Unigraphic Adds an Inca Onset Printer to Further Expand Its Large-Format Capacity

VALHALLA, NY—Jan. 4, 2012—Unigraphic Inc. of Woburn, MA, was seeing more demand for large-format point-of-purchase (POP) displays and management concluded the company was at a crossroads.

According to Bob Quinlan, president, “We were pushing the limits of our existing large-format equipment. We were handling the increasing workload, but just barely. It was beginning to cost us money in terms of limited capacity and low margins due to our cost structure. It was time to move forward, to make the right investment that would get us to that next level.”

Known for its high quality and excellent customer service, Unigraphic has been in the printing business for more than 47 years providing commercial print services, digital printing and mailing services to an extensive client base of local, regional and national brands and retailers. Its large-format business was largely in billboards and banners, but recently customers were asking more and more for POP display graphics.

Brian Hegan, sales manager, summed up the challenges Unigraphic faced. “We’ve had a steady business with many large retailers that are headquartered in New England, doing a lot of offset work, and some large-format (digital) work. Then we started to see a lot more demand for high-quality display graphics and POP. Our existing equipment just couldn’t keep up with the increased demand.”

Hegan cited the example of a POP job for a popular retail fashion chain that required 24x36˝ and 22x28˝ posters. “That job would take 40 hours of press time and would tie up the shop for a week or more, which meant turning away other jobs.”

“We all agreed that point of purchase was the future for Unigraphic,” Quinlan added. “The new jobs our customers were asking us for were POP. We were missing out on jobs because we couldn’t handle the work load or be competitive, that’s when we decided we were going to make investments in large-format equipment to improve our capabilities and aggressively go after the POP business.”

Quinlan and his two brothers—Chief Operations Manager Mike and Executive Vice President Jack—started looking for a solution.

“We looked at everything out there,” Quinlan continued, “and the Inca Onset S40 from Fujifilm just blew everyone else away, with the best quality, the highest speed and the most up-to-date technology.”

The Inca Onset S40 with automation will produce 94 full-sized (63x123.6˝) high-quality prints per hour, or 292 40x60˝ sheets per hour.

“With the S40, those jobs that used to take a week, will take only hours to produce, and cost half as much,” Hegan noted. “The Inca S40 not only gives us the capacity, it will enable us to turn jobs faster and be more competitively priced.”

Hegan also plans to expand the work Unigraphic is doing for its existing customer base. “We have one large retail client that we do all of their offset print work, but we’re not getting the large-format and POP. With the S40’s print quality and speed, that’s an ideal account for us now. We can handle all of their needs.

He also expects to win new business. “We’re accepting RFP’s now that we had to pass on before, and we’re able to take on more work from new accounts,” Hegan said. “Print buyers who we couldn’t help before are now asking us to provide proposals. The word is getting out about our new capabilities with the S40, and we expect we will win a lot of new business.”

Unigraphic is planning an open house to showcase its new capabilities. “A lot of printers don’t like customers in the plant, but we love it,” Hegan said. “Our plant shows very well and we’re proud of it. Buyers who come in to see what we do and how we do it often give us opportunities to quote new business.”

“This is a game changer for Unigraphic,” Quinlan added. “Not many other shops will have the equipment we have in one building or the capabilities—we now have the advantage over other print providers and expect to capitalize on the opportunity.”

About Fujifilm
Fujifilm North America, a marketing subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings America. The Imaging Division sells consumer and commercial photographic products and services including film, one-time-use cameras, online photo services and fulfillment, digital printing equipment and service. The Electronic Imaging Division markets consumer digital cameras. The Motion Picture Division provides motion picture film, and the Graphic Systems Division supplies products and services to the printing industry. The Optical Devices Division provides binoculars, and optical lenses for closed circuit television, videography, cinematography, broadcast and industrial markets.

Source: Fujifilm.