Linda Riordan MP has officially opened Retail Print, the latest business venture from retail display business Retail Services which has invested £500,000 in a SwissQPrint Impala flatbed UV printer and Kongsberg i-XP44 digital router for a purpose built production facility in Halifax.
Retail Print joins existing group companies, MetalCo, ColourCo and All4Design. The new operation enables Retail Services to bring further elements associated with the production of retail displays in-house, lower costs for customers, shorten project lead times, enhance flexibility and allow the business total quality control management.
James Dixon, MD of Retail Services, explains: “Our group has already invested heavily in establishing very successful design and production companies. However, until now we have outsourced print. It’s very exciting to be establishing a print and cutting company.
“We chose to invest in a Kongsberg i-XP44 digital router, which offers a radically new level of productivity, throughput and flexibility in cutting, creasing and routing. It allows highly accurate cutting at lightening quick speed, allowing us to cut faster than any of our current competition and negating the use of old school practices such as use of guillotines. Moreover, its flexibility is incredible and we will be putting this machine to work on a massive range of materials from PVC and timber to fomex.
“We have also purchased a SwissQPrint Impala printer, facilitating us to print on virtually any flexible or rigid media, up to 50mm thick, at up to 134m2/hr and at very high quality representative of 1350dpi.
“The combined technology investment ensures whatever challenge our clients present, as a group we will be able to respond efficiently and cost-effectively in manufacturing and printing on any conceivable materials whether these be powder coated metals, timber, PVC or cardboard boxes.”
This latest move also means job creation for the Halifax area with up to six people being recruited in the next few months to run the new operation.
Print and production specialist David Howarth has joined Retail Print as operations manager. Howarth, who moves from Screen Print Productions, has been instrumental in project managing the construction and fitting out of a standalone production building to house the Retail Print operation. He said: “Project managing the build has been very challenging as such technologically advanced equipment has very special requirements, it is vital that the environment is kept dust free and the temperature is maintained at 23 degrees centigrade to protect the ink quality.”
The launch of Retail Print was supported by corporate finance specialist Close Asset Finance.