When it was installed in March 2017, Kingfisher Press’s Jet Press 720S (the third installation in the UK at the time) signified a bold step forward for the Suffolk-based printer and its co-directors Jon Doidge and Paul Tomlin. “We had reached a bit of an impasse – our litho work was static and we decided that we had three choices as to how to proceed,” explained Tomlin at the time. “We could buy nothing and continue as we were, running the risk that our competitors would start to leave us behind; we could invest in a new litho press, which would offer us a slight improvement in speed and quality; or we could invest in a Jet Press 720S and open up a whole new revenue stream. When we looked at it like that, it wasn’t a difficult decision.”
“Prior to investing in the Jet Press, we had multiple small accounts who weren’t even asking us to quote on their short run work,” adds Jon Doidge. “We just didn’t have the capability to compete for short run, high quality work – and given current trends we knew that this sort of work was going to become an increasingly large part of the overall marketplace. Thanks to the Jet Press, we’re not only taking that work on, we’re also moving many jobs off our litho presses, freeing them up for the much longer run work they’re best suited to.
“Lots of customers have got in touch out of the blue to ask us for samples, and we’ve produced a huge range of work for new and existing customers, including high-end photobooks, short runs of presentation folders and collateral for the pharmaceutical and property markets. Customer feedback on the quality has been universally positive and having a digital option that is a true quality match for litho has revolutionised our business in just a few short months.
The Jet Press is not just an extra piece of kit for us, it’s an entry point to a whole new revenue stream, both with existing customers and new ones. Even without any concerted marketing to let people know about it, word is getting around and we’re already very close to hitting the ambitious monthly production targets we had set for ourselves – with well over half of that being work that we simply could not have delivered without the Jet Press.”
“Fujifilm has been fantastic through the whole process,” adds Tomlin. “We’ve been customers of theirs for more than 15 years now, with XMF workflow and CTP systems, and their service has always been excellent. This project has been no exception – from the sales process to the installation and ongoing support, the Fujifilm team has been fantastic to work with. The machine itself has operated incredibly smoothly and Fujifilm has responded quickly and efficiently to any minor issues along the way.”
Says Chris Broadhurst, General Manager, Fujifilm Graphic Systems UK: “We’re delighted to see that Kingfisher is being rewarded for the forward-thinking approach it has pursued with this investment. Alongside other Jet Press trailblazers in the UK and around the world they offer an example to others of how it is possible to transform an already successful business and in the process, align it much more closely to current market trends. Fujifilm has the technology and the market knowledge to help businesses achieve this kind of transformation, and Kingfisher has become one of the latest to reap the benefits.
“We’re delighted to see yet another Jet Press 720S installation in the UK, adding to more than 100 now around the world, and offering further evidence that, in a challenging marketplace, the Jet Press 720S offers commercial printers an unrivalled means of future-proofing their business and securing new revenue streams.”
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