The refurbished machines were installed last week by Engelmann & Buckham and joined a setup at the mailing broker’s premises in St Austell, Cornwall, that comprises two Sitma 750 polywrapping lines and a 950 inserter, all three of which are equipped with side-seal and double-header capability.
The SM10s represent a “significant” six-figure investment, according to managing director James Ward, who hopes to use the new lines in order to take on larger-volume jobs from bigger clients and grow his business.
Alongside taking on the new machines, Westcolour has also this week welcomed Tony Cowlishaw, former sales director at now-closed Sunline Direct Mail, as its new sales manager in order to manage its existing client base and expand with bigger customers.
He said: “We have customers we were already doing enveloping for and we wanted to add this to our broader offering for all clients. Though we looked at other lines, we have a very good, close relationship with Sitma and were able to see the SM10 lines in action in France before deciding to buy.
“Buying two meant we could have a contingency machine and that we can talk to customers about running jobs in very large quantities. This is something we would have struggled with before and now we are on track to be a really large player in the market.
“We would not be where we are if it wasn't for my dedicated management team and the addition of Tony, and the growth of our team in general, will only put us in a better position for future progress, which could include more expansion, new premises or even acquisitions.”
Sitma’s SM10 envelope enclosers can process up to nine inserts in a single envelope – or insertion up to 15mm thick – in envelope sizes from 100x150mm to 210x320mm. It runs at speeds up to 10,000 envelopes per hour.
Motivated by increasing demand for personalisation, one of the two machines was installed with a camera matching system from Lake Image which will allow for cross-referencing of names and addresses, as well as selective inserting.
Since January, Westcolour’s headcount has almost doubled, with its full-time staff increasing from 12 to 20 and its part-time staff from 14 to 30.
The firm currently turns over £3m and is targeting £5m in the next few years. It also runs a Konica Minolta bizhub Pro 1100, two Inc.Jet systems and two Integra lifting belts.
