Linx makes $1.56m investment in ink plant

Linx Printing Technologies has completed the development and installation of a 1 million pounds ($1.56 million) ink manufacturing plant at its St Ives headquarters, which provides the company with integrated manufacture and dispatch of its inks and solvents to customers worldwide.

The new facility provides enhanced safety features to protect associates and the environment; the continuation of the high quality standards for Linx's range of inks and solvents; and an integrated fluid manufacturing and dispatch operation.

The development of the ink plant has been planned in line with Linx's commitment to Continuous Improvement, and encompasses the lean manufacturing philosophy of parent company Danaher.

These advanced manufacturing techniques allow Linx to produce made-to-order inks, improving both quality and on-time delivery.

The redesign enables significant time savings on logistics of the company's existing system with orders passing direct from the manufacturing cell 'through the wall' for placement onto the customer's pallet, reducing inventory and streamlining dispatch processes.

Flexibility in manufacture is the key feature critical to achieving this highly efficient system.

Linx has invested in a new volumetric filling machine, a modular system that allows operators to quickly perform changeovers between products and improved mixing technology.

Fixed, interlocked pipes are used throughout the process from raw material containers, to mixing vessels, to the filler, which eliminates the possibility of leaks.

The rebuild follows the partial damage to the existing facility after a fire in June 2009, and incorporates advanced safety features to avoid future incidents.

A new sprinkler system, installed at a cost of 300,000 pounds ($467,672), provides a highly targeted fire suppression system.

The facility is divided into sections, so that water is directed only where it is required to extinguish the fire.

The sprinkler system draws water from a tank which holds 473,000 liters, and adds a fire suppressant foam before being pumped to the sprinkler heads.