Decorator Profile Investment and growth in a digital age
Walsall-based trade printer of business gifts and promotional items, Redfern Marking Services, entered the digital age in 2016 with the purchase of a Compress UV direct to object printing solution, but just how has this changed the business?
P&P editor Melanie Attlesey finds out. R
edfern Marking Services has been in business since 1984. A trade printer well known for its expertise, Redfern offers overprinting on a multitude of products that are sold through the business gift and promotional items industry. The companyʼs specialty lies in printing pens, pencils, T shirts and shopper bags. Orders can be as small as a few units or as large as tens of thousands to suit clientsʼ requirements. Managing director Ken Tansey took over the firm in 2014 and began reinvestment following the global recession. Machine refurbishment, IT upgrades and now digital technology have contributed to the revitalisation of the company. Ken says: “Since I took over the company itʼs been my constant mission to keep us at the forefront of the market which includes advancements in technology.”
The investment The companyʼs most recent purchase was the Compress iUV 600s LED flatbed printer supplied by Impression Technology Europe. It was after a visit to Printwear & Promotion LIVE! in February 2016 that the purchase was made. Ken says: “We attend the show every year to see whatʼs new and to take a look at the equipment on offer. I met Impression Technology Europe at the show and when I saw their Compress range I was convinced this was the way forward; we selected the Compress iUV 600s.
“After a demonstration I knew that these machines could achieve a print on to many surfaces including those which are uneven in a way that no other method could, as well as being able to print many items at once; I saw how we could grow the business by being able to offer many more applications than we could previously.” Redfern has always offered screen and tampo printing for promotional objects, such as pens and pencils, but now the Compress iUV 600s adds to the companyʼs existing print capabilities. At present Redfern prints up to 2,000 textile items a day, 1,000 digital items, 10,000 tampo printed items and 60,000 screen printed items on various manual and automatic machines. “Over the years we have seen many things change in the business, but one thing is the amount of shopper bags that we now print. This is a big market for
| 50 | February 2018
L-R: Mike Tansey, Ken Tansey and Shaun Darby with the Compress iUV 600s
This was a significant investment for us, so I wanted to make sure it was right. The Compress unit stood out because it offered some very key features for us; it has a larger print space, a higher bed size and it’s an enclosed machine so we don’t have any issues with dust. It comes with not one but two pieces of pioneering UV printing technology.
–Ken T ansey, managing director Redfern Marking Services
us, especially since the introduction of the 5pbag charge,” says Ken.
While these traditional methods are still appropriate for a variety of applications they are becoming fast outdated; they have limitations such as the inability to print on to some uneven plastic surfaces as well as only being able to print one item at a time using only spot colours.
But this has all changed for Redfern with the addition of the new UV flatbed printer, as the team of 10 can now print on a whole variety of different items, such as books, rulers, erasers and leather items – providing they are flat.
Ken adds: “This was a significant investment for us, so I wanted to make sure it was right. The Compress unit stood
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk ,
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