Co-owners of the business Steve Brown and David Jackson have recently signed on the dotted line after seeing a number of pieces of kit at Drupa earlier this year. 

The first is a Renz AP300 automatic punch machine, which was bought at the beginning October.

The Renz AP 300, which the business paid around £25,000 for, is a compact floor-standing machine with an automatic punching process and two-finger paper pick up system that can handle a range of mixed stock and enables fast die and format changes. It features a touchscreen for assisted setup process, QSA (quick size adjustment) for high flexibility of different paper formats and high pre-stack capacity up to 4,000 sheets.

“We spend a lot of time wiring and the amount of pressure we were under to deliver volumes, especially at peak times for some of our clients is intense,” said Brown. “We saw it working and realised it was a no-brainer. “It’s made such a difference - what would have taken 8-10 hours for our dedicated wire-binding operator to complete has been cut to two hours.”  

The new device has replaced two manual GPC punches, which have been “resigned to a shelf” in case of emergency.

Next the business installed a Touchline creaser/folder CF375, which it paid around £20,000 for.

And finally the business has invested in a Kluge EHG foil stamping, embossing and die-cutting platen press for which the company invested nearly £70,000, Brown said. The device will be delivered in the first week of January.

“We are trying to look at what we can keep in-house and whilst we have great foilers around us, it typically takes a couple of days and we just don’t have that time to spare. It’s a win-win because this machine is really easy to use so more than just our one dedicated person can use it,” said Brown

He added: “We want to do more die-cutting and embossing and we have a platen and a cylinder but we wanted something that simplified the jobs.

“This is not about taking on trade work, but it will allow us flexibility and speed of turnaround. When you outsource its out of your control. They do a great job but they don’t do it the turnaround that we need, which is actually within hours,” Brown explained.

Brown co-founded the 18-staff business, which runs an Indigo 7000 press and a HP 2600 Latex wide format printer at its 650sqm facility, in 2006.

Clients include Twentieth Century Fox, YMCA, Euro Car Parts, Arbonne, The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and Kensington