Kelvinside is adding to its digital printing firepower with further acquisitions and a string of new Indigo presses to be placed throughout the group.
The majority of our effort is in acquisition and start-up in major centres throughout the UK, said managing director Fred Rangolan. We will provide small-, medium- and large-format digital print and design under the C3 brand. Kelvinside is rebranding its current operations, including Farringdon-based No Limits, as C3 sites.
The firm has made a move into the North-east with the acquisition of the Setting Studio in Newcastle, which offers digital print and repro. It will also be rebranded as a branch of C3 and will be run by former owner Garry Watson.
The Newcastle site, which already boasts Indigo and Heidelberg digital presses, Durst Lambda and ink-jet large-format machines, has just signed an order for a Xerox large-format electrostatic printer for producing dye-sub work onto banners and fabric for POS work. It is the first C3 site to offer the service, although it will be rolled out across the group, with London definitely set to offer the service.
Digital print will play an important role in other members of the group. It is looking at Indigos Publisher 8000 and Omnius WebStream, which will be used for direct mail and flexible packaging. Commenting on when it will take the new presses Rangolan said: We will get them as soon as we possibly can as soon as Indigo can deliver.
Kelvinside has signed up for nearly 1m worth of Indigo presses at Drupa, including an XB2 B2 press. It has yet to decide where in the group it will be installed.
C3s Liverpool subsidiary is upgrading its e-Print 1000+ to an UltraStream 2000, which joins the firms TurboStream this month. Rangolan added: The UltraStream 2000 is the best digital press available in the market today.
Story by Barney Cox