Despite all the challenges imposed on the print industry in 2020, manufacturing companies and printers have found ways to succeed and grow operationally. This rings true for Rotoflex, a Mark Andy company of converting and finishing solutions located in Mississauga, Ontario.
Leadership shared the company grew sales and aftermarket approximately 30% over the previous year due to strategic management decisions involving increased R&D investments to improve final product quality and accelerate lead times, eliminating outsourced production and increased customer demand.
“Bringing manufacturing in-house is certainly one of the leading factors facilitating our growth. Being independent allows us to better control production schedules, platform standardization, aftermarket support, and even pricing. We can now create more robust machines in less time and offer them to the market at more attractive prices. Customers have noticed all these changes and are responding to it,” says Kevin Gourlay, senior vice president, Rotoflex.
In addition to resolutions directly linked to product development, the company also announced its move to a new building in the upcoming weeks. The facility is also in Mississauga, located just a few miles away, and it’s in the final stages of preparation to receive the entire Rotoflex operation. “The shift resulted from the increased demand we have observed in the past couple of years. We currently have a strong order book leading to the end of the first quarter of 2021 and plans to grow our team as we increase manufacturing capacity to ensure customers will have their machines running in the pressroom when they need it,” says Gourlay.
Last September, Rotoflex launched two high-speed and low-cost digital finishers, DF1 and VTI Series. DF1 was designed as an ideal addition for upwards of 80% of label converters worldwide. The VTI Series was created to ensure conformity with stringent regulations of the pharmaceutical and high-security packaging industries. “We have another exciting launch in the works for 2021, and we will share more details as the time comes,” adds Gourlay. “In the meantime, we continue to offer customized solutions and accommodate unique production needs like the one we designed for JH Bertrand earlier this year,” he concludes.
New product development, insourced manufacturing, and customer demand have led to one of the most successful years in recent history for Rotoflex. It has afforded the manufacturer the ability to increase production with a new, more efficient facility. Rotoflex expects these changes to allow them to best serve the elevated demand for converting and finishing solutions through 2021 and beyond.