The two new machines have both been installed at the Leyland, Lancashire-based firm’s 1,394sqm premises this week.
“We bought the dye-sublimation printer because fabric works really well for retailers and airports and from a transport point of view it’s very lightweight and practical. The quality is almost photographic and we can get an absolutely fantastic finish on PVC or stretch media,” said sales director Dave Cowen.
“And with its two heads, the JV300 gives us the capability to print, circulate and run white through the machine at the same time.”
The JV5-320DS produces up to 60sqm per hour at 540x720dpi and for close-viewed work at 540x1,080dpi. The Fespa Digital-launched JV300 is equipped with two staggered 4-35pL variable drop-on-demand piezo heads from Epson, capable of 360-1,440dpi and flat out the 1.6m version is capable of 105sqm/hr in "super draft" mode, down to 15.4sqm in the highest quality eight-pass mode.
The ISO 9001 accredited company has produced items including wallpaper, self-adhesives and window graphics in-house since its inception in 2002 but brought super-wide printing in-house around three years ago when it bought its first Mimaki CJV30-160.
It now runs three CJV30-160 printers, a 3.2m-wide Gandy solvent printer and finishing kit including laminators and cutters. It offers a wide range of in-house services including vinyl floor graphics, A-boards and pavement signs, banners, exhibition stands and full vehicle wrapping.
“We look after the whole solution from site survey and mock-ups and design work right through to the implementation. We’ve bought more kit in in the past three years to be able to provide a complete service,” said Cowen.
“We’ve pulled in some fantastic contracts recently and we see this investment as a fantastic add-on to the business that will save us outsourcing certain jobs.”
KeyMT Installation currently employs 30 staff and has a turnover of around £2m. It primarily serves retailers and airports and its customers include Gatwick Airport, The Manchester Airports Group, IKEA and The Co-operative Group.
“We’ve done two of the largest print campaigns in the UK in the last 18 months at Gatwick Airport, one for Tui and one for EasyJet. For the EasyJet job we designed, printed in-house and installed nearly two kilometres of vinyl,” said managing director Mike Bamber.
