The company has doubled its turnover since buying the Xerox X700DCP digital colour press just over a year ago from Bytes Document Solutions. The print shop, established in Klerksdorp in 1948, has been transformed in that two-thirds of its output is now produced on digital machines by only three people (two graphic artists and a printer operator ) while the rest of its 12 employees are dedicated to finishing and to the litho side of the business.
I knew I had to upgrade by replacing old litho machines. I simply to keep up with technology and I have been astonished at the sheer speed of the press. It’s been running like a dream, which puts me ahead of my competition due to better productivity and lower click costs per month, said owner Chris van Eeden. The digital department now consists of the Xerox 700 DCP, DC250 and a 4112.
Van Eeden credits Paul Haglich from Bytes Document Solutions with his desire to keep up with the latest technology. In 2007, he invited me along to the drupe trade show in Dusseldorf. It was a road to Damascus experience for me. It opened this Klerksdorp boy’s eyes to what is possible, even though my business is on the platteland. The technology allows me to deliver top-quality printing at short notice, which means locals and customers from all over the North West Province are using my services for their important print jobs, rather than going to bigger centres.
The company has added photo books, puzzles, personalised calendars, personalised annual reports and other projects that were not possible with litho to its product line-up after purchasing the press, resulting in additional revenue streams. Van Eeden said the press has forced him to make other changes in his business too. We’ve had to increase finishing staff because we’re now printing so fast that the bottleneck is on the finishing side, not on the printing side.
The company is now in a position to purchase a second X700. Developing the Web-to-print market is our next big step, made possible by the press. This solution allows customers to place their print orders via an online interface (developed by Bytes Document Solutions), sign off the job online and have their completed print jobs delivered, without ever having to set foot out of their offices.
