There is more to improving productivity than simply running an engine faster. Reliability and continuous uptime can make all the difference. Paul McGarity is a convert to the improved performance of his new iGen4, not least because it gets him home earlier than expected.
It was a perfect storm; the operators of Digital Logic’s new digital engine were away in Sydney being trained on the iGen4EXP. The production schedule of variable data print jobs was punishing and on deadline. The work had to be done and there was only the boss, Paul McGarity, to take on the ‘gap shift’ (7pm -3am) to help out. From experience he did the numbers, estimated how long it would take and phoned his wife to tell her to expect him home around 3am.
The files were queued up; he checked the paper trays and pressed the ‘GO’ button. The Fuji Xerox engine sprang into life, outputting at the rated speed of 110 A4 colour pages per minute. McGarity worked solidly, keeping up with the machine, stacking and feeding, and waiting for the inevitable glitch to slow it down.
It never happened. The new iGen kept on and on without a hiccup and by 11.30pm McGarity, much to the surprise of his wife, was walking into his home, job done. He was also now a convert to the concept of higher productivity and to the reliability of Digital Logic’s two new iGen engines.
“I was blown away. The productivity difference between the previous iGen and the new iGen4 is unbelievable. It’s like chalk and cheese, it’s reinvigorated the whole team,” he says.
- The install of two iGens required the removal of a front window onto busy Warrigal Road, Moorabbin
Print is best when personalised
Digital Logic, Melbourne-based pioneers of sophisticated variable data-driven direct marketing, are digital printing veterans. McGarity and his partner, Chris Proc, were among the first in the country to operate an iGen3, installing the first one seven years ago. Since then they’ve continually broken new ground in creating and promoting targeted personalised direct marketing campaigns. Their list of successful campaigns includes innovative loyalty programs, customer retention campaigns and business-to-business relationships.
In late October they took delivery of a new iGen150 and an iGen4 to replace their two old iGen3s. The new machines were modified onsite to extend the sheet size to 660 x 365mm and then lined up alongside an existing Fuji Xerox 1000 to create an impressive arsenal of printing capacity.
“We did the maths on market value when considering the modification. Most of our client print runs are between 60,000 and 90,000. The larger sheet size extends our capacity by 33 per cent and while the click charge is slightly more, it works out better for us,” he explains.
The installation required the removal of a front window at the site onto busy Warrigal Road, Moorabbin. It took two weeks to get it all set up, during which time the trusty 1000 kept the show on the road with 24-hour shifts. Since then the iGens have powered on, notching up over 2.5 million impressions in the first three weeks. With the new production capacity from the iGens, the Digital Logic guys made the decision to bring back a lot of the work the company was previously out-sourcing.
“We decided to in-source as hard as we could because of the extra productivity,” says McGarity. “Compared with the older machines there is no comparison when it comes to uptime. They just keep going and going. And with good colour management we can easily swap work between machines.
“The iGens allow us to meet our schedules, which was not always the case with the older machines. A lot of the time you had to nurse them along. Now they just run. I’m a firm believer in Fuji Xerox. They bring other customers here to demonstrate how the machines work.”
One of the most impressive aspects of the Digital Logic output is the amount of variable data print involved, over 90 per cent of the total. Much of it is very sophisticated direct marketing, involving multiple examples of personalisation. McGarity tells of an operator drawing his attention to a job for static business cards; it had become such a rarity.
The new Fuji Xerox technology is undoubtedly a valuable addition to Digital Logic, but it needs to be kept in perspective with the pioneering work the company has done on promotional marketing. The intellectual property it has developed over the years is unparalleled in the sector, along with the efforts put into educating customers on the benefits of personalised marketing. You can bet the Digital Logic iGens will have plenty of high-quality work to keep them busy for the rest of their lives.