Investment in Duplo’s PFi Blade B2+ digital cutting table and DC-618 slitter/cutter/creaser has helped Solent Design Studio break into new markets.

The business, which has a turnover of £980,000, invested £55,000 in the machinery to expand its offering, largely in packaging.

Russell Pay, project manager at Solent, told Printweek: “It has enabled us to approach different industries, different sectors of the print market.

The PFi Blade B2+, he explained, has allowed Solent Design to cut short runs of packaging directly from a digital file, without having to make a die.

“It basically opens up a whole new market for us to proof jobs before they actually go into production.

According to Pay, this has opened up a valuable new avenue to Solent Design, which can be significantly more profitable than other parts of the market.

He added: "We’ve [also] got an experienced design team that are very creative in enabling us to approach the packaging industry.”

The PFi Blade remains cost-effective up to around 250 boxes, depending on the shape of the box.

The DC-618, said managing director Martin Reynolds, will help Solent Design speed along its finishing process.

He said: “It takes a little bit of pressure off activity with cutting smaller run jobs.”

Both machines were installed in November 2021 at the firm’s Hampshire site, which covers 325sqm with a mezzanine level.

Reynolds added that the company's longstanding relationship with Duplo had made the purchase easy.

He said: “We know Duplo from old.

“We’ve had various bits of kit off them in the past - but also Canon, who we get all of our digital kit with, work with them very closely as well.”

To support the new machinery, Solent has had to increase its electricity supply rating to 30 amps - though as the PFi Blade isn’t running constantly, the company just turns it on when required.

Pay added that while he is naturally cautious, Reynolds’ confidence has paid off for the company.

He said: “Martin has proved that we’ve got to drive forward.

“We’ve got to look at new markets, we’ve got to look at new products, and that’s the way forward. 

“If you stand still in the print industry, you’re going to find it very hard to make money and reinvest.”