Arriving in mid-March, the Kudu has already seen Print & Display take all remaining work off its four-colour Thieme screen printer, which had been kept on for white and varnish only.
Garry Hatfield, director at Print & Display, told Printweek that if the Kudu can handle all of the firm’s white and varnish work over the next six months – on top of its standard printing duties – the firm will be able to close its screen printing department.
Given that the Kudu has taken on everything Print & Display has thrown at it over the past five weeks, Hatfield was optimistic about freeing up a substantial amount of space in the company’s 5,400 sqm site.
He said: “We haven’t used the screen press once. So, if in six months I stil haven’t had to use it, the screen press can go. It’s a massive machine – literally around 15 metres long by three metres wide – so will create a lot of space.”
Print & Display produces a lot of work for the cosmetic and perfume markets, which frequently need spot whites and varnishes – so folding that work into a single machine, the Kudu, has helped streamline the firm’s processes, as well as reducing waste and cutting electricity usage.
The new press has likewise helped boost the company’s print capacity, shoring up year-on-year growth that saw the firm expand from £6.5m turnover last financial year, to around £8m when it closes its financial year this month.
Now running alongside Print & Display’s two HP Scitex 11000s, the Kudu has replaced an older, smaller, Canon Arizona 1380GT; according to Hatfield, the Kudu is around 15 times faster, meaning that the firm has real potential to take on new work.
Winning new customers is also on the cards, with the SwissQprint’s ability to print roll-to-roll, its 1,350dpi resolution, 3D print effects and layered transparency effects all providing avenues for new applications.
The Kudu is also saving Print & Display energy.
Hatfield said: “The power consumption is obviously a massive plus, the sustainability – the inks are all GreenGuard Gold – and the reliability. It’s just the best machine out there for what we needed.”
Print & Display employs 65 at its Nottingham site.
