The Mimaki UJV55-320 machine delivers rapid-volume production of signs, banners, displays and exhibition graphics up to 3.2m-wide with twin-roll simultaneous printing. It was bought from CMYUK.
Chief operations director Shevy Kapoor said the new printer would replace two existing 3.2m-wide machines and was due to be installed in two weeks' time.
“The old machines are slow and in need of lots of TLC. We liked the speed, reliability and colour management of the Mimaki. We've never done textiles before but this gear will let us start.”
A 270sqm banner on the old equipment would take 30 to 40 hours, he said. But the Mimaki could finish the job in around five hours.
“We looked at HP and Fuji equipment but it came down to price and the deal we got from CMYUK was better,” said Kapoor. The Mimaki UJV55-320 LED UV model cost around £65,000.
SPD Design & Print is a 38-staff business that makes about £4m turnover from a base in Glasgow with 18,000sqm of floor space.
“We'd like the new purchase to boost productivity and take us into new markets, so in two years we'd expect to push our turnover to £5m or £6m.”
Other kit includes an HP Scitex 760, HP DesignJet, HP TurboJet, HP Latex, Mimaki JFX200, Xerox Versant and gear from Kongsberg, Kippax and Epson.
“Investing in the Mimaki will not only help us achieve a terrific quality of output and speed up productivity, it will open new market opportunities for us such as exhibitions.”
The UJV55-320 3.2m roll-to-roll UV printer was bought to increase productivity with banners, signage, event displays and building wraps for blue-chip clients.
SPD bought the kit from CMYUK at Sign & Digital through a reward scheme called consumable supported asset finance (CASF). The deal included a second year’s warranty worth £6,000.
CMYUK senior digital sales consultant Sue Hayward claimed over the term of the finance contract, customers like SPD could save tens of thousands of pounds.
“The customer switches some or all of their material spend to CMYUK, and we will contribute a monthly amount directly into their finance agreement, reducing their monthly payment.”
