Meeting Customer Demands at Affordable Prices with Anapurna Ciervo H3200
Edge Color Graphics, a leading large-format printer and digital diecutting provider, creates bold, bright, durable graphics on any material and almost any size. Headquartered in Rochester, New York the company is known for its high quality and quick turnaround time and serves many in the food, banking and alcohol industries.
Most clients are deadline-driven. A large grocery chain dient picks up pallets of point of purchase graphics from Edge Color Graphics every Wednesday and they have to be ready when the truck arrives.
We’ve more than doubled our throughput capability with Anapurna Ciervo. We’re able to run a lot more work in a shorter period of time.
Christopher Stocks
President, Edge Color Graphics
Founded by Christopher Stocks 17 years ago, Edge Color Graphics is a brand builder, serving large and small companies, always on time and always at a fair price. “Our clients trust us,” Christopher Stocks, president of Edge Color Graphics says. “One of my clients always laughs at me because she’II call me and say is there any chance … and before she can even flnish the sentence, 1 say yes. And that’s how we treat all our clients.”
When the digital world starting soaring Stocks saw an opportunity. “Our niche is the test market. Let’s say Seagram wants to do a national campaign-POP displays for liquor stores. The final run might be 5,075 pieces but they want a test market. We’II run 500 or 600 pieces and with our equipment and ability to cut, we can flll that niche and it’s worked out very well for us,” Stocks says.
How does Edge Color Graphics make that happen? ”Through technology,” Stocks stated. The Ciervo is Edge Color Graphics’ fourth engine purchase from Agfa.
Becoming more profitable by becoming more efficient
Stocks started with a printer and a laminator, mounting prints on foamcore and laminating. “Our flrst engine, an Agfa Anapurna, changed our entire world because we were no longer mounting or laminating, we were printing directly on substrate and still able to sell at the same price point that we always sold at before. We still charge the same, but we cut our cost down, and that efficiency comes in large part from Agfa equipment.”
Once you get into a flow, Ciervo is constantlyfeeding itself, it just runs. lt makes a big difference.
Adam Stocks
VP Operations, Edge Color Graphics
When one of his Agfa machines was aging, Stocks considered replacing it, but Adam, his son, and VP Operations suggested purchasing an engine that would complement the Anapurna FB2540i LED flatbed they have and allow them to offer customers something they couldn’t already-the ability to produce both rigid and roll prints .. They compared a number of engines but settled on Agfa’s Anapurna Ciervo, a 3.2m hybrid printer, the flrst sold in the U.S. ”The print quality was better from the Ciervo. On the competitor’s engine the ink was thick, you could actually feel the ink on the board,and that’s the way it printed,” Christopher explains. “Side by side there was no comparison. The competitor was a more expensive machine to operate and an even more expensive machine to keep operating,” says Stocks.
Now Edge Color Graphics has roll-to-roll capability, something they couldn’t do before. “We have the capability of running 10-foot-wide banner,” Christopher states. “We’ve more than doubled our throughput capability. So again, we’re just much more efficient. We’re able to run a lot more work in a shorter period of time. Agfa’s Ciervo has been a huge help to us.”
The Anapurna Ciervo wide-format hybrid printer is designed for sign shops and digital printers looking for versatility, productivity and excellent print quality. With a print width up to 3.2 meters, speeds up to 192 m2/h (2,067 ft2/h), UV LED curing, six-color plus white ink set, efficient continuous board feeding and multiple board printing, the Anapurna Ciervo is the perfect fit for a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications. With Agfa’s Anapurna Ciervo H3200, Edge Color Graphics can do more for less.
“We like running it,” says Adam Stocks, VP Operations at Edge Color Graphics. “Once you get into a flow, it’s constantly feeding itself, it just runs. lt makes a big difference.”
Keeping customers happy while staying profitable
Edge Color Graphics made the right choice purchasing Ciervo. “Other vendors come in and try to show us their stuft, but we’ve never been interested in it,” Christopher Stocks says.
The print quality was better from the Ciervo. Side by side there was no comparison. On the competitor’s engine the ink was thick, you could actually feel the ink on the board.
Christopher Stocks
President, Edge Color Graphics
“I always look at the business,” Christopher Stocks says. “Where’s the bottleneck? Before the bottleneck was really in the printing, because we could cut faster than two printers could print. Now the bottleneck has shifted to cutting because the cutting table can’t keep up with the two printers.”
Anapurna Ciervo H3200 is helping Edge Color Graphics stay ahead, keeping customers happy with quality products at affordable prices and meeting growing pressure to turn projects around under very tight timelines.