The direct mail specialist, which was previously based on three sites covering a total of around 2,300sqm, has taken on six new pieces of kit over the past month while two more machines will follow in the next fortnight.
These include a Xerox Nuvera 288 mono printer and a Kern 3500 inserting system, both installed last week, a Gemini 560H guillotine that went in three weeks ago, a Southgate PSW004 automated pallet wrapper, and a Reliant 2700 stream feeder.
An MBO B123 cross-folder and bolt cutter and an AMS X-Jet solvent-based inkjet printer will follow in the next fortnight while Pepperl and Fuchs X11 cameras will be installed onto the company’s existing Buhrs BB300 envelope enclosing machines and a Norpak polywrapping line.
The new kit, which was purchased from a combination of original manufacturers and resellers, is all additional and will sit alongside the company’s existing equipment.
This includes eight other Xerox machines – two Nuvera mono printers, a D110 production printer, three Versant 80 digital presses, a Versant 2100 and a WorkCentre 7220 proofing machines, four Buhrs BB300s, five high-speed polywrapping machines, five automated folding machines and two guillotines.
“This is part of an ongoing programme to aggressively grow the business driven by demand,” said Richard Morrow, sales and marketing director at CMS, which employs more than 70 staff and is on target to turn over £10m this year.
“Since we moved into our new premises in June, we’ve been able to take on a lot more work now that we’ve got the space.
“We needed to add to our printing firepower, especially on the mono side, which is why we added the Nuvera 288. And we took on the Kern because we’re getting requests now for a lot more envelope work. As the Kern can operate at such high speeds it means that we do a lot more trade work as well.
“We also needed to be able to fold at pace – when we were looking at this programme of investment we thought that it was no good just putting in one item, we’ve got to put the supporting kit in as well to maximise the opportunity.”
Morrow added the X-Jet printer will support increased customer demand for naked mailers.
“This means that we can print onto almost any substrate – it allows us to personalise catalogues as well as postcards.
“And the stream feeder gives us a huge amount more flexibility – we can now insert at pace things such as ID cards, plastic cards and business cards into both poly or envelope work.
“There’s a lot more targeting and segregation of mail packs, not just on fiscal but also on the DM side as well, so we encourage clients to make the most of their data and produce fully personalised mail pieces.
“If you’re doing that then you really do need to have cameras to ensure and maintain the matching, and we are fairly unique that we don’t just have the four-way matching on the envelope side but on the polyethene side as well.”
Serving clients including retailers and charities as well as the trade, Morrow said the new kit has enabled the business to take on further work straight away.
“And it means we have been able to complete several large high-volume orders in the last couple of weeks. This busy period runs until around the middle of spring next year and so the extra firepower has enabled us to win a number of contracts and work with a number of larger clients.”
