Mercia Image Print is cementing a 10% increase in business with investment across the board at its Little Eaton premises. Sales at the 22-employee business have reached £1.4 million and are heading upwards.
The company has switched its prepress operation to an Agfa Apogee workflow, Avalon N4 platesetter and Azura TS plate. It has installed a Foliate laminator from IFS and bought a Pitney Bowes inkjet addressing system and Mail Crafter to keep further processes in house, explains managing director Amanda Strong.
“We have always wanted to have in-house lamination,” she says, “ but we couldn’t quite justify it. But this year we have increased our turnover and switched to a two-shift pattern. We are moving away from commodity print leaflet runs to higher quality and so the laminator made sense.” A shrink wrapping machine has been included in this investment.
The B2 laminator will handle work produced from its Mitsubishi Diamond 1000 B2 press that was installed in the factory the business moved to in 2008. This has been the mainstay for the business during the recession.
The investment in mailing equipment is another service that Strong has been looking to bring in-house. The Mail Crafter handles the inserting with the inkjet unit then addressing the envelopes. “We have a number of clients that want us to produce direct mail, which we have previously outsourced,” she says. “It becomes a service that fits with the strategy of offering everything in house.”
Earlier this year the business invested in an ROI360 web to print system to allow customers to place orders and manage their print through the online interface. Strong adds: “It has been really really successful, now we are looking at the marketing platform as well.
“We are on target to hit budget increases of nearly 20%, so we expect these investments to put the icing on the cake. Our customers know that we already provide a premium service but with the enhancements and efficiencies in time and money, our customers will benefit all the way.”
As well as the turnover increase, staff numbers have risen with the addition of apprentices to provide the next generation of skilled staff. “The majority of our senior staff have been with us for the majority of our 25 years in business. We are hoping that our investment into youth also pays off and we get more and more younger people into the industry,” says Strong.
Mercia Image Print has installed a new prepress workflow and platesetter, a Foliant laminator and mailing to keep more work in house.
