Flint Group Expands N.A. Manufacturing

PLYMOUTH, Minn.—Flint Group (www.flintgrp.com) announced plans for expanding production of high-quality UV and water-based narrow-web printing inks in North America. Expansion will be made possible through moving the production from Minnesota to the 98,000 square foot modern facilities of Flint Group in Anniston, Alabama.

“We can look back on a very successful business development over the past 30 years, says Dave Hiserodt, general manager of Flint Group Narrow Web North America. In order to facilitate future growth in the reliable way our customers acknowledge us for, we decided to invest into an expansion of our manufacturing capacity. While the restricted space in our Minnesota site did not allow for any expansion, the ISO-compliant state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Anniston not only offers enough space, but also allows us to set up production in a more efficient way than in the facilities in Minnesota, leaving potential for further expansion in the future.”

The move was carefully planned in all details to ensure the continuous supply of narrow web inks throughout the whole transition period without any interruptions. “We know that narrow web printers are entrepreneurial and responsive in nature. Demands may suddenly increase and fast turnaround and response times are a must-have service. The promise we give customers is immediate attention to orders and on-time delivery,” explains Hiserodt.

Flint Group has a supply chain modelled around centrally manufactured base inks, which are then made into press-ready inks at several local service centres throughout North America. This gives an optimal mix of centralized and controlled manufacturing, combined with local flexibility and short lead times. Customers will continue to be serviced through their current local service centers. The Minnesota local service center will remain in its current location. All customer service, R&D, and local and corporate technical support, along with the Center of Technical Excellence housing Flint Group’s fully equipped Mark Andy 4150 printing press will remain in Plymouth, Minnesota.

Transition to the facility in Anniston, Alabama, is expected to be completed by mid-2010.