GBM trebles capacity with Screen Truepress Jet W3200UV HS install

GBM Group has trebled its digital wide-format production capacity with the installation of a new Screen Truepress Jet W3200UV HS at its Manchester print facility.

The new press takes GBM's new kit spend to £370,000 in the past 12 months, following its investment in the UK's first Elitron Kombo SD+ cutter earlier this year.

GBM sales director Simon Higginbottom said the Truepress had replaced an old Agfa Jeti 3020 Titan as well as its screen printing equipment, including one auto and two hand benches.

"We mainly used the screen presses for single colour work, things like sale campaigns, or for larger run window clings where we'd print four-colours digital and then do the white with the screen kit," said Higginbottom. "But with the Truepress printing six colours plus white at 150sqm/hr we don't need the screen kit anymore."

In addition to the outgoing Agfa Jeti, GBM has a 3.2m EFI Vutek QS and an Océ Arizona 350 XT. Collectively the three printers could output around 60sqm/hr, although this has been boosted to 190sqm/hr since replacing the Jeti with the Truepress.

"This one printer has tripled our capacity overnight and we have already won significant new business as a direct result," said Higginbottom, adding that the new press had allowed the firm to turn around jobs faster and expand its run lengths.

"In the past we specialised in short-run jobs, but we're now pitching for medium to longer-run work, so instead of just going for runs of 50-60 we're now able to print up to 400," he said. "A recent job that would have taken us four days before we had the Truepress Jet took only four hours."