Ken Mardon and Mark McIntyre, front
The purchase of new equipment allows for additional market expansion and incremental production improvement to provide better customer service.
CMYUK Shrewsbury – VMGS (Visual Marketing and Graphic Services), has purchased a Mimaki UJV55320 UV LED printer and Kongsberg X24edge digital cutting table. Also, a Graphtec FC9000-160 cutting tool from CMYUK.
It joins the existing Mimaki JFX200-2513EX flatbed with integrated cutter and Mimaki UCJV150-163 UV LED printer, both also bought from CMYUK.
Mimaki equipment allowed for the firm to bring all of its production services into-house. It was able to ensure greater quality control, faster turnaround times and substantial cost savings.
The new equipment adds more support to the business during its transition to the next stage. “We want to reduce our production times in order to turn jobs around more quickly. We’ll want to widen our customer base and further enhance our growth, which is the messaging we want to put out there,” says VMGS’ Ken Mardon.
Steady upswing
VMGS provides vehicle graphics solutions, signage and retail. This new equipment will help VMGS serve existing customers better, and it will also allow them to expand their reach into other sectors like exhibitions.
Mimaki UJV55/320 UV LED printer allows businesses to open doors and move into textiles. The printer is capable of printing large banners at full width and smaller double-sided rolls.
“Not many businesses have a super-wide printer, and this puts us in a strong position particularly around our local area of Market Harborough and Leicester. Here, companies outsource their 3.2m work with 10- to 14-day turnarounds. We can guarantee a much faster turnaround and we’re on the doorstep. So, marketing wise, we’re starting local and then emanating outwards as far as possible,” says Ken.
Mimaki quality
Since the beginning of VMGS, Mimaki technology was a prominent part. When it came to boosting its printing output, Ken and business partner – Mark McIntyre – were united in their decision to remain with the Mimaki brand. This was in part due to the business’ trust in Mimaki technology for its quality, speed and reliability.
Mimaki UJV55/320 roll-to–roll printer is ideal for large-scale banner production, as well as exhibition, window, and retail graphics. The Mimaki UJV55/320 can also be used to twin-roll simultaneously print. You can print at up to 1200 dpi resolution. Standard features include an automatic nozzle check system and a take-up unit. It also uses the same inks as the company’s Mimaki flatbed ensuring total ease of colour consistency across all production devices.
“I don’t want lots of different machines running from different RIPs. Production must run efficiently. If, for example, our production manager is unwell, I like it that anyone can cover because they know the Mimaki printers inside out,” says Mark.
Kongsberg Cutting
It was quite an experience to purchase a Kongsberg, since VMGS has been making them in-house.
“Mark and I have been in the industry for a long time, so we know about digital cutting tables, but deciding what we were going to buy and from whom, took us 9 months. Although we looked at many different companies, Sue Hayward was our best choice. [CMYUK’s sales director, equipment]. She has always looked after us really well, even if it’s just been to ask her a question. Eventually we made the decision to go with the Kongsberg, we know it’s got a good reputation, and we also get the support from Sue and CMYUK,” says Ken.
Kongsberg X24 Edge, a digital cutting table with a milling spindle of 1kW, camera and standard drag and kiss knives was bought by the company. The digital cutting table can be easily upgraded to allow customers to achieve even higher speeds and accelerate. It is modular, so tools and accessories can be easily added. VMGS will also be adding a Creaser, which allows it to provide packaging solutions.
The initial job VMGS completed on the Kongsberg X24 Edge for a banner run of 100m was Instantly, the time savings became apparent. “The finishers, the guys that in the old days would be cutting the straight edge with a knife, they’ve now got the time to set up other jobs. It’s early days yet, so we can’t say how much more productive we will be, but with this first job, our throughput increased by 30% and I’m being conservative,” says Ken.
Graphtec Support for Additional Productivity
A standalone Graphtec FC9000-160 plotter was also bought by the company to improve productivity of its Mimaki UCJV150-162 UV LED printer. Although the integrated cutter worked well for the initial days of the business, the increasing production volumes required a separate plotter cutter.
“Four and a half years ago, we had a limited budget and the combined Mimaki print and cut functionality was great for our business – giving us the capabilities we required. Now we’ve grown and offer more services, we really need to drive our productivity,” says Ken.
The Graphtec FC 9000 series cutter plotters are ideal for general signmaking, labelling and car paint protection film applications. The optional take-up unit allows vinyls to easily be cut, and then wound onto the rolls. This protects them against damage. The series includes media catch nets and networking capabilities.
For growth and for onward vision
When the first round of investment was made VMGS recorded an annual turnover of £600, 000. Four and a half years later, this has grown to over £1.5m. With aplomb the directors managed the Pandemic. They produced and supplied a large range of COVID safety items, including sneeze screen products, to a national retailer and college.
It also boasts its own graphics department and can offer a 360O services that include design, print and installation. The business’s future vision is to continue growth and longevity and keep it in the hands, if at all possible, of their close-knit family members.
“We want the largest global retail companies and design agencies to come to us,” says Ken, adding, “Versatility is the key, it’s all about making the right equipment investments that fulfil your customers’ needs. It’s also about a commitment to impeccable customer service, going above and beyond expectations, which is exactly what VMGS does.”