Isle of Wight Biltong, a specialist provider of the South African delicacy, believes it is on the brink of huge growth and success thanks to the new vertical form fill and seal equipment it has purchased from Kern Pack.  The new machine is due for delivery in late March and will be put into production within days of installation.

Sarah Greef, owner of Isle of Wight Biltong, said: “We are a currently a small company but are anticipating huge growth based on vastly increased capacity that the Kern equipment will enable.  Our capability will skyrocket and we believe there’s a huge market for our unique recipe and natural, additive and nitrate-free ingredients.”

Greef says that they are anticipating benefits in three key areas.  “Firstly, the air-tight seal is so good that the shelf-life of products has now been extended from 3 months to 1 year which will make us hugely more attractive to big distributers, wholesalers and supermarkets.  Secondly, we will be able to produce packs with printed film and date coding which means products look far more professional and trustworthy which is important from a consumer point of view.  Logistically, the speed of the equipment is fantastic, in fact the Kern Vertical Form Fill and Seal can pack bags far faster than we can currently weigh.”

Pete Jolley, Kern’s general Manager, said:  “The machine is very simple to operate and has a very small footprint for such a fast piece of kit, making it ideal for the Biltong operation as they have limited space.”

The purchase was made possible thanks to an interest free loan from the Isle of Wight Lottery and a generous grant by DEFRA  which meant Isle of Wight Biltong could consider the purchase of arguably the best engineered equipment on the world market.  Having reviewed and looked at three competing companies it was clear that Kern’s equipment was superior and the Greefs were happy to support another Hampshire-based company.

The brilliant FP016evo is ideal for first time users although can stand on its own as a main packaging machine for small to medium bakeries or confectioners. Ideal for wrapping those packs of Hot Cross Buns ready for the Easter rush!

 To find out more, contact the flowrapping experts at KernPack on 0845 680 6060

The Kern 3500 Silverline, 996 High Speed Cutter and innovative Printmodule will be on show to visitors to Hunkeler Innovation Days in Lucerne from 11th to 15th February on Stand number S08.

from Kern

Kern is showcasing the new Kern 130 / 141 high performance rotary cutting line for the first time at Drupa 2012. Leading the way to production mail excellence, the Kern high volume 130/141 is unrivalled in speed, and with an ability to cut up to 200 metres per minute, is the most efficient production cutter on the market

The new roll to cut and stack solution from Kern offers an excellent cost benefit ratio in an exceptionally small footprint.  Chairman and owner of the Kern group, Uli Kern, said: “Visitors to the Drupa stand this year have been hugely impressed by the high performance and speed of our cutting lines, and we have had multiple comments about the practicality of the model and how easy it is to use.”

 Kern’s new rotary technology offers all fundamental functions and features, such as pinless or pinfeed with 1-up, 2-up, 3-up or 4-up options, as well as high stack capacity with offset functionality. High-speed cutting is available over a wide range of formats, and is ideal for use in transactional, transpromo, direct mail and book-making.

 Thanks to the use of an innovative, accurate feed system, the Kern 130 high performance rotary cutter line enables the user to obtain stacked cut sheets over a wide format range together with job offset capability at a reduced cost in comparison with the traditional systems. Productivity is also enhanced since stack offset and stack evacuation are possible without the need to stop the printers, which significantly increases print up time and enhances efficiency.

 The Kern 130 / 141 high performance rotary cutters also offer automatic loading and optional feeders for 3-4 up applications. Kern also intends to launch a double cut version of the line in time for Ipex 2014.

 Other product features across the 130/141 line, which came on sale at the beginning of 2012, include OMR reading, blank page management and odd or even page count for job separation. The machines also have a small number of modules, allowing for reduced maintenance costs and increased reliability.

Leading the way to production mail excellence, Kern’s Ai-33 Direct High Speed Intelligent Inserter is capable of achieving input speeds and production efficiencies previously unattainable on inserting systems.

