The FLH-Z processor, XR developer – the company's first – and XMF workflow, all part of the manufacturer’s Superia range, follow on from the company’s move to a new 9,290sqm site and multimillion-pound investment in HP, Heidelberg, Muller Martini and other kit and has saved the company money, according to Route One manager Jack Willmott.
The Rotherham-based litho and digital W2P trade arm of Bluetree Design & Print switched from Heidelberg plates to Fujifilm’s Brillia HD LH-PJE plates, to go with the FLH-Z plate processor.
Willmott said: “The processor constantly measures the pH limit. Other machines would check every now and then whereas it checks all the time. It leads to more stable conditions. If you’ve developed sets of plates you’ll get the exact same result over time. It’s more consistent on plate performance. Your last plate will be to the same standard as your first plate.”
He said that this was the main reason for switching from Heidelberg to Fujifilm, which has helped ensure a faster turnaround of orders.
“For us we’ve been growing very fast so the issue for us is for not having enough press capacity. We need to make it super efficient and quick,” Willmott added.
“What we were finding before was sometimes plates would come out and we’d have to run them again. The big benefit for us is that consistency. It’s delivering plates that are right first time, every time. The environmental benefit is also important as well.
“The XR unit cleans the water, which means less waste. You get a concentrated amount of chemical waste. We’d never had an XR unit before we switched to Fujifilm about two months ago. We've spent more money on the plates than the XR unit but it's the combination between the two that leads to less down time."
He added: “We switched from a Harlequin workflow which we had nothing against. It just made sense to take all the Fuji products together. The software offer great usability making it very easy for our operators to work with.”
Route One Print was launched shortly after Instantprint merged with Bluetree Design and Print in 2012. The online printer made the The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 list in December 2015 after revenue quadrupled from £3.5m to £14m over three years.
The 222-staff company has finished its financial year at the end of last month and is seeing current current growth averaging 37% a quarter, Willmott said, with £30m sales expected.
He said the trend towards shorter turnarounds meant having the latest technology was important.
“When Route One started it worked on this theory we’d offer lower prices on a longer turnaround. From a strategic point of view it was about taking up spare plate places.
"People were happy with the five-day turnaround but that’s changed. We launched a 24-turnaround in February. This investment minimises the time it takes to get the plates onto the press.
"It’s not less work but saves the time when you need to go back. If you’ve got a press operator about to run a job and he notices a mark on the plate, it leads to a delay. Ultimately this leads to smoother operation from our point of view.
Route One produces a wide range of print, from flyers, folded leaflets, business cards and booklets, as well as an expanding range of banners, POS and pop-ups.
