Installed in mid-July, the new machine joins a six-year-old Vutek GS3250LX flatbed at the operation’s display production hub in Nottingham.
Bought from Reading-based reseller CMYUK, the new Vutek h5 brings in cool-cure UV technology that will allow John E Wright to extend its offering into the fabric display market, as well as reducing both costs and carbon footprint due to the lower power usage.
Managing director Tony Barnett said: “We explored the competition, but thanks to our experience with the GS we know EFI machines for their reliability. I could count the number of days the GS has been down since we installed it on two hands.
“EFI machines are very reliable when treated well and the new RIP on the h5 means we have much easier colour management and can produce fine text; it is incredibly detailed and accurate, just a leap ahead of what we have had before.
“The rest of this year is simply going to be about marketing our amazing machines as we have undergone sales and operator training. There is huge enthusiasm among the sales team because they can go to clients knowing we have the best kit.”
EFI’s 3.2m-wide Vutek h5 prints eight colours plus white, with nine-layer printing capability in a single pass at 1,200dpi resolution and speeds up to 390sqm/hr. Debuted at Fespa 2018 in Berlin, the first unit in the UK was taken by IDL ColourLink in Witham, Essex.
As a hybrid system, the h5 will be used by John E Wright for a number of flat and roll-to-roll applications, ranging from wall coverings and hoardings to exhibition work and POS.
Onsite at the firm’s display plant, the two Vuteks run alongside a number of UCJV300 and UCJV160 printers from Mimaki and a clutch of HP Latex 360s.
John E Wright turns over £6m and has a headcount of 78 staff across six nationwide bases, including sites in Hull, Derby, Leicester and Oxford.
It runs two sites in Nottingham, with the Blue Print House head office having recently rolled in staff from 2017 small-format acquisition Instaprint, while display operations run out of Queen’s Drive.
The display site, which employs 26 staff, will host an open day on Tuesday 10 September.
