Based just outside Hereford town centre, the company is a family-run business that has been serving the market for more than 23 years. Offering signage, print, and vehicle graphics, the company is led by director Ross Hughes, whose father and sister also work within the business.
It decided to upgrade its cutting equipment after experiencing an increase in demand for its services. It had been running the same cutter for 16 years, but this required manual operation and the business wanted a machine with faster running speeds and automation features.
After researching the market, the company quickly identified Vivid Laminating Technologies’ VeloBlade Nexus 2516 as the best fit for its requirements. Distributed by Soyang Hardware in the UK and Ireland since September 2023, the VeloBlade Nexus 2516 is a wide-format digital die-cutter with a bed size of 2.5x1.6m.
“I had seen the machine a lot on LinkedIn and always thought it looked like the ideal piece of kit for our business,” said Hughes.
“Once I started looking and spoke to Vivid’s Lewis Evans, the price point for the specification stood out from other machines and further solidified my interest in the machine.
“After speaking to Lewis during an online demo and at the showroom, I was really impressed by the customer service and attention to detail in making everything as straightforward as possible for their customers. We placed the order within days of seeing the machine at the showroom.”
Signs & Labels Hereford purchased the machine in December, and it was installed at the company’s site earlier this month. Hughes said that while the device had only been in place a short time, the business had already seen a significant improvement in production.
“The VeloBlade is already making production faster. The automation of barcode reading means there are fewer touchpoints. Also, as it is so simple to use, we have been able to train up numerous members of staff on the machine; we don’t have to wait for specific team members to become available to operate it.”
Looking ahead, Hughes was confident that the new VeloBlade would allow Signs & Labels Hereford to expand its offering and move into new markets, picking out bespoke packaging as one area of interest.
“I think the machine will impact us immensely. It will allow us to keep up with and surpass the ever-demanding issue of lead times and take us onto the next level regarding speed and quality,” he said.
“It gives us more scope to take on more of our current work as well as looking at expanding into other markets.”
