Managing director Nick Kirby (centre) is seen here back in June 2013 when Swanline purchased the UK’s first HP Scitex FB10000
Trade supplier of specialist printed packaging and point-of-sale displays, Swanline Print Ltd has invested £1 million in a second HP Scitex FB10000 industrial press and ancillary equipment, set for installation by the end of April 2014.
This comes on the back of a successful open house event at the company’s premises in January, at which guests of HP were invited to view the company’s existing FB10000 in a production environment. The success of this first machine led directly to the investment in the second press, as managing director, Nick Kirby, explained, ‘Despite having only installed the FB10000 in July of last year, we achieved substantial growth in our turnover as a direct result of our digital operations. The quality of print achievable with this press is simply phenomenal and the response to it from our customers has been extraordinary.’
Swanline services trade-only customers, and a large part of the company’s ethos revolves around investment on behalf of those customers.
‘We see the technology proffered by the FB10000 as the future of shorter run, high quality packaging and point-of-sale,’ said Mr Kirby.
‘Digital print technology is now a ‘must have’ in a marketplace that is demanding short run, high quality products quickly and ever more frequently. However, the capital cost of a machine such as the FB10000 is out of the reach of many manufacturers. As a trade-only supplier, we felt further investment in this technology was imperative, so that our customers in the trade could have greater access to value added markets.’
The FB10000 can print on a wide range of substrates at a quality comparable to offset litho, something that was a large factor in Swanline’s decision to invest in a second machine.
‘What the FB10000 represents is a genuine, cost-effective alternative to offset litho. With origination costs vastly reduced, lead times improved, the ability to print on a wide range of substrates and the option for personalisation, it is easy to see where this press fits into the market,’ continued Mr Kirby.
‘The advent of digital has opened up new markets and created new opportunities for us, but also for our customers. It is an extremely exciting time for this industry as we begin to reap the rewards that investment in such technologies can produce – as our sales increase has demonstrated over the last six to eight months.’
