From the success of Stand Innovations Ltd, a 10 year old exhibition stand building company; a new print and design business has now blossomed. The thriving growth of the Sharnford based exhibition specialist, prompted the company directors to start up StandOut Graphics, an innovative Large Format Printing Company specialising in providing bespoke visual advertising solutions to virtually any brief.
The stand building business operates a woodworking machine shop with CNC routers, edge-banders, a spindle moulder and dimension saw to name just some of its equipment. Despite being a leading exhibition stand builder, Stand Innovations wasn't geared-up for creating graphics and the associated print work to accompany its stand designs. With Stand Innovations subcontracting out over £3k per month in print work and its design agency customers subbing out another £10k+ of print work per month, the Leicestershire company saw an opportunity and wanted a slice of the pie.
As StandOut Graphics Director, Mr Tom Noon recalls: "As stand builders, we realised we were missing an opportunity with the print and display work. We invested over £350,000 and refurbished an adjacent unit, bought a Jetrix KX7 large format digital printer and a DYSS X7 2230T digital cutting table from AG/CAD. From this, we started StandOut Graphics. The aim of this venture was to re-claim business we were subbing out and also to target the business we were losing because we didn't have the capability. Twelve months later and we are certainly claiming our share of print and graphics work through StandOut Graphics."
Highlighting why the fledgling company opted for the DYSS X7 2230T, Mr Noon continues: "We looked at a number of machines and we kept coming back to the build quality and capability of the DYSS X7. Our stand building business continually requires large scale printing and the subsequent cutting of media such as MDF, Foamex, Perspex, Di-bond, Vinyl and glass. The 3m by 2m bed on both the Jetrix KX7 and the DYSS X7 machine made sense as they perfectly complement each other. We visited some print companies using the same combination and the benefits were evident."
The £3k per month of large format print work that was previously subbed out, has now been brought back under one-roof. In addition to eliminating the subcontracting cost for Stand Innovations, StandOut Graphics and its new machines are winning business equating to over £10k per month that customers previously farmed out to other sources. Commenting on the situation, Mr Noon says: "The ability of the DYSS to precisely cut large non-uniform shapes from a wide range of materials that are often very thick, to such impeccable finishes, is a major benefit to both our graphics business and the stand building business. Additionally, for such a large machine the DYSS X7 is extremely accurate and consistent. This is credit to the K-Cut Vision system that intuitively identifies datum marks on each job and automatically calculates the tool path required. The K-Cut Vision system ensures the part is cut with 100% precision, even if its orientation to the machine bed isn't parallel."
"Furthermore, the robust Superhead cutting head on the DYSS has the capacity for 6mm diameter routing tools and this means we can really tear through thick material. The Superhead unit has three tool slots and this gives us the facility to rapidly swap applications from routing tools to knife cutting and even creasing. This reduces production times and the subsequent lead-times of large projects. It also demonstrates the flexibility of the DYSS, as we use the routing tools for heavy-duty cutting of Perspex and Di-bond and then we can instantly switch out tools allowing us to be precisely slicing through Vinyl and paper based materials the next minute."
At present, the print company that is approaching its first anniversary has benefitted from having a partner company next door, As Mr Noon continues: "The flexibility of the DYSS and the Jetrix combination has yielded a healthy year 1 profit margin whilst reducing subcontract costs for Stand Innovations. For the stand building business, the increased in-house design, print and cutting capability has brought in more business and increased turnover considerably. This will give the stand building business a platform to grow considerably."
"With regards to StandOut Graphics, as a stand-alone entity the future is very bright. We are already looking to enter the PoS display industry and we want to do more branding and advertising media. We are already looking to expand our team by adding a salesperson, a graphic designer and potentially more printing machines. By increasing the size of our team and exploring new markets, we can maximise the potential of the KASEMAKE 3D software. It has so much to offer and we're only scratching the surface. Both businesses are entering exciting times and this is a direct result of the combined purchase of the DYSS X7 and the Jetrix Large format printer," concludes Mr Noon.