The franchise, which serves both local and large web-to-print customers, decided to make the upgrade from its old entry-level DBM-150 after finding room for growth in the booklet segment of its online portfolio.
“Since day one of the installation the new booklet system has dramatically improved productivity and reduced costs, it has also delivered a quality improvement to our full range of booklet products,” said Keith Boyce, managing director of Minuteman Press King's Lynn.
“As for our business, it’s essential,” he added.
“It’s just so much more efficient, which also complements the automation gains we are making across the whole business as web-to-print becomes more exacting on the print process, as volumes increase with an expectation of same-day production.
“The automation on the booklet system means we can push so many more jobs through the machine. We are able to make good on our excellent rate of goods delivered per day.”
According to Boyce, the firm, which has 12 employees, sees up to 3,000 same-day jobs each day, across a wide variety of products just from its web-to-print activity.
Part of the reason for this strong demand is the company’s status as the print supplier for a major national multiple with an established presence in the web-to-print market.
Fulfilling orders through an automatic process that takes material through the firm’s three Xerox Iridesse machines - running four, five, and eight colours each - and through its finishing machinery, before custom logistics software from Pick Pack and Dispatch (PPD) notifies the relevant courier service that the product is ready to pick up.
Craig Harry, regional sales manager for Duplo UK, said the DBM-350 was a great fit for the company’s automated production line.
“The DBM-350 digital booklet system perfectly complements Keith’s set-up. The solution enables them to offer a wide range of products, plus the job changes are automatic with no manual intervention. This means that they can process online orders and out the door in record time.”
Boyce added that while he made sure to check prices against other brands, he was keen to maintain his relationship with Duplo, as the company had supported the franchise in the past.
The same, he said, went for his other suppliers, who make up a small, trusted, group.
“Essentially, our commitment is to a small group of people, because they know the track record of the business is to grow relatively rapidly.
“They know that we're relatively cash rich, and they've supported me at times when we've not been in that position, when it's been tighter and tougher.
“So I think, for us as a business, the philosophy is: ‘Let's try and build on this partnership, and let's just work together as a small group of people and just keep everybody on the same page.’”
