The Laminating Company has invested in eight new machines as it looks to greatly expand its digital offering and upsell clients.
Managing director Barry Webster said the Melbourne trade finisher had invested $500,000 to buy the new kit and build a standalone digital area in its 2,050sqm factory.
He told ProPrint the installations had been driven by customer demand. Some resellers will be able to add new products to their line-ups; others, who already sell the products, will be able to send more work to TLC and reduce their supplier pool, he said.
TLC began the investment drive in late 2012 with a Xerox Color 800 printer. A four-colour Memjet Astrojet M1 envelope printing machine followed in September 2013, Webster said.
The final six machines were installed earlier this month. There are four large-format devices: an HP Scitex FB500 flatbed, HP Latex 280, Kala Atlantic laminator and Multicam CNC cutting and routing machine. TLC also added a Celmac digital label press and an Epson Stylus Pro 9880 wide-format printer, he said.
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Webster said the 30-staff supplier was "the only trade finishing house with such a diverse range of digital equipment".
"Many of our clients would gladly sell flatbed printing or four-colour digital envelopes or short-run digital labels or outdoor displays, but they either don't know where to source it from and how to quote it or they don't feel comfortable giving work out to a supplier who may in time go direct to their clients," he said.
"We have always endeavoured to bring new products and services to our clients and this investment is an extension of that. Already the feedback from the trade who know what we have been planning has been terrific and we hope to continue to grow into a force in the digital arena as a trade supplier as our clients grow."
Webster said TLC had more investments in the pipeline, but wanted to keep the information private for now. He did reveal that TLC expected to add more machinery in early 2014 as part of a new product line.
[Related: More news about shifting to digital]
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