Northend has reported the strongest February in its 137-year history after installing two new Duplo finishing systems to increase automation and bring more high-value work in house.
The full-service print business installed the Duplo DC-646 slitter cutter creaser and the Duplo PFI Blade B2+ digital cutter as part of a move to remove finishing bottlenecks and support further growth.
Founded in 1889, Northend employs 45 people and runs a production setup that includes a Ryobi RMGT five-colour LED UV press, a Canon imagePRESS C10010VP for digital print, and a Canon Colorado 1650 and Epson SC-S80600 for wide-format work. The company serves customers across retail, education, the public sector and commercial print.
According to Northend, the latest investment was driven by the need for finishing to keep pace with its wider production capabilities.
“We have invested heavily across litho, digital and wide format to deliver quality and versatility,” said Ian McCloskey, sales director at Northend. “But as volumes increased and work became more complex, we could see finishing had to evolve at the same rate. Run lengths are shorter, expectations are higher and more jobs require bespoke elements. We did not want finishing to become the constraint in our workflow.”
Northend said the DC-646 reduced setup times by automating slitting, cutting, creasing and perforating in a single pass, while the PFI Blade B2+ added high-speed programmable cutting and enabled more intricate shapes to be produced in house.
“The impact was instant,” Mr McCloskey said. “The DC-646 gave us speed and consistency straight away. We can move between jobs with minimal setup and complete confidence in the output. That reliability meant we could schedule more work during what became a record month. The efficiencies we’re achieving are primarily due to faster set-ups and smoother running overall.”
He added: “The record month was not luck. It was preparation meeting opportunity. By investing in the DC-646 and the PFI Blade B2+, we positioned ourselves to capitalise on demand. They have strengthened our finishing department and future proofed our growth.”
Simon Kingham, regional sales manager at Duplo UK, said: “The combination of the DC-646 and the PFI Blade B2+ delivers automation and creative flexibility. It increases throughput without increasing pressure on staff and future proofs the finishing department.”
