1 Feb. 2024: Following an intense period of investment, redevelopment, installation and implementation, we are delighted to announce the official relaunch of the new mould cover manufacturing facility at Bathford Paper Mill following a £700k renovation programme.
The newly refurbished Mould Office and associated equipment gives Bathford state of the art capability to produce the high-resolution watermarks demanded for the security papers used in passports and government certificates. This is the start of an investment programme at Portals designed to maintain and grow its position as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of security papers.
Bill Priestley, Director of Epiris, Portal’s owner, proudly “cut the ribbon” to the new facilities back in Autumn 2023 and since then, we have been carefully phasing the introduction of the new functionality and capability that the new Mould Office offers. Today we are delighted to announce our world class facilities fully operational and open.
Andrew Nash, Managing Director, said, “As one of the leading manufacturers of high security watermarked papers in the world, here at Portals, we are 100% committed to consistently enhancing, improving and further developing our approach and processes, to ensure the very best watermark definition, clarity, consistency, accuracy, quality and precision is achieved every time and in every sheet we make.”
What is the Mould Office??
The Mould Office is a critical part of the security watermark and paper making process. It is where the watermark design is physically turned into the engraved embossing plates and embossed mesh sections that form the cylinder mould that is used to create the actual watermark on the paper machine.
Project Scope and Definition
Focusing on the three key areas of capacity enhancement; improved capability and increased operational accuracy, Bathford’s Mould Office Refurbishment project is directly linked to the long-term sustainability and quality mission set out in the mill’s strategy plans.
At the outset of the project, it was identified that the project would require procurement, engineering, mechanical, electrical, control, hydraulic and pneumatic workstreams all to be managed in tandem in order to successfully upgrade, refit and install our new world class facilities.
The Latest Innovations
As a part of this project, Portals took the opportunity to upgrade a number of key items of equipment and machinery. These included the latest cutting-edge design plotter, autopress robotics and laser systems, advancing both watermark origination precision and design accuracy while also improving Environmental, Health and Safety procedures.
This upgrade has also seen the installation of extra-large laser safe viewing windows that enhance the customer experience and aid on-site training and education.
The Personal Touch
The Mould Office continues to be run and managed by a team of incredibly skilled, experienced and expert mould makers. Not only instrumental in specifying and implementing the refurbishment project, they remain hands-on craftsmen overseeing the entire process to ensure Portals deliver the very best watermark origination every time.
#ProudlyPortals
In proud celebration of the completion of the refurbishment project and formal opening of the new Mould Office, Portals has created a short film which introduces and showcase their new facilities. This film can be viewed on their website (www.portalsinternational.com) and social channels (LinkedIn and YouTube).