Metallic Elephant builds, repairs and services hot-foil machines, one of the few businesses in the UK to do so, and works with customers on what can be achieved with foils and dies.
It has seen a growing interest from consumer brands in using this technology to add extra value and personalisation to luxury goods, with debossing or foiling even taking place in large stores while customers wait.
The extra space in Colchester will house an additional Stingray 63QS image setter and CNC machine, said co-founder of the nine-year-old company, Karl French.
“The extra space, new image setter and CNC machine will enable the business to handle bigger plates and more complex production techniques, enabling clients to bring cutting-edge designs to life.”
The additional Stingray 63QS image setter is specifically designed to deliver high-quality and high-speed imaging. It offers full A1 format and automated punching to deliver a wide range of products.
Metallic Elephant spent around £280,000 on expanding its premises and adding facilities including air conditioning, temperature control, storage areas and meeting rooms.
The company was established by Ros and Karl French in 2007 to serve a niche industry of fancy stamping, embossing and foiling.
Their 10-staff business hopes to push beyond the £1m-turnover mark by the end of this year, said sales and production manager Vincent Wilson.
“Our specialism is hot-foil printing, magnesium dies and stamping machines. In the last year alone we have created 50,000 printing blocks in magnesium.
"The more success brands get with personalisation, the more they keep returning for additional machines and additional related items. Radley now have 15 machines, but have bought them over the last 12 months as they’ve rolled them out to their stores gradually, and it’s a similar story with the other brands."
As well as building hot-foil machines by hand, the team also buys and renovates hot-foil machines in need of attention and offers a repair and maintenance service.
The company also supplies Magnesium dies to several big greetings cards companies.
