The UK’s first Kornit Storm Hexa is due to be delivered to the Barnsley-based supplier next month, following the distribution deal, which covers all of Kornit Digital’s direct-to-garment printing systems, as well as pigment machines.
Co-owner Dean Sanger, said: “We are primarily textile and we’ve been in the sublimation industry since 1998. We’ve had a Roland dealership and a Mimaki dealership and we’ve introduced Kornit as well. For us it will take us to the next level. We have the full portfolio now. I don’t think there is anyone with the portfolio of hardware we have now.”
The dual-pad Hexa was launched at Fespa, Amsterdam in March, alongside its sister machine the Storm 1000. Kornit said the 16-printhead machine can produce up to 170 garments per hour in high productivity mode.
Sanger said it would bring Sabur down a new avenue. “Kornit is an industrial direct-to-garment printer and the others aren’t. If you want to produce numbers you need a Kornit,” he said.
The Kornit kit is being introduced at the same time as Sabur Ink Systems adds an extra 93sqm to its South Yorkshire showroom – bumping it up to 232sqm by adding in a two-tier mezzanine. The company, which sells to a broad range of customers including sportswear, home textiles and fashion manufacturers, also launched a new website yesterday.
“We’ve grown significantly over the last five years,” Sanger added. “We’ve probably trebled in size. We're looking again to more than double in the next five years. We have eight staff and we use additional third-party engineers, and we’re just interviewing for another sales person.”
As well as manufacturers of retail items, Sabur has a growing commercial print client base, particularly in the sign and display sector.
“We see a lot of growth in soft signage, foldaway pods, environmentally friendly print and backlit displays,” he said.
“The vibes I’m getting from the market are very good especially on the pigment side. Once we have the Hexa in the showroom people will see the proof of the pudding."
Sabur Ink Systems was established in 1998 by Dean Sanger and Ian Burton who both worked in the textile industry since the early 1980s and were early adopters of dye-sublimation print. It has sold dye-sub printers and consumables from the outset.
President of Kornit Digital Europe Eyal Manzoor said: “We aim to work with the leading partners in all regions, and Sabur makes a perfect complement to our European reseller network.”
