The investment programme, which comes two years after the South London-based business was acquired by directors Peter Sheldrick and Rob Kelly, also includes new workflow systems and finishing equipment and follows an investment last year in a second Zünd G3 cutting system.
The new equipment was installed at the firm’s premises just before Christmas and is now fully operational. The Anapurna replaced an existing roll-to-roll device, which was part-exchanged.
“The quality on the roll-to-roll at the larger size previously was not the same quality as on the flatbed. Now if we’re doing a campaign across wallpapers or large banners we can match the quality and the colour of the two on direct-to-media panels,” said Kelly.
“The machine purchases make up the bulk of the investment and were made after a period of in-depth research into which new machines on the market would produce the best quality direct to media and roll-to-roll large-format print.”
The firm looked at alternatives from Canon, Jetrix, Gandy and Screen as part of its research.
With its new offices the company now has a total of 1,115sqm space across two facilities. It has also created a showroom, which includes an ‘ideas’ room.
“In the ideas room we have different types of unusual printing processes and unusual materials that we work with on various projects where designers are trying to push the boundaries,” said Kelly.
The investments will provide a platform for further growth, increased capability and capacity and improved customer service.
“We service markets where quality and service play a more prominent role in the decision making process and for this reason Displayways has always sought to invest in machines that lead the way in quality production,” said Kelly.
“The business has a fantastic reputation for delivering complicated graphics projects at the bespoke end of the markets it serves and providing a partnership service to designers and end clients.
“Our clients look to us to provide advice and ideas, the new products will support the strategy of continuing to enhance our capabilities in being able to deliver solutions others cannot.”
Displayways has 20 staff and a turnover of £2.3m, a growth of 28% on last year. It specialises in producing high-end graphics for interior displays, visitor centres, museums and shows.
