The ten-year outsourcing contract will involve Communisis taking over the bank’s transactional print facilities. The move is part of the bank’s plans to simplify its operations following a strategic review in 2011, and is the result of a detailed evaluation process that has taken around a year. It was the last of the ‘big four’ banks to produce its own statements. It covers all the Lloyds TSB Banking Group (LBG) brands, which include Halifax, Scottish Widows, and Cheltenham & Gloucester. The overall group has more than 30m customers across its retail and commercial banking operations. Communisis will make a further multi-million pound investment in HP T-series full-colour inkjet presses for the operation, effectively mirroring the facilities at its transactional print supersite in Speke. Chief executive Andy Blundell said: “As far as I’m aware this is the biggest deal ever in Communisis’ history. It’s roughly equivalent to our entire pack output at Speke. It’s big.” LBG employs 243 staff at its print facilities in Crawley and at Copley near Halifax, of which Copley is the largest site. There is also an associated site in Edinburgh that dates from the Scottish Widows integration. The bank currently overprints monochrome variable data onto pre-printed base stock, whereas Communisis has moved to a ‘white paper’ solution with fully variable colour using HP presses. Adare currently produces the pre-printed base stock. Blundell said Communisis would work with LBG to develop the right manufacturing footprint for the future. “We will invest behind that and consult with employees accordingly,” he said. The re-equipping is likely to involve two HP T400 presses and possibly an additional narrow web T200 device, Blundell said, along with associated finishing and mailing kit. Longer-term the group could also produce work for other customers at the revamped facility. “There is potentially scope to commercialise it over time, but first and foremost it’s about maintaining service levels and providing a seamless transition with Lloyds TSB,” Blundell added. The £20m of additional funding gained by Communisis through a share issue four months ago has given the group the scope to take on the contract. The money was earmarked for contract acquisition, restructuring and potential M&A. Blundell said the group was looking at a number of possible acquisition opportunities, with developments in that area likely in the third quarter. Communisis’ share price jumped to a 52-week high of 61.5p after the news was announced. The deal is subject to formal ratification by the LBG board next month, with implementation planned to take place from October. Edit note: This story has been amended. There was an inadvertent miscommunication between LBG and PrintWeek. The separate contract for general direct mail print handled by Xerox Global Services is not...

The new machine, which will be manufactured by Edale but uses technology developed by both companies, is designed to enable printers to convert pressure-sensitive labels and flexible packaging printed on the HP Indigo 20000. With a width of 762mm, the Digicon 3000 is designed to match up to the web width of the Indigo 20000, which, according to Edale, is ideally suited to the majority of label and flexible packaging applications. The machine comprises eight processes: pre-treatment, drying, laminating, slitting, die-cutting, printing, unwind and rewind. Edale managing director James Boughton said: “The Digicon 3000 is packed with innovations that will serve to enhance and broaden the applications possible in mid web digital label and packaging printing.” The companies said that two machines had already been sold. The first is to be installed at US labelling firm Innovative Labelling Solutions (ILS). ILS will be running a label and flexible packaging configuration with the HP Indigo 20000 running inline with the Digicon 3000. ILS owner Jay Dollries said: “The Digicon 3000 will provide versatility and accuracy that will keep us well ahead of the technology curve.” The new machine will get its first live airing at Label Expo Europe in Brussels (24-27 September 2013) where it will be shown running on the HP stand (5C 105)....

The new machine, which will be manufactured by Edale but uses technology developed by both companies, is designed to enable printers to convert pressure-sensitive labels and flexible packaging printed on the HP Indigo 20000. With a width of 762mm, the Digicon 3000 is designed to match up to the web width of the Indigo 20000, which, according to Edale, is ideally suited to the majority of label and flexible packaging applications. The machine comprises eight processes: pre-treatment, drying, laminating, slitting, die-cutting, printing, unwind and rewind. Edale managing director James Boughton said: “The Digicon 3000 is packed with innovations that will serve to enhance and broaden the applications possible in mid web digital label and packaging printing.” The companies said that two machines had already been sold. The first is to be installed at US labelling firm Innovative Labelling Solutions (ILS). ILS will be running a label and flexible packaging configuration with the HP Indigo 20000 running inline with the Digicon 3000. ILS owner Jay Dollries said: “The Digicon 3000 will provide versatility and accuracy that will keep us well ahead of the technology curve.” The new machine will get its first live airing at Label Expo Europe in Brussels (24-27 September 2013) where it will be shown running on the HP stand (5C 105)....

