The Story So Far…

2020 has been a very different and challenging year for everyone. Edale has thankfully weathered the storm, which we know is far from over. To do so, we had to make some difficult decisions along the way.
We have learnt a lot and innovated and adapted our business to ensure that we keep moving forward through continued investment in R&D.

We thank our Edale team, our customers, worldwide agents and distributors, our partners, friends, and contacts in the industry for their support.

This year marks a significant milestone as we celebrate Edale’s 75th Anniversary. We are proud to be a British manufacturer of sophisticated printing machines which are exported all over the world.

James Boughton,
Managing Director, Edale

Grahame Barker, our Chairman, wanted to say a few words and give you a brief walk through time.

We are a company that quickly learnt to adapt and evolve, and our success is due to a combination of hard work, continuous investment in R&D, and the forming of strong partnerships.
It began as the engineering arm of a UK manufacturer of cigarettes based in Bristol. During the 1960s, we began to manufacture two colour flexo machines, and in the 1970s, graduated to manufacturing a range of flexographic stacker presses. As sales grew, it became necessary to expand, and this resulted in a move to a factory in Romsey, near Southampton.

By the 1980s, the Company had grown substantially, and the product range had expanded accordingly.
Edale was manufacturing modular as well as stacker flexo presses, screen machines, and a range of ‘specials’ for the medical market.

To accelerate sales further, the Company acquired a modular press manufacturer in Birmingham supplying machines mainly to the packaging industry, however, it was unsuccessful, and the operation had to be closed down. At this stage in our development, new capital was required, and I took control.

During the 1990s, the Henn Brothers in Austria became key trading partners which led us into the digital market and in turn led us to adopt our collaborative approach to business..

The emphasis has been on the quality of engineering and our continued focus on forming strong partnerships with leading companies worldwide, including AGFA, ABG, Canon, Fujifilm and FFEI which supports our vision of bringing market leading technology to our customers.

By 2009 the time had come when we needed more space once again, and Edale moved its operation to a purpose-built factory in Fareham, near Portsmouth.

This was the start of a new chapter with the new premises providing a firm foundation for the continued evolution of the Edale brand. The brand is built not only on our engineering expertise, but importantly due to the expertise and dedication of our staff and colleagues.

The last 10 years have had their ups and downs but the trend has been one of increasing strength and resilience, which is without question why we find ourselves in such a strong position today. Our FL range of flexographic presses have been well received and continue to help us expand beyond labels into the wider packaging market, particularly in cartons.

“I believe that this capability combined with our experienced engineering team and ‘tailor made’ approach puts Edale on a firm footing for the years ahead.”