Cyril Luff Metal Decorators are one of the largest independent metal decorators in Europe. Established in 1979 and based at Cwmbran South Wales printing and coating tinplate, tin free sheets and aluminium for many brand names that use metal packaging.

In 2019, Luffs was purchased by a former employee James Hill and his wife Celine, since the acquisition Luff has enjoyed considerable investment including the decision to upgrade their existing Agfa XCalibre VLF CtP supplied by International Graphics Supplies to enhance the quality and production efficiency. International Graphic Supplies the Caldicot Monmouthshire based equipment supplier proposed a refurbished Screen Ultima PT-R-16000, and Xitron Harlequin Workflow upgrade.

According to James, it became immediately apparent that the investment was going to pay dividends. “Our first job after the installation was six plates which we produced in fifteen minutes, this would have taken over one hour on the old system.

If we analyse labour costs alone, we are saving in the region of £20 a plate. More importantly it is the simplicity, accuracy and reliability of the final products that from a User perspective provides huge confidence and improves our planning dramatically. It also uses less power, is more ecological friendly which helps not just the company, but the industry reputation amongst increasing “green” supporters and the environment in general.

Bill Duncan Service Delivery Manager at Luffs has noted “We are seeing significant reduction in make-ready times on our Crabtree presses and are delighted with the increased quality being achieved due to on-board plate register punching supplied with the new CtP, "This new investment combined with our print expertise not only ensures that we stay at the top of our sector, but more importantly, we are able to meet and, indeed, exceed clients’ expectations."

Peter Flynn Managing Director IGS comments on the installation "CtP and Workflow sales are a consultative process with our customer’s to ensure the system we supply meets their requirements and future expansion.”

“I’m very pleased to see Luff’s are already enjoying the many benefits of moving to the new CtP. The Xitron Harlequin Rip upgrade allows Luffs to meet the new PDF 2.0 specification. It ensures interpretation of PDF 2.0 job files taking advantage of new feature support such as Page-Level Output Profiles, Black Point Compensation, and Spectrally Defined Spot Color values. It also offers enhanced support for transparencies”.