James Cropper Saves Energy and Costs with New Presona Installation

World-class advanced materials and paper products group, James Cropper plc, have upgraded their in-house paper baling operation with the installation of a new Presona baler.

James Cropper is a prestige paper innovator based in the English Lake District, supplying distinct, custom-made paper products to many of the world’s leading luxury brands, art galleries and designers. Throughout 175 years of high-quality paper production, the business has been carefully stewarded and nurtured by six generations of the Cropper family and is renowned globally for individual expertise in colour and fibre innovation.

The fit between the two businesses was therefore a natural one when it came to the replacement of baling assets and meeting specific criteria to implement lower impact manufacturing techniques and save energy – these incremental improvements to working more efficiently are an essential part of any business looking to drive a more sustainable way of working that will make a real and lasting difference.

And this is where the Presona team came to the forefront.

A site survey, a detailed assessment of tonnages, working practices, shift patterns, “peak factory output” and energy usage aspirations allowed the Presona team to present a solution that saved TIME, saved MONEY and gave the TEAM at James Cropper a huge leap in staying lean and competitive in their respective markets.

With energy consumption, a key driver in selecting the new Presona LP60 VH2, monitoring the power used in producing the > 500kg bales, was a metric that was going to be measured from the outset.

The baler was specified by the James Cropper team to include the frequency inverter that complements Presona’s energy-saving prepress and the idle mode – features on the Presona baler that makes it up to 60% more energy-efficient than conventional and traditionally used shear balers.

Three features working to give the best bale density and load yields for the lowest power possible – and least cost.

With the recent investment and installation in a new Presona LP60 VH2, James Cropper have already begun to reap the benefits of the energy savings alone, and both businesses are measuring power and bale outputs as part of a wider piece of work.

James Cropper expects the running costs of their new Presona baler to be significantly greater, with current expectations in the region of 30% saving.

Additionally, with most material re-used on site, bale integrity and quality has improved around the operations with bales retaining form.

The LP60 VH2 is one of the smaller balers in the Presona range and this baler certainly packs a punch at 13-17 tonnes an hour with trim waste. It complements the wider range of balers and rapidly expanding conveyor offerings from Presona UK as well the other smart, safer and labour-saving solutions for the recycling industry.

For James Cropper, the new Presona baler will have the capacity to bale almost 50,000 tonnes of material each year, all of which is recycled back into sustainable product solutions for a circular economy!

Richard Burnett, Recovered Fibre Operations Manager at James Cropper, said “From the initial meeting to the install and commissioning, Presona has really excelled in meeting our requirements to ensure that we had the right machinery for our operations”.

Richard added, “According to our calculations, the energy saving results are already beginning to prove the efficiencies of a Presona baler. We are pleased with the investment which is very much aligned to the over-arching sustainability commitments of our business. The training that complemented the install was also fantastic and running it consecutively allowed all shifts to be fully and safely trained to use the new asset”.

If you’re a packaging company looking to save time, money and energy managing materials and looking for a more cost and energy efficient way to operate, give Presona a call today on 01278 444 527 or contact Mark Rose on 07545 431 079 and arrange for a site survey.