The purchase is part of a £300,000 total investment for the seven-staff firm, including the construction of a 185sqm mezzanine floor in its Golden Cross facility, extending it to 600sqm.
The CX3200, capable of up to 250sqm/hr on polyester fabric, or up to 156sqm/hr on transfer paper, uses Kyocera KJ4B-0300 printheads for a resolution of up to 600x1,200dpi in high definition print settings.
Taking dye-sub work in-house is an important step for the business, which has seen strong growth in the segment over the past few years.
This pattern of growth, where Simply Beautiful cultivates a customer demographic by offering specific services before then taking them in-house, is typical of the business, according to founder and managing director Michael Tyrrell, who established the company in 2011.
He explained that when he started out, every product was outsourced. Now, the company has a range of kit, including an Agfa Anapurna H3200i LED UV, HP Latex 800W, and the Avinci on the print side, and a Kongsberg C64 Edge cutter, Neschen Coldlam laminator, CWT Application Table, conveyor-fed sewing machine and the Klieverik calender on the finishing side.
He said: “This growth hasn’t come overnight, and we have worked in a few smaller units over the years, including one we shared with an ambulance for a while.
“But we have grown steady and consistently, monitored the market and outsourced till we had the volume to bring it in-house.
“We now have a loyal customer base that trust in us and we have a lot of capacity and are self-contained which is important as it means that we control both the timing and quality for our customers.”
Introduced to Agfa at the firm’s 2016 ‘red carpet event’ at its headquarters in Mortsel, Belgium, Tyrrell soon purchased the hybrid Anapurna model, installed in 2017.
“It has been a workhorse for us ever since,” he said.
“It is so reliable, and the support that we have been given by the knowledgeable Agfa team has been impressive.
“Whilst I did look at other manufacturers when deciding to invest in dye-sublimation, it’s this experience that made Agfa the choice for the new Avinci machine.”
The new Klieverik calender came as part of the deal, with both machines installed together under Agfa financing.
The installation has not only allowed Simply Beautiful to bring all its existing dye-sub work in-house, but has also given it room to take on more work in the segment: so much so, that Tyrrell is already thinking about adding an extra evening shift.
