Image Reports
Supporting the wide-format digital print sector
26
Fri, Apr
Case Studies
The following content is part of Image Report’s 'Case Studies' series, bringing information from our partners who supply our industry. We are pleased to share their information with you, noting that the copyright and responsibility for the content rest with our promoting partner.
Since January 2017, Onlineprinters has acquired more than 400,000 new customers and is now proud to welcome the millionth customer.
"One million customers - this number stands for an abundance of creative printing products we have implemented for our customers over the past 14 years," says Dr. Michael Fries, CEO of Onlineprinters, and unveils the art print "Customer Globe" that has been randomised with the "Mosaic" software by the technology partner HP in collaboration with the gyro advertising agency. 1,000 individual copies of it will be produced and presented to the long-standing customers. "Nowadays, there are no limits to creativity in online printing. Our art print stands for the diversity of our customers and their projects. Each of one thousand printed copies of the series is based on the same draft, yet it is one of a kind," as Dr. Michael Fries puts it.
Today, Onlineprinters mainly delivers its products to business customers in more than 30 European countries. The company achieves some 30 percent of its total turnover in Germany operating as diedruckerei.de. Between 2012 and 2014, the turnover abroad becomes increasingly more significant for the online print shop. This can be explained by continued international growth efforts that started back in 2008. With the acquisition of the UK market leader Solopress, and with LaserTryk - the market leader in Scandinavia - joining the Onlineprinters group, Onlineprinters now ranks among the top 3 online print shops in Europe. The CEO considers this international focus to be the driving force behind Onlineprinters' success.
People from 40 nations work together to make Onlineprinters a success: "Wherever many nationalities come together, it only works with tolerance and respect. This is what our corporate culture is about," emphasises Dr. Michael Fries.
The Onlineprinters Group, which operates under the brand name of diedruckerei.de in Germany, is one of the leading online print shops in Europe. Employing a staff of more than 1,400, Onlineprinters produced 3 billion+ printed advertising products last year. More than 1,500 print products including business cards, letterheads, flyers, catalogues, brochures, large-format advertising systems and more are sold to one million customers in 30 European countries. Internationally, the provider of online print services is known under the brand name of Onlineprinters. British market leader Solopress and LaserTryk, the Scandinavian number one, are members of the Onlineprinters Group.
Established in 1989 and celebrating their 30th anniversary next year, Signs Express has developed into the largest network of sign production centres in the UK and is growing at its fastest rate in more than 10 years. Many of its centres have been trading for over 10 years, demonstrating the potential profit, business stability and career satisfaction in becoming a franchisee. The addition of a new field-based operations team this year is helping to support this growth.
The Sign Shed has installed a Roland DG VersaUV S-Series printer from supplier Printmax, helping this Yorkshire signage specialist combine the highest quality with a personal touch.
Founded in 2003, Image On is a well-established customer-focused branding business with customer satisfaction at its core. Working with customers at every stage – from web design and social media to branded clothing and merchandise – allows them flexibility, quality and confidence, all generated in-house.
Spectrum Sign and Display s a pioneer in the design, manufacture and installation of signage, large format digital print and wall coverings. With a recent expansion of their premises, now exceeding 28,000 sq. feet, along with investment in staff and print technology, their capabilities as a company have also expanded.
We’ve come a long way in the last 18 months. We’ve grown from a five strong team to over 35, taken on more containers than we have room for leaving us looking for a bigger and better premises and we’ve almost doubled our product range. There’s never a dull moment running a start-up business and the fast-paced culture of the displays industry makes it even more exciting. In a very saturated market it’s essential to have an edge and a long list of product USPs to survive and that’s exactly what we set out to do.
Mimaki, a leading manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and cutting systems, has reported that Simvol, Russia’s largest producer of flags and state symbolic textile-based signage, relied on Mimaki digital textile printing to produce flags and banners for one of the most important events in the country.
PrintBig, a design and print business, based in Headcorn near Ashford, has become the latest advocate of the Agfa brand. Early July it installed its first ever Agfa engine, a new Anapurna H3200i LED press run by the Agfa Asanti workflow solution. The new engine has effectively replaced three machines for the business allowing them to print wider and faster according to PrintBig’s MD Paul Smith.