Chairman and owner of the Kern group, Uli Kern, said: “The Ai33 is a break-through inserter that meets the demands of a fast moving industry and marks a step towards the future for Kern. We are delighted with the amount of interest that the machine has generated already from media and global suppliers alike.”

Under this agreement, both companies will have mutual access to the technology and resources which will serve to accelerate the innovation process of both companies and result in the faster market introduction of important new products and solutions.

A representative selection from the entire product range will be exhibited at the stands from Winkler+Dünnebier GmbH in Hall 15/C55 and Kern AG in Hall 06/C79 during the Drupa - from the 3rd to the 16th of May 2012.

Leading the way to production mail excellence, the Ai-33Direct is capable of speeds, intelligence, and production efficiencies previously unavailable on production mail inserting systems.  This system is capable of exceeding the fastest input speeds available today, inserting at 33,000 mailpieces per hour! This incredible system will be on the Kern stand at drupa in May. For more information about Kern at drupa: www.drupa.kern.ch

We'd like to invite you to visit us in Hall 6, stand C79 so that you can see for yourselves how robustly Kern is moving forward in the market, and how we are positioning ourselves even more strongly as a vendor of complete solutions, in keeping with our watchword "Your Partner in Document Output Management".

We look forward to the opportunity of showing you Kern's latest products and software whic, we are confident will set new standards in our sector in the coming years.

Poor Santa has a lot of letters to deal with at Christmas but luckily Kern was on hand to help!  In the run up to Christmas, Kern lent a hand helping answer letters from children who used the special Santa post box at Fareham Leisure Centre.

Nigel Ashton, Activities Manager at Fareham Leisure Centre, said:  “With so many children coming to the centre to enjoy the activities we offer, we decided to organise a little Christmas magic by putting a Santa post box in reception.  So far we’ve had almost 170 letters to Santa and they’re still flooding in!” 

Print and mailing specialist Kern has made the project easy to run by lending the use of its fully- automated EasyMailer machine, making light work of printing and mailing individual and colourful replies from Santa to each child– including inserting the letters into envelopes.
Each child received a personalised letter from Santa which includes details such their name, address, Christmas wish list, favourite sport and best friend’s name. 

The Kern 515 EasyMailer®’s smart design and engineering make it possible for A3 or A4 cut sheet processing to produce personalized envelopes that are wrapped around A4 or U.S. letters personalized in the same fashion. Optical mark matching, meanwhile, will ensure rigorous data integrity.

Loughlin will develop new business across all three of Kern’s divisions in the UK – mailing, packaging and print – and will work in close conjunction with the Area Service Managers and sales teams.

The new structure will support a change in Kern’s strategy which sees the company expand service contracts to cover products from most manufacturers. 

 
“Kern is proud of the service we offer to our customers, we see this move as the next step on a continued expansion programme” said Loughlin.

“We have a talented team of engineers available 24/7 and offer tailor made contracts to suit the needs of individual customers with absolutely no hidden costs.  Feedback from our clients is that we provide a refreshingly transparent service.”

The new ServoX paves the way for a raft of business efficiencies for Yorkshire Envelopes which will help maintain its position of market dominance. 

The new fully-automated packing line needed to be able to handle a huge diversity of products with quick and easy set up times.   It has already taken on the workload of two older lines and was employed immediately on a large contract for a major stationery and retail outlet. 

Following a smooth installation process, KernPack conducted extensive training for four members of Yorkshire Envelope’s staff who claim to be delighted to be working on the new line, finding it clean, efficient and very fast

The iCart is a cutting edge product for the mailing industry. It removes the need for operators to manoeuvre heavy pallets around the mailroom and can work 24 hours a day without having to take breaks, greatly improving productivity and reducing labour costs.

The iCart is a robotic guided vehicle system which eliminates the need for manually operated logistics systems and provides a way to move materials directly around the mail room with no operator involvement.

The product can be used alongside systems such as the recently launched Kern 60 envelope sorter, which stacks envelopes into postal trays, to both deliver raw materials to the system and take away the finished postal trays. iCart works by using radio frequency ID tags located around the mail room to enable it to determine the route it should follow to deliver or collect materials from a variety of locations.

