While most have moved on, for Graham Higdon the appeal still endures. For Higdon is owner of Atlantic Coast Studios, a printer in Gloucestershire specialising exclusively in this type of print. And so he prides himself on being something of a sticker nut.

Originally established as a sign and board company back in 1946, Atlantic now specialises predominantly in stickers used by construction equipment hire firms to identify kit such as cherry pickers, diggers and trucks. But the company also processes a wide range of other vinyl stickers and tags, from those used to correct, last minute, a spelling mistake on a brochure, to car window stickers for charities and general purpose marketing and brand-promotion stickers.

The latter can be particularly interesting, says Higdon. “We do a lot of stickers for Saltrock surf wear. The staff always love printing those because they’re exciting and vibrant, with interesting shapes and designs.”

Those special shapes are cut on the company’s digital Summa cutter. But the majority of stickers, because they’re square or rectangular, are cut on the company’s Schneider Senator 115H ‘CT’ guillotine, supplied by Friedheim International and installed last June.

Though a more understated beast than the Summa, the Senator is in fact in many ways the most important machine in the company. It is certainly just as important as Atlantic’s Svecia screen printers and Roland and Epson digital printers. 

“The start of a lot of jobs we do, especially on the screen side, is cutting the sheet to size and the finish of every job involves the guillotine. So if that goes down everything stops really,” reports Higdon, explaining that the company’s small back-up Ideal 5222 Digicut guillotine and hand guillotine can’t cope for long with the volume of work Atlantic processes.

He adds: “Where people want a rectangle or square sticker the guillotine’s ideal. Right down to 10mm by 30mm. That’s good for brochures where there’s a spelling mistake. It’s used constantly all day.”

The main reason for installing the Senator last June, then, was to ensure the company had a thoroughly reliable machine at its fingertips. The Senator’s predecessor, a Schneider that was already secondhand when Atlantic bought it nine years ago, was starting to get a tad long in the tooth.

“It was very good, but we were starting to have problems. We were getting the occasional breakdowns and because the guillotine is absolutely crucial we decided it was time,” says Higdon. 

“It had an intermittent electrical fault. Replacement circuit boards were quite expensive and there was no guarantee that was going to cure the problem. It was like a car that won’t break down totally so you can replace it, it will just occasionally stop working. Everything would stop and then start again. But then it must have been about 20 years old at that point.”

Assessing the options

The company did a cursory “paper-based survey” of what else was out there that might replace this, including Polar machines. But quickly Higdon decided another Schneider was the safest bet. “Because we knew about the Schneider and its good quality and reliability, that became our focus,” says Higdon. “The price was very competitive for what it does. And it was something we knew. They were all much of a muchness so we went for the Schneider.”

In keeping with this ‘if it ain’t broke...’ rule of thumb, there wasn’t in fact a great deal different about the machine from the one that went before, reports Higdon. But he points out one key difference, and a real boon, is the guillotine’s hydraulic design.

“It doesn’t have a flywheel. In the older machines, when the motor started it had this heavy flywheel it had to get moving,” says Higdon. “The new machines don’t have that, they have hydraulics. That saves us on the electricity bill and makes for a quieter and smoother operation.”

Other valuable developments have been the ability to save programmed jobs into the system, and enhanced safety mechanisms. “The safety aspects are up to date and that’s absolutely key for us. It’s how quickly it will cut out if there is a problem. Although it’s milliseconds, it is quicker.”

Crucially, the Senator has proved just as reliable as its predecessor. “Touch wood it has been fantastic. It’s just had its six month safety inspection and survey all with Friedheim and has passed with flying colours,” says Higdon, reporting there have been no breakdowns whatsoever. 

Friedheim also supplied the training when the kit was installed. “We had three or four days included, and that was very good,” says Higdon, adding: “We have a three-year service contract with them as part of the deal. Friedheim are a respected company, not cheap, but they do know what they’re doing.”

One very minor gripe Atlantic does have however, is with how fiddly it is to clean the machine’s blade. “The only thing is that, because we cut adhesives, the back of the blade can get glued up and getting to the back of the blade to clean it by pulling the safeguard up is a palaver,” says Higdon, reporting that this is a two-man job that takes about an hour every month.

He does concede, however, that most using the guillotine won’t find this an issue, as they’ll be cutting paper rather than adhesives. And the manufacturer does offer a build modification to allow the guide to be easily slid back. But this, at around £1,700, is a bit steep to Higdon’s way of thinking. 

“That’d be brilliant as part of the deal, actually built into the system,” says Higdon.

Friedheim says that this can be specified as a less expensive factory-fitted option, but wasn’t available in Higdon’s case as the machine was purchased from stock.

Neil Elliott, Friedheim International’s marketing manager, says: “The modification can be less expensive and easily incorporated if specified as a factory-fitted option, but if retrofitted onsite it is a more complicated and time-consuming operation. The option has been taken up by others experiencing the same issue, and all have been satisfied with the cost-effectiveness of the result in terms of time saved in cleaning.”

Reliable workhorse

But for now, Atlantic is very happy with its machine and not too bothered by having to perform a monthly clean. It might not be an all-singing, all-dancing bit of kit, but it’s certainly proved itself as a reliable workhorse, says Higdon.

“It’s a bit more accurate than the old machine. We can be more confident on the distance. Before we had to double check and measure things ourselves,” says Higdon.

He concludes: “It does what it says on the tin. It does it quietly and efficiently and doesn’t cause us problems.”  

SPECIFICATIONS

Cutting width 1,150mm

Feed depth 1,150mm

Clamp opening 170mm

Table height 900mm

Footprint 2,020x2,263mm

Front table depth 680mm

Side table depth 471mm

Side table width 436mm

Max power requirement 7.5kW

Knife thickness 12mm

Price From £58,000, depending on specification

Contact Friedheim International 01442 206100 www.friedheim.co.uk

Company profile 

Atlantic Coast Studios was established as a sign and display printers in 1946 in North Devon. Current owner Graham Higdon’s brother bought the company from its initial owner when he retired around 20 years ago, with Graham Higdon taking over when his brother emigrated to Australia. Today, the £500,000-turnover, six-staff business produces tags and stickers for a wide range of clients. Around 400 equipment hire companies across the UK and Ireland, who need stickers to identify their kit as theirs, make up 25% of Atlantic’s client base, with other work including car window stickers for charities. The company runs Svecia screen printers, a Roland and an Epson digital printer, a hand guillotine, an Ideal 5222 Digicut guillotine and, as of last June, a Schneider Senator 115H ‘CT’ guillotine.

Why it was bought...

Atlantic Coast Studios decided to replace its ageing Schneider guillotine with another similar model, because so impressed with the reliability of this kit. “Price was very competitive for what it does. And it was something we knew. They were all much of a muchness so we went for the Schneider,” says Higdon.

How it has performed...

Although an understated workhorse, the Senator has performed brilliantly, says Higdon. The company has had no maintenance issues and been impressed with the machine’s super-quiet hydraulic system, programmable functions and safety mechanisms.