The machine, which was installed in its Theale, Reading site in June, is now housed along with the other two devices in a specially converted warehouse. This new equipment forms part of a £250,000-£300,000 investment strategy by the company to move away from solvent printing and output more direct-to-substrate UV work. The Scitex FB500 uses piezoelectric inkjet printheads, printing up to six colours, with optional white. It offers speeds of 16.4sqm/hr for indoor signage and 29.6sqm/hr for outdoor applications. Operations director Chris Lake said: “We started looking at these machines when we decided to move into direct-to-substrate printing, and we were looking for one that fitted in with our specific production needs. When saw the demonstrations we were very impressed.” He added that the company chose the device primarily because of its continuous feed using a moving belt, instead of fixed bed. “We were looking to expand capacity for our current health and safety signage printing for construction sites. But it has freed us up to do other things. We’ve been printing onto clear acrylic, which we’ve not been able to do before,” said Lake. He added that with the ability to print direct to substrate the FB500 had increased output and cut running costs. With 80% of the firm’s production on rigid substrates, the new equipment meant sticking vinyl onto board was no longer necessary, he said. “We’ve been able to be a lot more competitive in pricing because it has taken so much of the labour cost away.”...

Campaigners hit out at a series of vague statements from the coalition that followed July’s publication of 11 recommendations to tackle the issue of late payment, especially to SMEs. The recommendations from a cross-party panel of MPs headed Debbie Abrahams included calls for a raft of specific measures such as good practice guidance and more robust advice to businesses. However the ministers couched their response in vague assurances such as the government was “looking” at reforms to public procurement and it “believes” SMEs are vital to securing economic recovery. Abrahams, who launched the Be Fair – Pay on Time campaign and chaired an all-party late payments inquiry in April, said: “The government’s response to the report does not appear to recognise that late payments reflect an unethical business culture. Nor does it respond specifically to many of the recommendations. “The government has done nothing concrete during three and a half years in office to help SMEs in relation to late payment. Their response has no sense of urgency or conviction about it and will leave SMEs wondering if they really understand the issue at all.” Forum of Private Business chief executive Phil Orford: “Late payment remains a real problem for our members so we’re disappointed the government has not committed to taking some of the practical steps the report recommended to combat it. “More needs to be done to join up business support packages and raise awareness of them among SMEs. And, while supporting SMEs manage their cash flow is important, late payment is a deeper problem than simply poor management on their part.” Late payments have been a major issue for many businesses in the print industry for many years, although BPIF chief executive Kathy Woodward said that the organisation’s latest figures indicate that the situation had not deteriorated in recent months. She said: “This is always a sensitive issue and although it would be great if the government would legislate, in reality those rules would only be bent to fit whatever contract the terms applied to. “The government is a major buyer, so if they lead by example on this, it would be a big...

Campaigners hit out at a series of vague statements from the coalition that followed July’s publication of 11 recommendations to tackle the issue of late payment, especially to SMEs. The recommendations from a cross-party panel of MPs headed Debbie Abrahams included calls for a raft of specific measures such as good practice guidance and more robust advice to businesses. However the ministers couched their response in vague assurances such as the government was “looking” at reforms to public procurement and it “believes” SMEs are vital to securing economic recovery. Abrahams, who launched the Be Fair – Pay on Time campaign and chaired an all-party late payments inquiry in April, said: “The government’s response to the report does not appear to recognise that late payments reflect an unethical business culture. Nor does it respond specifically to many of the recommendations. “The government has done nothing concrete during three and a half years in office to help SMEs in relation to late payment. Their response has no sense of urgency or conviction about it and will leave SMEs wondering if they really understand the issue at all.” Forum of Private Business chief executive Phil Orford: “Late payment remains a real problem for our members so we’re disappointed the government has not committed to taking some of the practical steps the report recommended to combat it. “More needs to be done to join up business support packages and raise awareness of them among SMEs. And, while supporting SMEs manage their cash flow is important, late payment is a deeper problem than simply poor management on their part.” Late payments have been a major issue for many businesses in the print industry for many years, although BPIF chief executive Kathy Woodward said that the organisation’s latest figures indicate that the situation had not deteriorated in recent months. She said: “This is always a sensitive issue and although it would be great if the government would legislate, in reality those rules would only be bent to fit whatever contract the terms applied to. “The government is a major buyer, so if they lead by example on this, it would be a big...

The £90m-turnover business, which was acquired by St Ives in 2004, has one logistics and one manufacturing site in Redditch, as well as a manufacturing site in Burnley. The new equipment will be installed at the group’s Redditch manufacturing facility in two weeks. Existing kit includes a KBA 205 litho press, a B1 litho press, two Inca Onset S70s, four HP indigo 5000s, two HP DesignJets, a five and four-colour screen press, three Epson proofing printers, two Durst Lamdas and a raft of finishing equipment. Managing director Nick Cole said the investment was the result of growth in its volume of digital work and a continuing migration away from B1 litho work. “People are looking for more personalised print rather than large volumes. The run lengths are coming down but the personalised nature of it is increasing as is the number of jobs from existing clients as well as new clients. This is going to really increase the quality and speed of our output,” he added. The Fespa-launched HP Scitex FB10000 is HP’s flagship UV rigid printer. It is capable of 312sqm/hour in ‘Sample Mode’ rising to 625 sqm/hr in “sellable” ‘PROD 125′ mode and has a bed size of 1,600×3,200mm. It can handle products up to 25mm thick. The Xerox iGen110 devices are being installed to meet demand from a recently won Co-op shelf-edge ticketing contract. The work will begin in September and will be carried out in partnership with St Ives-owned data intelligence firm Response One, which will manage variable data and cleansing for the ticketing information. The data will be sent through SP-developed ticketing data software, Sparta, and printed and delivered by SP. As part of the expansion an extra 1,860sqm of space has been added to its Redditch logistics facility, completed two weeks ago, to help manage the growth in output. Cole said the added capacity would most likely create vacancies, but the focus would be on cross-training of staff. “I would really want to be training our existing litho staff on digital capability and output rather than taking on an array of new starters,” he added. SP employs around 700 people across all of its sites. Cole said the investments had rounded off a successful 12-months for SP Group. “We are growing in terms of profitability and sales. The price pressure remains but we are seeing growth of existing clients and growth with new business. There is an awful lot of opportunity out there at the moment. “Lead time and speed to market required from brands is coming down but we feel this plays into our hands a bit because we have the firepower and the systems to turn things round quickly.”...

Those attending the event, which is to be held on 19 and 20 September, will have the opportunity to see the Jet 3200UV printing a wide variety of display graphics up to 3.2×1.6m in size. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own files to test the inkjet’s capabilities. Screen Europe president Brian Filler said that he expected around 40 to 50 visitors on each day of the event. Screen has recently completed a revamp of the Amstelveen site, following the move of the company’s demonstration facilities from the UK, and this open house will be the first event to be staged at Amstelveen since the refurbishment. According the Filler, the move to the new site has been received “extremely well” across Europe. “People are even more impressed once we get them here,” he added. Screen, part of the Dainippon Screen Group, developed the Jet W3200UV in partnership with subsidiary Inca Digital and launched the machine at Fespa in May this year. The manufacturer said the Jet W3200UV is designed to deliver high-quality print cost effectively and at high speeds. For more information on attending or to register for the event, visit www.screeneurope.com/wideformat....