Wiltshire-based Superior Creative is not simply a print service provider, but a team of specialists and consultants who think outside of the box and rely on technology to help clients to reach their marketing goals. Located outside Melksham, the company was founded in 1976 and went through all the significant milestones which marked the print industry across the years.
Originally focused on commercial print, Superior Creative has since expanded its range of services by supplementing its litho equipment with a large suit of finishing and digital presses. The result today is a facility with four different sites, together boasting one of the largest, brand-new design/artwork studios in South West England, alongside a direct mail operation. Developments are still ongoing in alignment with company growth.
Superior Creative embraced digital evolution in 2006 with an investment in small format equipment, followed by its first wide format printer, the Inca Spyder V from Fujifilm in 2009. The increasing demand for short run and print-on-demand applications that has come out in the last three years also persuaded the company to embark on a massive business investment programme at the end of last year to pursue new business opportunities.
Superior’s growth has predominantly come from the retail sector, as it has won several major contracts and is working with well-known brands such as Heineken UK, Molton Brown, Booker Cash & Carry, Noble Foods and United Biscuits. In the last three years the company business has soared and Superior reached a turnover of £15.2 million in 2011. The demand for wide format applications plays a key role in this achievement.
“In 2009 we decided to invest in an Inca Spyder as we were outsourcing a large amount of work,” says Richard Blueitt, commercial & operations director, “Just a year later we were literally inundated with requests and the Spyder soon reached capacity. The amount of wide format work coming through the door continued to increase as we responded to the rising needs of our blue-chip client base, and we realised that there was a big business opportunity; a technology upgrade was pivotal to accomplish it and stay competitive.”
Following some meetings with other key digital wide format suppliers, Superior Creative turned once again to Fujifilm. “We were mostly disappointed by the quality guaranteed by other leading print manufacturers as we were searching for a high-end and productive wide format printer without compromising on quality. The Inca Onset S40 suited us perfectly.”
Stewart Powell, production director, adds, “The Inca Onset S40 offers increased productivity and excellent quality. Speed is no longer an issue and we value the printer’s flexibility as it gives us the opportunity to print on fluted board together with different substrates. We like to say that an Onset S40 is a Premier League machine that helps us win our business matches!"
The Inca Onset S40 prints at up to 470 sqm/hr and has been engineered to provide outstanding levels of performance, ‘best-in-class’ quality and flexibility at low cost per print. The Onset S40 produces superb POS-quality display graphics economically and onto substrates up to 50mm thick. It meets the high-volume, fast-turnaround production needs of specialist display print companies, such as Superior, using up to 168 new-generation, user-replaceable, printheads (28 per colour) on a full width print bar delivering a 27 picolitre drop size. This, combined with Inca's precision ink drop placement, produces superb 600 dpi print quality with the option of four or six colours.
Superior Creative has also been one of the first companies to adopt the new generation of Fujifilm Uvijet OZ inks, launched at Drupa 2012, which feature a higher degree of flexibility allowing users to fold, crease, cut, drill and route printed media.
Richard Blueitt is excited by the stream of opportunities made possible through the Onset S40, which was installed in September 2011. “The added capacity of the S40 has given us additional space to grow. We are working on some new projects and this machine can truly support our creativity. We've never wanted to be identified purely as a print management company. Out of 130 employees, we have a dedicated design team of 20 people and 60 working in the production department. On top of this there is an experienced team of sales managers and consultants committed to engaging in the decision making processes and strategic plans that assist brand owners in reaching their targets.”
On the strength of three years’ experience in the wide format business, Superior Creative today can take stock and assess the value of its investment. “The Spyder was our first big jump into a market which immediately attracted us with its huge potential, but the replacement of this machine with an Onset S40 took us to the next level. The Onset S40 is seven times faster than the Spyder and the whole engine is new and advanced. Quality is unquestionable and results on corrugated and fluted board, which represent 95% of our POP & display production, are unmatched. Ultimately, we have achieved greater efficiency and cost savings, which helps us to run a profitable business,” underlines Richard.
Service and customer relationship is another key element for Superior Creative. The company has long lasting partners and clients and prides itself on working with highly professional and loyal suppliers. “Once, we experienced a problem at the weekend, when we had to set up extra time to meet a tight deadline. Service was prompt, and the customer care team helped us to deliver the job on-time without additional stress.”
As a forward looking entrepreneur, Richard loves to keep pushing the company boundaries and improving quality standards. “Technology is moving fast, as well as our clients’ demands. We continuously invest to meet specific requirements and increase our competitiveness. We are convinced that a company needs to reinvent itself every day. This is what we also expect from print manufacturers, Fujifilm included.”
He concludes, “Our next investment will be in the finishing department as we want to boost our entire workflow and avoid any bottlenecks to deliver end-to-end solutions in the most efficient way. We are really keen on seeing significant technology developments in the print industry, especially in terms of automation and efficiency. We are also aware that our production capacity will probably need to be reinforced in the future by an additional piece of print equipment. It’s a logical assumption to think that another Onset device might be installed at our premises within the next two years.”