The Peterborough-based display and exhibition specialist is moving to a site on the other side of the city. The company bought the new facility earlier this year and is in the process of completing renovations. It plans to complete the move at the end of July. “We’re going to a big 2,800sqm unit, but we’ll stay in the area because Peterborough is ideal for us – it’s an hour away from both London and Birmingham,” said managing director Layth Karagholi. “Previously we were leasing, but we’ve had a huge growth, which put us in a position to buy the building and invest in kit.” To support the move, the four-year-old, 28-staff company signed for a 3.2m-wide EFI Vutek QS3 Pro UV hybrid flatbed printer and EFI Pace MIS from reseller CMYUK and a Zünd G3 digital cutter at Fespa. Karagholi said that the QS3 offered the best combination of versatility of applications, print quality and production speed. “We come from the indoor business where resolutions are high but speeds are slow, so we used to think UV was not an option. With the Vutek, UV is now possible without our customers noticing the transition,” he added. The QS3 will be installed at the new site later this month and will run alongside the firm’s battery of HP DesignJets. The new MIS will be rolled out over the coming months, replacing a Clarity system. The Zünd will be installed in the autumn. According to Karagholi, the new site has space for 70 office staff alone, so as a result of the move he would be looking to continue to grow the business. “The only thing that has been stopping us growing faster has been our site; we just had no more room to put anyone.” While the company can process orders online, Karagholi said the key driver for its growth was “unrivalled customer service”. “Some competitors try to push customers on to their websites, but we want ours to pick up the phone so that we can help them make the right choices, we want to be a consultant, a partner, and that seems to work.” Karagholi added that once the company has bedded into its new home, he would be looking at further kit investments. The double sale to Total Displays helped to make this year’s Fespa a “record-breaking” show for EFI. “Fespa attracts some of the industry’s most discerning print professionals and our performance at this year’s show validates the investments EFI is making to give them more automation, productivity, quality and versatility,” said Scott Schinlever, senior vice-president and general manager of EFI’s Inkjet Solutions division....

The Peterborough-based display and exhibition specialist is moving to a site on the other side of the city. The company bought the new facility earlier this year and is in the process of completing renovations. It plans to complete the move at the end of July. “We’re going to a big 2,800sqm unit, but we’ll stay in the area because Peterborough is ideal for us – it’s an hour away from both London and Birmingham,” said managing director Layth Karagholi. “Previously we were leasing, but we’ve had a huge growth, which put us in a position to buy the building and invest in kit.” To support the move, the four-year-old, 28-staff company signed for a 3.2m-wide EFI Vutek QS3 Pro UV hybrid flatbed printer and EFI Pace MIS from reseller CMYUK and a Zünd G3 digital cutter at Fespa. Karagholi said that the QS3 offered the best combination of versatility of applications, print quality and production speed. “We come from the indoor business where resolutions are high but speeds are slow, so we used to think UV was not an option. With the Vutek, UV is now possible without our customers noticing the transition,” he added. The QS3 will be installed at the new site later this month and will run alongside the firm’s battery of HP DesignJets. The new MIS will be rolled out over the coming months, replacing a Clarity system. The Zünd will be installed in the autumn. According to Karagholi, the new site has space for 70 office staff alone, so as a result of the move he would be looking to continue to grow the business. “The only thing that has been stopping us growing faster has been our site; we just had no more room to put anyone.” While the company can process orders online, Karagholi said the key driver for its growth was “unrivalled customer service”. “Some competitors try to push customers on to their websites, but we want ours to pick up the phone so that we can help them make the right choices, we want to be a consultant, a partner, and that seems to work.” Karagholi added that once the company has bedded into its new home, he would be looking at further kit investments. The double sale to Total Displays helped to make this year’s Fespa a “record-breaking” show for EFI. “Fespa attracts some of the industry’s most discerning print professionals and our performance at this year’s show validates the investments EFI is making to give them more automation, productivity, quality and versatility,” said Scott Schinlever, senior vice-president and general manager of EFI’s Inkjet Solutions division....