Company says reliability is crucial and HP provides that.
Gerry Poulton and Ian Pidgeon of Sign Wise with the new HP Scitex FB500 supplied by CWES.CWE Solutions Ltd has supplied Reading based sign-makers, Sign Wise (UK) Ltd with a new HP Scitex FB500 flatbed printer.
This latest device is the fourth HP machine that Sign Wise has purchased from CWE Solutions and adds to an already impressive line-up that includes a HP L26500 and two HP Z6200s, all installed since June 2012.
Gerry Poulton who runs Sign Wise with his wife Pauline talked about his dealings with CWE Solutions.
“CWES were keen to understand my company and what we wanted from our machines,” he said. “Nothing has been too much trouble for them and I always feel that they are there for me on the other end of the phone should I need them. “
Poulton confirms that business is booming at the company, reporting that turnover increased in the last year by 25 per cent. He has been in the printing business since 1962, and established Sign Wise in 1990.
The company has built a strong business reputation in their local area and have concentrated efforts on providing a fast and reliable service to trade customers who account for 80 per cent of their business. Poulton explained the Sign Wise approach.
“Other printers outsource their more complicated and larger jobs to us and we have created a niche by being helpful, adaptable and willing to try new things and find solutions.”
Investment in new technology is key to meeting the demands of Sign Wise customers who expect a great finish in a short timescale.
“There isn’t much margin for error as we are all working at speed to deliver on time every time,” continued Poulton. “It’s what our customers need to satisfy their customers. We need reliability from our machines and HP provides that.”
Sign Wise decided to invest in the new HP Scitex FB500 despite already owning an OCE Flatbed. Poulton considered a number of other models when making this latest investment and was attracted to the HP machine for its reputed reliability and superior board handling it provides at larger sizes.
“We have been getting requests for larger and more complex signs being printed on a diverse range of materials and needed to upgrade to the HP Scitex FB500 as it easily handles 3m lengths and unusual substrates,” he added.
The HP Scitex FB500 can print on a range of substrates including imperfect boards making it a good choice for the more unusual bespoke requests that Sign Wise receive, like a recent request for printing onto reflective highways material.
When volume throughput is important, the HP Scitex FB500 can be set to a multi-board simultaneous printing mode to further increase the capacity of the machine and improve productivity.
Another feature which impressed Sign Wise was the high ink quality available for the press. HP ink has been designed to adhere to a wide range of substrates and materials, and the quality of the white ink is highly regarded. The price for installing the HP Scitex FB500 was also a major consideration for the company too as Poulton commented:
“I couldn’t ignore the fact that the HP Scitex FB500 cost considerably less than the equivalent OCE machine.”
Part of that saving has been re-invested, into standardising the software used to operate the machines at the Sign Wise plant. After looking at various suppliers Poulton has again opted for CWE Solutions who are supplying the software and providing operator training and an unlimited support package.
http://www.cwesolutions.co.uk/
