Finishing & Screen Printing
Autobond Laminator Plays Major Role in New USA Print Operation
Wednesday 23. September 2009 - An Autobond Mini Digital 36 T is playing a major role in the recently launched US operations of London printer moo.com. MOO specialises in the production of laminated business cards, post cards and greetings cards as Brian Murphy, VP of Operations for moo.com, explains.
“MOO in London has been supplying customers around the world since its formation in 2006 and America was our biggest market,” he says. “We print on HP Indigos at the London site and initially had work laminated on an Autobond machine at a nearby finishing house. After a while, we invested in our own laminator in order to handle the process in-house, but we didnt buy an Autobond model and that was a big mistake.
“When we set up our US operation earlier this year we knew which laminator manufacturer we were going to deal with! The Mini Digital 36 T has performed very reliably and laminates all of the work produced on the Indigo 5000, which is in operation at the new site. The results are excellent and when we have had a query, Autobond has provided help over the telephone immediately. Weve not encountered anything that a telephone call has not sorted out.”
All of moo.coms orders are taken via the Internet, which enables streamlined communication, reduced costs and faster delivery. In April 2009, the company opened premises in Providence, Rhode Island, and this site provides administration, quality control and despatch facilities for the American market.
“At present we employ ten people in America but we expect this to double by next year,” says Mr Murphy. “Most of our customers are small business or individuals and our operation suits this type of client perfectly. With a totally digital set up we can receive copy electronically and a job can be printed and despatched very quickly.
“Obviously, as most of our products are laminated, the Mini Digital 36 T plays a vital part in our success and from the start of our negotiations Autobond has been a pleasure to deal with.” MOOs London site has gone back to using the Autobond laminator at the nearby trade house.
The digital print sector has been one of the fastest growing markets for Autobond during the last three years, as companies seek ways to improve the print quality and durability of work produced on digital presses.
The solid construction of the Mini Digital 36 T – the smallest laminator in the Autobond range – means it has the capability to apply up to six tonnes of pressure in the nip rollers, which ensures first class adhesion, regardless of heavy oil or silicon based toners. Autobond has incorporated a high degree of automation into its models, resulting in very quick make-ready between jobs and straightforward, easy operation.