Ballast Signs is just the tonic for McSweeney Group, thanks to HP large format printing capability!

Print output doubled, revenues boosted at Irish sign and large format supplier

 

 


Whether it’s during the midst of an economic slowdown or in times of prosperity, the ability to differentiate one’s service offering and exceed customer expectations always plays a key role in influencing business success.

This is something that Blair Scales, general manager of twenty-five year old, Ireland-based, signage and large format printing business, Ballast Signs, is well aware. Since taking the helm of the County Sligo company only two years ago, the astute and forward-thinking New Zealander quickly spied the opportunity to step up a few gears and ramp up Ballast’s service capability.

“From interior or external graphics to illuminated signage, Ballast Signs has always prided itself on being able to deliver a fast and wide-ranging service to customers,” says Blair. “However, the rapid evolution of large format digital printing technology meant that our existing equipment was increasingly falling short in a number of areas.”

Mindful of the continued focus on environmental sustainability and the need to meet customers’ growing expectations to deliver graphic arts projects more quickly, Blair increased the company’s firepower by investing in two HP digital large format printers in a space of just three months. Since that time, the company – which also boasts its own creative design, fabrication and installation teams – has witnessed a two-fold increase in print output, due largely, according to Blair, to the performance attributes of the dual installation.

 

 

One eye on sustainability

 

 

“As a company, we were keen to move away from solvent-based printing, by utilising equipment that is designed with the environment in mind,” he explains. “Not only that, but the customers we wanted to target were also taking more of an interest in the types of consumables used and the production methods employed to output them.

“I had kept a close eye on HP’s first latex device, the HP Designjet L25500 Printer, and felt that this was a good, entry-level solution for us to establish a more sustainable offering,” he continues. “The L25500 uses, water-based inks to provide odourless (1) prints at a level of print quality, way superior to what we could achieve previously.”

Ballast operates the 60-inch (152.4cm) wide HP Designjet L25500, which offers easy, automatic, low-maintenance printing at up to 22.8 m²/h. Importantly, if required, the L25500 also enables the company to output prints for use in indoor areas where odour might be a concern – such as in restaurants or shops.
At the same time, the speed and ability to print to an extensive range of substrates meant that the HP Scitex FB500 Printer had also raised an eyebrow with Blair, such that the versatile UV flatbed/roll-to-roll device was installed by Ballast at the beginning of this year. The robust FB500 printer provides Ballast with output-enriching matt/gloss finishes at 64-inches (1.63m) wide and printing at speeds of up to 37m2/hr. Blair’s team typically set the FB500 to run over night and, if required, are afforded the ability to dial into the printer’s RIP to check and manage the printing remotely.

 

 

Pushing the envelope

 

 

“Basically, the FB500 has propelled our applications offering to new heights and opens up endless opportunities for us,” he says. “We can now proactively go to customers and suggest new and alternative print projects which they hadn’t dreamed possible, by using virtually any rigid or flexible media.”

Ballast was quick to road test the FB500 by undertaking several specialist projects to demonstrate the business’ new-found capabilities, including direct printing to glass floors and doors, for an event company.

“During a recent visit by a customer, we took a tile from our ceiling, ran it through the FB500 and printed their logo and branding, before re-stalling it in the ceiling –all in the space of a few minutes,” explains Blair. “Using such impromptu and quirky methods works wonders at captivating customers and hammering home the endless number of objects we can print to.

“In terms of speed, we’re enjoying print times that we never thought achievable”, he adds. “Printing a typical eight by four flexible media on our older equipment would have taken us at least ninety minutes from start to finish. On the FB500 it takes less than four minutes, which means our capacity has been greatly enhanced and we’re able to take on more jobs than in the past.

“As well as workflow efficiencies, we’ve also witnessed financial savings, thanks to the fact that the ink droplets are jetted in millilitres, which has lowered our consumables costs,” he continues.

 

 

The right medicine

 

 

Among the customers to benefit from Ballast’s HP large format print offering is pharmacy chain, McSweeney Group, who now regularly commission Blair and his team to outfit their string of nationwide retail stores.

“I believe in going after business, rather than waiting for a knock on my door,” says Blair. “Confident in the ability of our new digital printing kit, we were not afraid to approach McSweeney Group and give them a taste of what we could do for their retail pharmacies.”

This tactic clearly paid off and recently saw the customer commission Ballast to output and install a number of large-sized window films for a promotional campaign by the company.

“We were given the artwork files on the Tuesday and were tasked with printing and installing the finished graphics to the entire chain of eighteen stores in the Republic and Northern Ireland last printed a total of over forty metres of graphics onto HP self-adhesive vinyl in five hours, which were then fitted by its dedicated installation team within the customer deadline.

“Like most of our clients, McSweeney Group is very demanding, but the fact the FB500 allows us to produce their window graphics twice as fast as our older machine, means that concerns about meeting deadlines are never an issue,” he says.

Improved revenue, thanks to increased capacity

For Blair, this all important ability to quickly deliver printed output remains pivotal to Ballast’s all-round service offering and its ability to keep customers coming back.

“As well as adding new dynamism to our capability, our HP machines have increased our capacity, which means we are able to take on a more diverse array of projects and to run jobs for more than one client at the same time. This will typically see us outputting point-of-purchase graphics onto cardboard, or undertake long-run event work on the FB500, while the L25500 is across the room printing vinyl graphics for vehicle applications.”

Looking ahead, Blair is confident that the business is well positioned to maintain its position as one of Ireland’s foremost specialist large format graphics suppliers.

“Given the competitive nature of the industry in which we operate, it’s all about utilising the right hardware to achieve our own business goals and those of our customers. The bottom line is that we are able to exceed our customer’s expectations while boosting revenues, so we are in a win-win situation,” he concludes.

More information on Ballast Signs can be obtained by visiting www.ballastsigns.ie

 

McSweeney Group was established in Ireland in 1987 and since then has been working to introduce a unique brand of retail pharmacy to Ireland. This can best be described as a marriage of the efficiency and professionalism of European pharmacy with the character and atmosphere of Irish pharmacy.