The machine, which was installed at the group’s Willerby, East Yorkshire site in January, was taken on to boost its automation and capacity.
"Our customers expect the very best in quality and service," said ImageData commercial director Glen Patrick.
“They demand fast turnaround times and high quality print at a competitive price and lead times are reducing all the time. In such a competitive market, you have to be on top of your game, so we need to ensure that we have the best print equipment available on the market.”
The new machine is ImageData’s third Onset X3 press from Fujifilm and was the natural next step for the company, according to production director Pete Shaw.
"We've had a longstanding relationship with Fujifilm stretching back many years, with numerous products from the Onset range taking pride of place at our facilities,” he said.
“The Onset X3 presses have been essential to our business, with the exceptionally high quality print and high speeds they offer.
“Now with the recent installation of the Onset X3 HS Dual Flex, our production speeds have increased threefold whilst retaining all the quality aspects that the range has always delivered.”
He added: “The automated capability of the Onset X3 HS Dual Flex is a game changer. The 'High 5' mode uses dual robots, so it can pick up the substrate, put it on the bed for printing, then pick it up and turn it over, and replace on the bed ready to print the reverse side.
“No human intervention is required, unlike our other machines where operators are required to flip substrates over. We're mainly using this new press for rigid substrate production for the retail sector, keeping the other Onset X3 presses predominantly on paper-based substrates.
“The Onset X3 HS Dual Flex isn’t just helping us to produce work faster – it gives us another dimension to the way we run our business. The turnaround times are greatly reduced, not just because of the speed of the machine, but the fact that we no longer need to mask the bed is also a huge time saver in terms of overall turnaround.
“This feature can facilitate a job to job changeover time of just 30 seconds, which is highly impressive.”
ImageData also highlighted the Onset’s ability to print white ink as a significant factor in its decision to invest.
"It works really well on clear, rigid substrates such as acrylic – something we have not been able to print onto before – so the new machine will help us to enter new markets,” said Patrick.
Sean Connolly, business development manager for digital solutions at Fujifilm Graphic Systems UK, added: "ImageData has benefitted from our Onset range for many years and now they have the chance to take their production to the next level with the Onset X3 HS Dual Flex.
“We applaud the positive approach they are taking to driving their business forward after a very difficult year for the whole industry and we are excited to continue to support them.”
ImageData has a turnover of £20m and employs 167 staff across its three sites in the UK. It produces a wide range of print including POS, direct marketing, building wraps, and marketing collateral for a large roster of clients, including many blue-chip brands.
Last year the business installed a CTX132 guillotine from Komori at its Willerby site; two Xerox Nuvera 314 printers, a Duplo DC-746 multi-finisher, and a Duplo DPB-500 perfect binder at its Brighton, East Sussex site; and a Zünd G3 3XL-2500 digital cutter at its Howden, East Yorkshire site.
The company also signed off a major MIS spend with Tharstern across its three sites.
