Wide Format Solutions
Eighteen months on from the installation of an Agfa Anapurna H3200i LED wide format machine, Gary Wallace, managing director of Wallace Print in Kent, gives a positive report on his investment from what was a new supplier to the business.
Wallace Print invested in the new Agfa wide format engine in December 2019. The new printer was an addition to the SwissQprint flatbed and roll to roll offering already used, as the company needed a faster roll to roll machine to deliver the demanded volume. Gary felt that the dual roll feature on the Agfa machine was a massive benefit allowing the company to produce serious meterage at up to 50% faster per hour.
No sooner had the new machine bedded in, Covid hit and, like others, it changed the model of the business over the next 12 months. Gary explained, ‘It was initially a very concerning time, having to rapidly assess the effect that the pandemic would have on the business. But ironically Covid presented us with an opportunity to print a ridiculous amount of floor graphics through the Anapurna, as we realised early on that every business had to display the correct social distancing messages. We became insanely busy by mid 2020 and this resulted in new client wins in new sectors. We continue to grow at an alarming rate and our new client wins are at an all-time high.
‘There is no doubt that the Agfa Anapurna played its part in this growth by the sheer volume of output due to the speed of the dual roll feature and in helping us to create new and exciting products that some of our competitors struggle to produce, largely around the white ink capability on this large format machine.’
Wallace Print was initially a father and son screenprinter that set up in 1986. It has adapted with the changing landscape of the industry and is now a fully digital large format printer employing 30 multi-skilled staff.
No matter the size, if it fits the machines, Wallace Print will print it and its workload is usually very varied. Some jobs have very intricate finishing elements with minimal print and in others the installation can be the largest part of the job. The company’s customers can be agencies, print managers, retail, leisure, construction, corporate or automotive and the business thrives on the variety and volume this offers.
Gary concluded, ‘I need to say a big thank you to our existing and loyal employees who helped us through the 2020 tortuous year. They enabled us to rebuild Wallaceprint.com to be very efficient, even with our exponential growth, with of course, the professional assistance of the Agfa team.’
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