McKenzie Clark has become the first UK company to install a five-metre UV-curable Virtu RR50 wide-format digital printer from Swiss manufacturer Polytype in a bid to increase its throughput and expand its product range. The award-winning platform will be instrumental in satisfying a range of anticipated projects in 2012 thanks to its excellent performance across several media, including the non-PVC alternatives the company provides.
“2012 is set to be the busiest year since the Millennium effect of 1999 and we are delighted to be installing the Virtu RR50 ahead of the increased sales activity that we anticipate next year,” comments Graham Clark, managing director of McKenzie Clark. “The Virtu RR50 is an award-winning, high-capacity, flexible machine which produces output of the very highest quality, a combination which is crucial to our business model. It will enable us to take advantage of the exciting opportunities surrounding the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, while continuing to satisfy our core clients with the great service they have come to expect.”
The 24/7 set-up at McKenzie Clark will take advantage of the Virtu RR50’s ability to produce 2,160sq m of print per day in high-quality mode, or double in billboard mode, increasing the company’s actual capacity to a potential 6,500sq m/day. The company’s sophisticated online workflow system incorporates Dalim ES, Dalim Twist, Xinet and Caldera, which will drive the machine, allowing file and colour management and pre-press demands to be managed efficiently. This integration offers clients a fast and efficient way of uploading files and providing approval, meaning that their high standards of reproduction can be accurately matched with the output from the Virtu RR50 and McKenzie Clark’s other machines.
“McKenzie Clark has a fantastic reputation for producing innovative, high-quality print for an impressive customer base, and we are thrilled that they have chosen Virtu to fulfil and further that position,” says Sylvia Muhr, sales director Europe for Polytype’s Virtu business unit. “The company will produce many demanding, high-profile projects during the Olympic year and we are certain that the Virtu RR50 will stand up to the challenge.”
Also important during the selection process was the ability of the Virtu to output on non-PVC materials with the same excellent quality. Environmental concern is enshrined within the company’s operation, with McKenzie Clark offering a non-PVC alternative for almost every substrate, as well as a collection service to ensure that obsolete displays are reused or recycled. Adopting Polytype’s Virtu technology allows the company to fulfil its commitment to reducing landfill and working with more sustainable materials.
The machine will be installed, serviced and maintained by exclusive UK Virtu distributor Digital Print Innovations (DPI). “McKenzie Clark is one of the biggest names in large-format digital printing and display production and was an early adopter of direct-to-print technology,” comments Stewart Bell, managing director of DPI. “They knew the kind of quality, adhesion and speed they were looking for in a new machine and the Virtu RR50 meets these needs head on. We’re very excited about the high profile projects that the machine will be printing, especially with the glut of opportunities coming in 2012, and DPI is committed to helping McKenzie Clark get the best possible results from the Virtu for their customers.”
The Virtu RR50 has won both the EDP Award for best machine over 3.2m wide and the International Forum Product Design Award, acknowledging the five-metre UV-curable engine’s ability to print exceptional quality onto almost every substrate imaginable. Available with four- and six-colour ink sets, the machine can output to three 1.2m rolls simultaneously or a single flexible roll weighing up to 750kg. Unique to the system is the linear drive motor, which improves stability and helps the Virtu achieve its renowned accuracy of reproduction.
