Set up by managing director Dan Kenyon in 2015 as Motion Graphix, the business built a strong trade customer business in the local area but with fresh talent coming on board over the last couple of years, the collective team wanted a new look and an expanded offering.
Digital print manager Joe Clark said: “As a team we felt, for what we want to do in the sign industry, the business needed a fresh lick of paint. We all worked together and Adam, our head designer, has been the driving force behind delivering the concept. There was trial and error and it took around three months altogether, but we’ve achieved our new name and brand identity, fully in-house in around three months.”
Clark explained that while the business has previously only serviced trade customers, working with print management companies, it is now working directly with customers, as part of a new direction.
“It’s an exciting time. Although we’re not new, it almost feels like we are with the new look and new direction. We are in a transitional period and although trade custom is still very much part of our day-to-day work, we are also now working differently.”
Origin’s wider team fluctuates according to what jobs are on, with an approved installer network across the country, while the core in-house team comprises eight people.
“Dan [Kenyon] has put a lot of money into the business and it has gone from strength to strength, year-on-year but particularly in the last 12 months we’ve made a lot of significant investments in both machinery and also in the unit,” Clark explained.
The business, which is targeting £840,000 turnover this year, has invested in a Graphtec FC9000-160 cutting plotter and a WidLaser C1000 laser cutting system, which were both installed between 12-18 months ago.
More recently, at Sign and Digital UK earlier this year the firm bought a new HP Latex 630, along with a recently installed Vivid EasyMount Air laminator.
The new kit joins a Mimaki JFX200-2513 EX flatbed and a Mimaki UCJV300-160 roll-to-roll printer and a number of other finishing devices.
In the past few weeks the company has sold an old Graphtec plotter and Vivid laminator to make room for the new kit and Clark said the team was now busy building a new production room that will house the new HP Latex along with both Mimaki machines.
“We’re updating what we have and trying to use the latest technology. We are very settled where we are, we’re ideally located with great transport links, and because of the size of our unit, we’ve had to think of new ways to make room and make our workflow efficient.”
As well as new kit investments, Clark said he is focusing on developing a new website and pushing social media channels.
“We’ve not really done that before so it's a new step and we’re just enjoying the journey at the moment. We want to give more of an insight into the process of signmaking and what we’re all about and we’ve had great feedback so far.”
