoid downtime on press. Using a combination of X-rite spectrophotometer, a FlexiProof 100 print proofer and a gravimetric inks dispensing system from Füll, OPM has automated colour matching in the ink lab. In addition to the colour quality software, the company also has Ink Manager 6.0, which allows spectral data to be converted into a specific ink formulation.
The output of self-adhesive labels, flow wrap, sachet laminate and lidding film from the factory floor is around 3.2 million metres per month, mainly for the automotive, chemical, food and beverage, health and beauty, horticultural, household, and medical sectors.
Technical manager Jamie Hyde explains the latest finishing equipment to our online editor, Michal
Lean workflow
OPM has worked with Tharstern for many years and recently integrated its Primo MIS with Esko’s Automation Engine to achieve a leaner workflow. The companies worked closely together during the integration process, and the system now streamlines and automates artwork/repro and business workflows from estimate to delivery.
Sue and Chris Ellison said, ‘We have continuously looked to improve profitability and output through lean manufacturing and this has been made possible with the Tharstern Primo MIS system. One of the most exciting things about Primo is the way it integrates with other platforms. It provides strong, reliable data to improve communication between our team and our customers. It is a real printer’s system and the more you use it, the more you get out of it. With such an adaptable system, it is easy to create additional reports and tailor it to our business.’
‘Primo empowers us to take control of our production capabilities, manage delivery deadlines, optimise capacity and react to ever-changing demands and priorities. This route to manufacture gives our team full traceability of job progress during its lifecycle,’ they explained.
‘We have developed from a typical printer to a printer with advanced customer service skills and we did this through modelling ourselves on how a retailer expects service from its suppliers.’ Every step of the process is now managed and customers are kept informed at all points throughout the critical path. There are also six monthly customer reviews and all feedback received is displayed for everyone to see and to reinforce relationships.
The company lives and breathes ‘lean’ and these principles are carried through to every level, be it dealing with waste or sending out confirmation emails. Chris Ellison said, ‘We have taken the most effective attributes of lean, gathered from world class manufacturing industries, adding our print-based expertise and developed a series of hands-on programmes, then coached our teams in the application of lean and best practice techniques.’
Innovation
Firmly based on the continual development in the printing market, OPM has a strong focus on innovation, aiming to find the sweetspot where what is viable in the market place and what is desirable to users overlap with what is possible with the available technology.
‘We’re committed to growing through continued investment in people and world class technologies,’ said Chris Ellison. ‘We always think about the long-term strategy. We don’t want to be average and we’re passionate about helping our clients to achieve excellence in all areas of their work. That’s why we stay up to speed with the latest technology.’
The company was a pioneer in four colour process printing and continues its R&D in Spotless colour management, as well as printed electronics and technical material development for products with multi-functional uses.
The other cornerstone is continuous investment in both technology and people. Since 2009, the company has invested over £4 million in various assets, which include the improved MIS system, printing presses, and ink technology, amongst others, to ensure that it is always at the forefront of label and packaging technology. With growth projected to take the turnover to just under £13 million this year, it would seem it is a recipe that works.
