Wrights kicks off £1m spend with cutting first

Wrights GPX has kicked off the first phase of a £1m investment programme with the installation of the UK’s first Eurolaser 2XL-3200, a 3.2x2.7m laser cutting table that incorporates both laser and conventional CNC cutting tools on the same unit.

“We can CNC, laser and engrave as a single process on the one machine,” said commercial director Andy Watkins said: “It enables us to produce some attention-grabbing effects for retailers.”

It joins an existing fleet of three laser cutters and five CNC machines at the West Bromwich firm, which employs 81 staff.

Later this year the firm will complete the investment programme with a second Océ Arizona flatbed printer and an additional Zünd cutting table.

Wrights GPX is a specialist plastic fabricator, which works in the POS market for major retailers producing display systems in acrylic.

It has its own in-house print division, which switched to digital printing with the Arizona and an eco-solvent machine a couple of years ago. Following the move from screen to digital printing of its displays it also expanded the sign and display graphics side of the business.

Turnover has grown 40% to £6.5m in the past year driven by a combination of sign and display and online retail sales and the addition of some large customers including Marks & Spencer and Tesco. Managing director Mike Wright said the firm was aiming for further growth to £8m sales in the next financial year and to take headcount to 90.