We believe the iCart is potentially the next revolution in mailing industry and we are delighted to have the exclusive rights to sell the product to the market. This is our first partnership with The Automation Group and we are delighted  to be working with the company. 

 Operating as Kern’s sole Irish distributor over the past 25 years, Cass has created a strong customer base including financial institutions, government departments and privately owned print and mail organisations and other companies. The move follows a successful 12 month period for Kern Ltd, during which it has launched several new product lines and services and has attracted a number of key new customers.

 Pete Jolley, general manager of Kern Ltd, said:  “We believe that the Irish market presents significant opportunities and we are keen to expand on our existing customer base here. This will lead to jobs locally not only in Dublin, but throughout Ireland. Kern Ltd has an unrivalled product offering, from our innovative inserting mailing machines, including one piece mailers to machines running at speeds of up to 80,000 sheets an hour and our best of breed partner products in the packaging and printing market place.”

 Noel Hanlon, joint managing director of Cass, said:  “Kern’s direct involvement and investment will pave the way for even better products and support for new and existing customers here in Ireland and is a great show of confidence in the Irish market.  We are looking forward to working closely with our colleagues at Kern.”

 The new operation will be open for business from  19^th September 2011.

For Vaultex Ltd, the largest cash management company in the UK, the peace of mind of KernPack's service contract is invaluable - keeping its banding machines running 24/7.

"Like any production line, down-time is lost time and ultimately lost money”, said Iain Palfreman, Head of Procurement at Vaultex.  It is vital that we can rely on our suppliers to maintain our machines to the highest standards, to ensure they are running around the clock.

“One of the things that is most important to us is the responsiveness of our suppliers - for them to get to us quickly if needed in order to keep production going.”

“The complexity of our business often presents our suppliers with a challenge but KernPack had a very professional approach; their consultants took time to understand our requirements and develop a bespoke solution for us which is backed with a superb service level agreement.

A joint venture between HSBC and Barclays, Vaultex employs more than 2,000 people across 16 sites around the country. It manages the cash that the two banks take over the counter and in deposit’s, sorting it into the correct denominations and getting it back out into circulation quickly. The company accounts for 40% of the cash processing market in the UK.

As notes are sorted, any old or worn ones that are no longer fit for purpose are removed from the system and returned to the Bank of England for secure disposal. Vaultex also identifies any suspected forgeries and sends them to the Bank of England for verification. This is done using a combination of sophisticated sorting technology that detects discrepancies in watermarks, silver strips and other unique characteristics as well as the skill of experienced cashiers who can spot forgeries from the look and feel of notes.  This ensures all of the cash in circulation is regularly monitored for quality. 

"Once the notes are sorted and checked, they are banded neatly to be sent back to HSBC and Barclays branches, or are used to restock ATM cash dispensers. It is important that we can do this quickly and efficiently, which is why we operate almost constantly - and why we need to be sure that our machines won't let us down,” says Iain.

With that reliability in mind, Vaultex chose KernPack to replace its existing banding machines, which were due to replacement.

“The main reason we chose KernPack over its competitors was the quality of the service offering and the national network of engineers. We have a national footprint and we needed a supplier to match this. We felt that the overall package that KernPack offered was easily the best.

 A total of 17 ATS banders have been installed around the country, at locations ranging from Glasgow to Winchester. Each one was installed in less than a day, minimising any disruption to production.

All of the banders are regularly maintained and serviced by KernPack's network of field engineers, who are spread around the UK and provide 24 hour support.

"We did consider keeping a few of the old banders as contingency machines, to use in an emergency. However, we were surprised to find that it proved to be just as cost-effective to get new ones, which can be kept on standby and used whilst others are being serviced,” concludes Iain.

"The service contract from KernPack will give us much greater peace of mind. With regular maintenance, the banders are less likely to break - but if they do, we know an engineer will get us back on line with minimal fuss and no impact to our production process. It's an important step forward for us and we're looking forward to building a long-term partnership with KernPack."