Zim’s Bagging Co Installs Windmoeller & Hoelscher MIRAFLEX II Press

LINCOLN, RIWindmoeller & Hoelscher is proud to announce its new partnership with Zim’s Bagging Co of Prichard, WV.

Zim’s, a manufacturer of printed polyethylene roll stock, bags, and foam and bubble pouches, has invested in its first W&H press—a 59-in. 10-color MIRAFLEX II. The new press has been placed in service and running since July.

The new MIRAFLEX II at Zim’s Bagging Co’s plant in Prichard, WV. From left, Andrew Wheeler (W&H), Kevin Worthy (Zim’s), Javeed Buch (W&H) and Harry Zimmerman (Zim’s).

Kevin Worthy, general manager at Zim’s, stated: “After a thorough installation, the press is running and quickly meeting the speeds we expected. We currently out produce our older equipment by three to one with an expectation to increase our throughput to four to one as we become more proficient with this new technology.”

To meet the company’s standards for sustainable production, the MIRAFLEX II was supplied with TURBOCLEAN ADVANCED E inking and washup system with electric pumps that are energy efficient and save on both time and washup solvent usage. “This technology reduced an 8-color washup that used to take 1.5 hours manually to just three minutes in total for all eight colors,” added Worthy.

A closed loop solvent reclaim and recycling unit to allow for the reuse of ink and solvent waste was also installed.

The new press is equipped with W&H’s own fully-integrated VISION web inspection system, including Defect Check and Bar Code check that provide operators with real time production data and control of the jobs on press.

The 55-year-old family company with just shy of 100 employees added a 12,000 q. ft. printing department to its existing facility to house the new MIRAFLEX II, bringing this facility’s footprint to a total of 62,000 sq. ft.