Kingston-based The Printstore has invested in its second Duplo DC-618 multi-finisher, adding to the first which it bought in 2022. The new purchase will allow the company to meet growing demand and stay agile in an evolving marketplace.

Following a market shift after the pandemic, the company’s s litho presses went from running flat-out to operating just a couple of days a week. To adapt, The Printstore transitioned into digital production with two Xerox presses, opening the door to a wider range of smaller, more intricate jobs. But with that came new bottlenecks in finishing.

“A lot of the jobs were small but tricky,” explained Martin Cook, operations manager. “I was piling work onto our guillotine operator, and we knew we had to find a better way.”

The company sought out a solution to amend these bottlenecks and ultimately invested in a DC-618 from Duplo. The machine was a “game-changer” and filled an important gap for the company, said Ben Pickard, general manager at The Printstore. Mr Cook added that the benefits of the machine are essential for the company, and its ease of use has allowed the business to run a booklet maker, slitter/creaser, and PFi B2 blade cutting table all at once.

“I had ten minutes’ training on the DC-618 and that was it and I was away,” said Mr Cook. “That’s the beauty of it. Its touchscreen/PC driven and template-based, so anyone tech-savvy can run it.”

Speaking on the productivity gains the company has achieved with the Duplo machines, Mr Cook quipped that the company are faster than Amazon. “We can turn jobs around same-day, even next-day, with no compromise on quality,” he said. Adding to this, Mr Pickard explained that the ability to add a folder, auto-feeder or other modules down the line means the company is never boxed in, meaning the machines can grow with the company when work volumes can change overnight.

Mr Pickard continued: “The return on investment has been brilliant. For the price and footprint, nothing else compares. These machines have helped us diversify, stay responsive, and continue growing, without needing to scale up our headcount.

“We’ve tried recruitment rounds to fill skilled finishing roles, but it’s tough. What Duplo gives us are machines that anyone can use, that run reliably, and that let us focus on output, not set-up.”