The Pontypridd company lays claim to being the UK’s largest manufacturer of domed labels and name badges, but the Covid-19 pandemic caused the firm to switch tack.

“We sat and looked at it and thought are we going to hibernate, or are we going to try and capitalise, so we decided to try and capitalise,” said managing director Mike Beese.

Six of the firm’s 30 staff are currently working, producing a range of social distancing products.

“We’ve had a great response and it’s given us a new modus operandi going forward,” he added.

The firm installed a 1.8x1.6m Titanium cutter, supplied by International Graphic Supplies, and has also added a Canon Colorado large-format printer, in a total investment of around £90,000.

Beese said the £2m turnover business would usually be producing around 120 different product lines in a typical week, but this is now focused on less than ten, but with higher volume output. 

“The Titanium has been running 12-14 hours a day, every day. One of our new lines is floor rugs and entrance rugs, so customers can display their Covid situation on a branded product,” he said.

“We are lucky because as a manufacturer we could change tack.”

He said the firm was even considering additional cutting and printing capacity.

It runs a wide range of existing kit including Mutoh, Mimaki, Epson, and Gerber devices, as well as cutters from Summa and Zund.

Beese said the firm had looked at a range of cutting machines before opting for the Titanium.

“After thorough testing and visiting an existing Titanium customer site very close to our office – Zenith Print & Packaging –  the Titanium 1816 stood out as robust, adaptable and very competitively priced.

“The IGS team managed the installation and training for the new cutter including optimising our workflow for the specific production needs and tasks of the varied customer requirements we receive on a daily basis. We are delighted with the machine so far.”