Sign company defies sluggish Scottish economy
Despite economic growth north of the border only half as strong as the rest of the UK last year, Fantasy Prints, based north of Hadrian’s Wall but still just in England, has invested in new kit as business remains brisk.
Wednesday, 20 Jun 2018 11:02 GMT
The size and speed of the Kongsberg has allowed the company to expand into new markets, reduce overtime, save money, and cut back on wastage
Anecdotally the economy has remained sluggish in Scotland for the last few months with some business owners confiding in Signlink that in some quarters there is a growing crisis of confidence. The reasons vary depending on who you speak to with some blaming the Scottish Government, others Westminster, while the uncertainty over Brexit was also placed in the dock.
Recently published Scottish Government statistics show that GDP grew by 0.3 percent in the last three months of 2017 while annual growth for Scotland was 0.8 percent higher than the previous 12 months, but the UK economy grew over the same period by just 1.8 percent. As with all economies there are some businesses that seem to thrive in difficult trading conditions with Fantasy Prints being one example.
The training we got from CMYUK was excellent”
The Berwick-upon-Tweed outfit invested in a EFI Vutek GS2000LX Pro from CMYUK last year but they then found that their old cutter could not keep up with the speed of the new printer, and backlogs started to become a problem. They say they turned to CMYUK as they are one of the largest suppliers of wide-format digital printers, cutting equipment, and materials in the UK. The solution they came up with was the Kongsberg X24 Starter.
Sarah McMorn, managing director of Fantasy Prints, comments: “The training we got from CMYUK was excellent. We’re really excited about the Kongsberg, especially considering the new opportunities we can offer our clients and the money we can save. We now have the capability to offer a complete one-stop solution. CMYUK always take an interest in the company and offer solutions that will benefit Fantasy Prints and the team members in the company.”
CMYUK says: “The Kongsberg X Starter for signage comes in two versions, one basic version without milling and one with the Multi Cut tool head offering milling productivity and a camera system. The Multi Cut combines all the tool insert options with a milling spindle up to 45.000 RPM. It’s perfect for a wide range of signage materials. The air-cooled milling bit assures edge quality during high-speed milling of acrylics and other synthetics. The switch-operated bit exchange eliminates the need for hand tools.”
Back to the Scottish economy and the service sector which makes up three quarters of the Caledonian economy. That was only up by half a percent in 2017 suggesting those anecdotal concerns are genuine.
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