Formara has stuck with Canon when updating a nine-year-old machine to the latest V1350 press.
The Southend company will gain additional productivity as the machine is rated as 1.2million pages a month compared to 450,000 pages, offers greater range of materials, delivers more consistent quality and it fits with the PrismaSync Rip network.
“We had a look at the other machines on the market, finding that the Canon fits what we do with other customers and because the machine it replaces is nine years old, we know that Canon is robust,” says managing director Andy Pond.
That search included consideration of Canon’s iX1700 inkjet press, ruled out this time around as not being a good enough fit. “It’s not really viable for us at the moment,” he says. “We are quite happy with a toner based machine though perhaps in a few years time that we will review the situation, just not at the moment.”
While the new machine will provide additional production capacity, there is no pressure on finishing nor a single new customer pushing for additional capacity. “We have plans to grow sales over the next six to 18 months and the new Canon will fit nicely with that projection,” Pond says. “It is going to generate some extra business. We do not need to add extra finishing capacity as we are only working a single shift in that department across digital and litho so can raise production if needed, but we are looking across the board at equipment that needs a bit of revitalisation.”
The press will be set to work on education, training and research materials, direct mail and books. “Our customers’ demands and expectations are always the driving force behind any investment decision, and this latest upgrade is designed squarely with them in mind,” says Pond.
