Ebbsfleet Printing Solutions says that is has boosted turnaround times and entered new markets following the installation of a Summa F1612 flatbed cutter. The company, based in Gravesend, said that it has halved its production time and significantly reduced its finishing bottlenecks since the cutter was installed in 2019.
The firm, which has been in the sign-making business for more than 20 years, said that a spike in demand for its wide-format services created a finishing bottleneck, which was only resolved with the installation of the cutter. The F1612, which was installed by Summa’s UK reseller Adapt, is primarily being used to to cut foam board, vinyl, di-bond and acrylic, though Ebbsfleet also uses it for cutting cardboard and creasing material for use in packaging work.
Director Sam Cherry described the machine as ‘instrumental’ for the company and its success over the past two years. Mr Cherry explained, ‘The Summa cutter was purchased due to the growth in our direct-to-board business. Wide-format print was growing for us, but that created a finishing bottleneck which caused a few issues for the team. We’d worked with Summa equipment for a number of years. It’s always been a trusted brand for us, so we had no hesitation in purchasing the Summa F1612 model.
‘Using the Summa F1612 to produce packaging work and mock-ups for various projects has helped us to significantly grow our customer base, while at the same time allowing us to save money on off-cuts. I don’t know how we worked without a Summa Flatbed in the first place. The amount of time saved with this machine has allowed us to half our production time.
‘We’ve not looked back since its installation; it’s had such a massive impact on the business. Having the Summa cutter is like having four members of staff that don’t go on holiday or drink tea or coffee! We absolutely love it!’
