With Duplo's innovative technology, Leicester based trade printer Flexpress is setting a new standard in the UK printing industry by enhancing its embellishment and automation capabilities. Flexpress, the first UK user of Duplo’s DDC-810 DuSense spot UV machine has now become the first to install the DDC-8000 B2 DuSense and DC-20K B2 sheet multi-finisher system, significantly advancing their production efficiency and product offerings.
Flexpress installed the DDC-810 DuSense B3 spot UV machine in 2017 and then added the Duplo supplied Q-Sleeq foiling device designed to foil over spot UV. These machines allowed the company to enhance prints with digital spot varnish and 3D foiling but faced limitations with longer runs and larger sheet sizes.
In a strategic move to address these limitations and expand its capabilities, Flexpress acquired the UK's first B2 DuSense DDC-8000. This new machine enables Flexpress to apply digital foiling inline, eliminating the need for a separate hot foiling step. Managing Director Steve Wenlock highlighted the significance of this upgrade, stating, "We’re able to do it all inline, enabling us to offer enhancements on more products more cost-effectively than with the smaller machine. We did the maths and Duplo was able to demonstrate how effective a combination it is – the quality is sensational, and the speed of setup and ease of use is brilliant."
To complement this, Flexpress also invested in Duplo’s DC-20K, which automatically cuts B2 sheets and feeds them to its DC-746 multi-finisher. Wenlock explained, "For those of us in the industry who are embellishing print using raised spot UV or foil we know that once you have a stack of sheets with raised areas, they don’t lie flat during the guillotine process. The DC-746 solves this issue, and with its image skew detection and registration marks, the DC-20K allows us to feed the sheets to the multi-finisher, and cut them faster and more accurately than using our guillotine. It's not just about scaling up; though the system can produce up to 50% more business cards per sheet than previously; savings we’ve passed on to clients with cheaper prices!”
Flexpress has further optimised its operations by investing in automated three-knife trimming connected to its BQ500 perfect binder, reducing the need for separate operations.
To accommodate these new machines, Flexpress has made space within its current facility and has negotiated to expand into a third unit adjacent to its existing premises. Wenlock noted the strategic timing of this potential expansion, stating, "With pressure building on our current space, the opportunity to expand has returned at an ideal time."
Since installing the new Duplo machines, Flexpress has seen significant improvements. Wenlock reported, "The DDC-8000 delivers significantly superior quality and performance, and we’re operating it around the clock. The increased capacity ensures we can keep increased demand in-house, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs. Now, we can add foil and spot UV on the same job; even foiling on top of spot UV if required, which means much more flexibility and added value.
Steve concludes, “Flexpress were one of the first to introduce digitally embellished products online and we’ve been encouraging its use ever since. Now we can offer it more cost-effectively than ever before.”
