The Basildon-based company invested around £250,000 in additional Pro 8320 and Pro C9210 printers from Ricoh in March following an assessment of the market that concluded with its decision to remain with the manufacturer.

The new machines will allow ThreeFiveFour to increase its uptime performance and also help it to get ahead as it is anticipating a boom in orders when lockdown eases.

The business had originally installed a Ricoh Pro C9110 in 2017 and later replaced this with a newer Ricoh Pro C9120.

ThreeFiveFour director Ian Drew said: “Our relationship with Ricoh has been a success since day one, so we’re pleased to continue our partnership with the team. In the world of direct mail, speed and timing are everything, so our clients need us to move swiftly to ensure they remain competitive.

“Ricoh’s innovations continually enable us to meet client needs and demands, surpassing what we originally thought we were capable of producing and helping the business go from strength to strength.

“Our orders can be large, and as we do everything in-house, it’s crucial that we can rely on Ricoh’s engineers, their machines, and the high quality of service we get from both.

“Ultimately, it’s the consistent quality we get from Ricoh that encourages us to continue to invest in their products.”

During the early height of the coronavirus pandemic, ThreeFiveFour pivoted its approach to win new clients that were suddenly in a position to increase their print materials, including the NHS. This enabled the business to maintain its sales throughout the pandemic and develop robust return plans for clients who had to put work on hold.

ThreeFiveFour also operates a six-colour B1 Heidelberg Speedmaster press and a six-colour B2 Komori machine as well as a raft of direct mail and finishing kit. The £4.5m-turnover business employs 22 staff and operates out of a circa 1,400sqm site.