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Latest News |
MAY 2002 |
Abbey launches ‘New Deal’
Abbey has announced the launch of its New Deal that is designed to help customers regain their competitive edge and target new, niche markets.
"The traditional sheet plant is operating in an increasingly competitive environment and to maintain margins it must find ways of adding value", said managing director David Coleman, "‘Abbey’s New Deal’ does precisely that!"
With the addition of our new plant at Kettering we now offer the widest range of flute grades manufactured in the UK. We have also launched a new high quality ‘FineArtFlute’ board which is designed to replace solid board in the screen and display sectors. It is only through the development of new flute combinations that we are now able not only to increase our share of the market, but also to open up new markets that, hitherto, have been the preserve of solid board."
The New Deal will provide customers with a range of specialist boards and it will also provide a full technical service back-up.
In addition to its new ‘FineArtFlute’, Abbey can provide a range of clay coated boards in flute profiles from single wall N flute to BC double wall. And its Paraprint clay coated material has a polyethylene barrier below the surface that is excellent for screen or litho printing in packaging applications where water or humidity is a problem.
Direct food contact
Silicon release liners for direct food contact are designed for use with raw ingredients which can be baked at 230 degrees for up to 30 minutes and which allows the baked product to be released.
Abbeylite, introduced three years ago as one of the first micro-flute products, has proved to be an excellent material for direct litho printing through a variety of carton presses. It is now also widely used for fitments and rigid cartons and, as part of its trade support facilities, Abbey now provides a pre-print facility for up to 6 colours plus varnish, and an in-house litho-lamination service.
Integrated operation
Although Abbey Corrugated at Blunham and the new Kettering site will operate as an integrated unit, Kettering will trade as Abbey Board to distinguish its specialist product range from the more conventional corrugated operation at Blunham.
Abbey’s two state-of-the-art plants are probably the best-equipped sheet feeding operations in Europe. The investment in Blunham alone over the past six years is over £30 million and the cost of Kettering, which opened in 1998, was £12million.
In addition, Abbey’s EDI e.commerce system is the most advanced in the industry giving customers an on-line ordering capability and secure access to up-dated order status 24 hours a day. EDI is in operation at both plants and orders can be placed on either plant irrespective of the product or order mix.
And with the introduction of a Navigational Vehicle Tracking System which will be installed throughout the Abbey fleet, customers now have a closed loop which gives them access to up-dated information from prices, through on-line ordering, to monitoring order status and order delivery. The ability to coordinate machine set-up and delivery times will show considerable cost savings to the customer.
"This is Abbey’s New Deal where the benefits to our customers from bringing the two companies together is greater than the sum of the individual."
