NEWS

(04.03.2026 / sbr)

MPH invests in Shine LED Lamp Kit

Flexo prepress specialist MPH Ltd is among the latest UK trade shops to take the fast, affordable, straightforward route into LED plate exposure with the Shine LED Lamp Kit, innovated by Miraclon. The Shine LED Lamp Kit was fitted to a Vianord flexo plate exposure unit, supplied by Clarkson Services, and, says MPH director Ian Runacres, “is delivering all the benefits we anticipated. Exposures are on average 30% faster, consistent, and plate behaviour is utterly predictable. At present, more than 80% of our plates - from various suppliers - are exposed using Shine LED lamps.”

“It’s about removing variables and reducing on-press risk”

MPH had been considering the move into LED for some time, explains Ian. “In flexo printing, removing variables is often more valuable than chasing headline speed. The Shine LED Lamp Kit investment is about protecting repeatability, reducing risk on press, and supporting customers who need plates to behave the same way every time.

“Compared to fluorescent technology, LED lamps give more stable, uniform exposures and don’t degrade over time in the way fluorescent bulbs do — we had to buy new bulbs pretty much every year. And because LED is instant on/off, there’s no need to warm up bulbs before back-flashing plates prior to main exposure, which saves time and energy.”

Retrofitting gives flexibility

The fact that the Shine LED Lamp Kit is supplied as a simple, fast, in-the-field retrofit to existing third-party fluorescent exposure frames appealed to MPH, says Ian. “Because the Shine LED is vendor-neutral, it gave us huge flexibility in terms of choosing the right exposure frame, including pre-owned units.”

The Shine LED Lamp Kit consists of new LED UVA lamps, a prewired bracket kit for easy retrofit, and installation guidelines for a qualified electrician. In MPH’s case, says Ian, “we asked Clarkson to handle the installation, which went very smoothly.”

Based in Manningtree, Essex, MPH concentrates on the narrow-web packaging market. The company was established in 1982, but the current management team took on the business in 2020, immediately prior to the pandemic. “It was a challenging time,” says Ian, “but we came through OK and in a position to invest to increase capacity and flexibility.”

Since the 2020 management buyout, MPH has committed more than £750,000 to capital investment across the business, including the Shine LED Lamp Kit, a second ESKO CDI for increased imaging capacity, a new flexo plate processing line with updated developer and ovens, and a comprehensive suite of ESKO hardware and software upgrades. “Together, these investments underpin MPH’s strategy to enhance consistency, throughput and technical capability for our narrow-web packaging customers,” concludes Ian.