DM Signs has installed a Mimaki JFX 200-2513EX flatbed UV printer and an Esko Köngsberg X-44 digital cutting table, both supplied by CMYUK, as part of a move to larger premises and a major upgrade in capabilities and capacity.
The Wigan-based firm, which has been in business for over 40 years, serves a number of local sports teams and brands and focuses on large-format stadium signage, including pitch-side advertising, executive offices, hospitality areas and exhibition spaces. Other client sectors in the north-west and across the UK include healthcare, education, automotive, retail and hospitality.
Growth during lockdown led to the purchase of new 700sqm premises. Jamie Collins, part of the DM management team, along with Andy and Joyce Hudson, explained the move: ‘We really had two choices, either shut up shop and try and wait it out or see what we could do to support our clients.’
The decision to remain open paid off handsomely, as the company was ‘inundated’ with demand for Covid safety screens and signage, winning contracts with the NHS as well as supplying local businesses, but this pushed it to its limits in machine capacity and space. ‘We had steadily been growing out of the unit we were in, but this took us over the edge,’ commented Mr Collins. ‘We needed somewhere large enough for customer vehicles as well as increased space for manufacturing and finishing.’
The move to larger premises prompted a review of the production equipment. ‘We took the decision to upgrade our Mimaki JFX 200 to the JFX200 EX. We were very happy with the capabilities of the flatbed but the upgraded version has given us extra speed that increases our production capacity,’ Mr Collins explained. The flatbed complements an existing Mimaki UCJV300-160 roll-to-roll printer.
The purchase of the Esko table was an ‘obvious’ choice. ‘Esko has an excellent reputation. Its tables are very well designed, and easy to use,’ said Mr Collins. The working area of 2210 x 4800mm will enable DM Signs to handle larger items in-house. Both printer and cutting table were selected after Covid-safe demonstrations at CMYUK’s Shrewsbury site.
‘As businesses reopen, they will want to refresh their environments. We want to be able to help them do that in a more ethical way, so we’ll be looking at new environmental materials that we know the machinery can handle,’ added Mr Collins. DM Signs also plans to extend its bespoke packaging offerings and to provide its larger clients with their own micro-sites, allowing them to directly order their own branded products.
