Colwick printing and packaging firm, The Wilkins Group, is celebrating after switching to the use of 100 per cent low migration food safe inks and coatings throughout its manufacturing processes.

The Wilkins Group has announced that the final press and ink dispenser has completed the transition to low migration, confirming the firm’s UK factory is 100 per cent low migration and fully complies with the EU standard EC1935/2004 minimising the customer’s risk of migration.

The topic of low migration has been discussed in the media and government for many years and has become part of EU regulation, it states that printing inks must be designed and applied in such a way that substances from the printed surface are not allowed to transfer to the food contact side of packaging.

Justin Wilkins, sales and marketing director at The Wilkins Group said: “At The Wilkins Group, we have always maintained quality in packaging by anticipating and reacting to developments with both innovation and good manufacturing practice.

“We are delighted to have switched to 100 per cent low migration throughout the whole of the UK factory as we feel it gives our customers confidence that the inks and coatings being used are to a high specification. It certainly makes food packaging safer.”

The Wilkins Group also has the ability to produce low migration products throughout its other factories around the world.

In Romania, The Wilkins Group prints food packaging for the European Market using low migration conventional inks as well as carrying out migration testing.

The Wilkins Group invested a further £40,000 to convert the final printing press, the Komori 8 colour UV printing press, to low migration, it has followed a string of investments to not only make the firm’s packaging safer but to also offer a more premium product to its vast client base.

In 2016, The Wilkins Group has already invested £300,000 in a new state-of-the-art Rotary Window Patching and Lining Machine as part of its ongoing investment plan to increase capacity plus there will shortly be an announcement of a further major investment in the coming months that will be unique in its sector. Watch this space!.

Justin added: “It has taken a lot of hard work and financial investment to get to where we are today and it is a fantastic feeling to be able to say that we are 100 per cent low migration. We have been using low migration inks and coatings for a long time in the UK and are proud to say that the UK factory’s manufacturing process is now 100 per cent.

“It offers a far superior product and that is why we are implementing the same procedures in Romania Sri Lanka and China.

For more information please visit www.wilkins.co.uk