News

The Corona crisis has not at all deterred Delabie from continuing to invest in state-of-the-art machinery. The future belongs to those who continue to look forward! 

That is exactly why, in December 2020, we ordered two new folding machines. These were installed by April 2021. We now have a total of 13 folding machines. These investments greatly enhance our flexibility and increase our in-house capacity. After all, the production time for a piece of work is determined by all the various aspects of production, one of which is the folding process.

When purchasing this machinery, we paid a great deal of attention to the ergonomics and the user-friendliness for the workforce.

These far-reaching investments have resulted in the recruitment of eight new members of staff.

Several departments within our printing company were in need of staff. We needed to recruit printers, finishers and logistics staff and the recruitment process was completed by August 2020.

We have not quite finished yet, because by the spring of 2021 the finishing team will be further strengthened by the addition of approx. four extra members of staff.

On 20 September 2019 we organised an open day for the workforce and their families. 

This gave everyone the opportunity to see the completely renovated printing floor with all the finishing options. We included a guided tour to show the entire production process starting with prepress up to and including the finished books. After a fascinating tour there was still time to have something to eat and drink in the company of colleagues and their families.

In June 2019, we completed the Lesaffre move. 

This move went particularly well and this was due to very careful planning and the efficiency and flexibility of the workforce.

At the Doornik premises, the doors closed for the very last time. As a result, all the machinery and the entire staff have now been moved to Mouscron.

In the spring of 2019, we made the following investments:

Firstly, we acquired a brand-new CTP system:

With the Agfa Avalon N8 we installed a second platesetter in our prepress department. This platesetter equipped with a fully automated plate conveyer operates at a speed of 70 plates per hour. The total capacity is therefore 110 plates per hour! These CTP platesetters ensure that we always have a back-up, with a ready supply of plates guaranteed!>

We then put two new 8-colour sheet-fed presses into production. These Heidelberg XL 106 presses are really the bee’s knees! With the department being automated to the highest degree, our printers will be able to achieve our well-known high printing quality with even shorter machine setting times and less paper wastage. Delabie s.a. is now equipped with the most productive and high-quality printing presses on the market!

In May 2019, the company invested in the following:

Firstly, the purchase of a new sewing machine.

This sewing machine joins the two machines that are already in situ in the bookbinding section. With this investment, we are not only improving our production capacity but also our flexibility.

We are also investing in a new Colibri and Diamant.

This will strengthen Delabie’s position in the hardback book finishing market. We will be able to finish books with both flat and rounded spines. The machines will also enable us to insert a bookmark ribbon or a bookbinding headband. This investment in machinery does not only give us extra capacity, but it also gives us a back-up in case of need.

The existing building, which currently occupies a surface area of 2 hectares, will be expanded with an additional section of approx. 4,600 m². The works started in September 2018.

This additional building (the printing company is located on a 7 ha plot of land) will be housing the bookbinding operations of the recently acquired company Lesaffre. This investment forms part of the planned move of the Lesaffre printing company to the business premises in Mouscron.

In front of the building, a pond is already being constructed to harvest rainwater. The aim is for the water to slowly penetrate into the ground to bring the groundwater up to the appropriate level.

On 1 January 2018, the printing company Lesaffre was acquired by Delabie s.a. This printing company, located in Doornik, specialises in books and comic strips.

The market position of Delabie s.a. has considerably improved as a result of the take-over. Given that both companies complement each other with, on the one hand, the advertising and industrial printing, and on the other hand, the books and comic strips, the company’s future has been secured.

The take-over will double the workforce to no less than 150 members of staff. They will be working both in the printing section (sheet-fed and web offset printing) as well as in the finishing section.

The take-over also expands Delabie’s finishing processes to include full bookbinding. This is in addition to all the existing finishing processes: folding, die-cutting, stapling.