Offset Printing
Technique to add XL 75 with coater to benefit from the economic upturn
Wednesday 16. March 2011 - "Design is as good as the designer, print as good as the press," says Karl Smith, co-director with Technique Print Group. The Banbury company is installing a Speedmaster XL 75-5+LX this month.
Realising that their existing ten year old SM 74-5 was in need of replacement in order to compete with more modern technology and having achieved a good price for this press, Technique Print Group was in a strong position to raise finance for the enhanced press which marks its debut in coating.
The fifth colour will be used for specials, metallics and Drip-offs prior to coating allowing Technique Print to provide added value finishes, aesthetic appeal and very fast turnround times.
Currently it attributes 30% of its print work to jobs supplied by the six strong design team led by the companys other co-director Mark Foster. With his background in design and Karl Smiths in print, the two set up Technique Print Group in 1997 and they each head up a division of the enterprise.
This leaves the print arm free to take on plenty of direct work, primarily within a 50 mile radius but with some customers as far away as Cornwall and Scotland. The company services publishers, marketing departments, agencies and point of sale customers and it sees the new press with its ability to run thicker stocks as well as coating as an opening into more packaging print.
Before selecting the XL 75 the company had looked at the SM 74 and also machines from rival manufacturers. The productivity and the flexibility of the press swung the buying decision and it was specified with an AxisControl spectral measurement device, which will pave the way for the company undertaking a Heidelberg ISO 12647-2 certification scheme later in the year.
“The sales staff are even more excited than me. They feel having a Speedmaster XL 75 is a real sales tool and work we previously had to turn away because we didnt have coating we will now secure,” says Mr Smith. “Staff see it as a move to the next level which it is.”
Technique Print Group has emerged from recession “stronger and more focussed” and, despite some cut in pay at the lowest point of the economic cycle, has kept all its employees on board.
“We have kept the skills and the upturn has come and we are well positioned for growth. We have learnt a lot about our business as result of the recession and this investment reflects our confidence in the future,” says Mr Smith.