Installations News
PEI Bag makes significant step change with new Koenig & Bauer flexo press

Ever since it was founded in 1935, PEI Bag, Central Bedeque, P.E.I., has continued to flourish as a full-service packaging company, partnering with industry leaders in the agriculture, aquaculture, and dry goods markets to supply potato bags, produce bags, and dry goods bags. Now, in its 88^th year and still in the capable hands of the firm’s original fourth-generation descendants, PEI Bag is taking on one of its most ambitious plans yet: a comprehensive growth initiative known as NEXT. Part of the multi-million investment set aside funds for new converting equipment that includes the purchase of a new CI flexographic printing press: a Koenig & Bauer XG LR CI eight-colour press.

“After educating ourselves on new CI flexographic printing presses and a thorough review and evaluation of models available from six different press manufacturers, Koenig & Bauer became our top choice,” says Thane Smallwood, PEI’s general manager. “Our board of directors met last November 2022 and, on behalf of our shareholders, approved the purchase of the new press, our first new model in many years.”

The new Koenig & Bauer press will be operating beside a used 2010 Flexotecnica XD eight-colour press, which was installed in 2019. A 2006-purchased Italian Galaxy gear driven eight colour will be removed to make room for the new Koenig & Bauer XG LR. At the end of this phase, PEI Bag will be operating two flexo printing presses from Koenig & Bauer. The new eight-colour XG LR will print a large portion of PEI’s larger repeat bags, but the firm will continue to use the 2010 press for its smaller repeat jobs.

“The XG LR will give us efficiency and productivity capabilities to take on more business from our current customers and allow us to better serve them,” says Smallwood. “The increased capacity will allow us to meet the increased demand for paper packaging. Most of our work is preprinted roll stock for our converting machines but we feel we can sell printed roll stock to other converters as well. The new press will provide improved capabilities and allow us to take on new customers that may have different substates than just paper.”