Liniar stays ahead of foil demand with investment in lamination plant

Innovative PVC-U systems company Liniar is ramping up its capacity for foiled profiles, with the purchase of one of the most technically advanced lamination machines on the market. The £750k investment in the Luna R Automatic Profile Wrapping Machine from Italy has been specifically designed for Liniar and will help the extrusion company speed up the production of foiled profiles, thanks to major time savings on set up time and increased output.

Liniar already offers one of the best foil ranges in the UK today, with 36 foils across 5 substrates – giving a possible 3,330 colour combinations. Its in-house, purpose-built lamination department has seen unprecedented demand over recent years and in particular recent months.

The decision to purchase this machine was made during 2019 as part of Liniar’s long term strategic plan to offer unrivalled service of foiled products – for example, increasing its range of stock items and offering shorter, market leading lead times on made-to-order products.

The new machine will be fully operational by November and will offer the capacity of two standard lamination machines, thanks to high automation and productivity – effectively halving overall energy consumption – in line with Liniar’s focus on manufacturing efficiency and environmental standards.

Production Director Eddy Webb explains why the new addition is important for Liniar and its customers: “We’ve all seen the huge increase in demand for foiled products as consumers become more aware of what’s available. Liniar has always been at the forefront of introducing new colour ranges to the market, and our plans for 2020 included looking at ways to increase the range even more towards the end of the year.

“The demand spikes following the COVID-19 lockdown have had the effect of accelerating our plans and we’re delighted to receive the machine earlier than planned. It’s our aim for the Luna to run the work of two existing lamination machines – allowing the team greater flexibility to focus on special orders. This will result in huge benefits for Liniar customers in the coming months.”

The investment is the second large purchase Liniar has announced during the pandemic, following the introduction of several million pounds’ worth of additional extrusion machinery in June. It will be teamed with another 2 extruders, which were also due for delivery in October.