Finding a grand-format niche with DYSS and Mimaki
Having found its niche in grand-format printing production, Northern Signage Company recently invested in a Mimaki 3.2m roll-to-roll UV printer and DYSS X7-3220C digital cutter in an effort to further cement its position in the market, and the firm is already reporting positive results.
Monday, 26 Jun 2017 12:15 GMT
Father and son team Jonathan and Malcolm Cairns alongside the new DYSS X7
The Mimaki machine was installed in November last year, while the 3.2m-wide DYSS cutter, purchased from AG/CAD, went in at the start of this year.
Although the two technologies have only been working together for a matter of months, Malcolm Cairns, founder of Northern Signage Company, says that the machines have had a major impact on grand-format production.
“Grand-format work has grown rapidly to account for 20 percent of our business already, our subcontract costs have fallen and we are continually winning new customers,” Cairns comments, adding: “The majority of our work is for design and advertising agencies, sign-makers, litho printers and large-format print companies that don’t have 3.2m wide capacity.”
With the Mimaki measuring in at 3.2m wide, Cairns says the company needed a digital cutter of the same width to support print production. Having looked at a number of options, Northern Signage Company eventually opted for the DYSS, with Cairns citing a live demonstration by AG/CAD as the deciding factor.
Grand-format work has grown rapidly to account for 20 percent of our business already”
“AG/CAD was one of only a couple of suppliers that could offer this width and the features we wanted, but we also required a machine with a length of 2m, due to limited floor area. Only AG/CAD listened to our precise requirements and were flexible enough to be able to offer an exact fit.
“We took fabrics [to the demonstration] that we had printed on the Mimaki and then followed this with Dibond, acrylic, vinyl, Foamex, banners, meshes and even corrugated board.
“The demonstration certainly convinced us, it not only highlighted the customer orientated service from AG/CAD, but also the expertise offered regarding tooling options for all material types. The cut quality on all materials was outstanding.”
Production director Jonathan Cairns also spoke positively about the two pieces of kit, explaining that the DYSS in particular has helped solve a bottleneck issue in production.
He expands: “A lot of our work is fast turnaround and before we had the DYSS X7, all profile cutting was sent for external processing with an average lead-time of three of fourdays. This disrupted our workflow plus the extended and sometimes unreliable lead-times could be a concern for customers.
“The DYSS X7 has brought all this work in-house, enabling us to keep strict control of turnaround times that are often within 24 hours. The DYSS has removed this bottleneck and eased the pressure on supplying fast-turnaround work.”
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