ESP uses XL technology to keep ahead of the market

Market leading ESP Colour is once again ensuring it maximises the available technology by exchanging its two XL75 Speedmasters for a Speedmaster XL106 five-colour with coater and extended delivery.

With a reputation for a stringent analysis of its operational performance, the business has analysed its product mix and knows that from quantities of 130 sheets up the Speedmaster XL 106-5+LX press will be a more cost-effective option. Specified with Inpress Control and Autoplate XL automatic plate changing, three minute make-readies will be the new average for the business.

This will enable ESP to not only facilitate the growth it has experienced this year (28 per cent on the sheetfed part of The Colour Hub group) but will also increase the potential sheetfed capacity to £17m once the business positions itself for the average run length of 2,500.

The press will be delivered in October to The Colour Hub and ESP will extend its operating hours from 112 hours per week to 144 hours. It follows on from the purchase of a Speedmaster XL 105 -4+ LX last year, which in its first 16 months has output over 100 million impressions, with 30 million being achieved in the last four months alone.

‘The technology that is now available such as accelerated blanket washes and software developments means we can cover all aspects of our customers run lengths through the Speedmaster XL 106 platform. The XL75s have been an integral part of our commercial strategy to date. However, with the cross to breakeven on work at 100 sheets across the two formats, the move to XL106 will increase capacity and recovery by over 20 per cent on a like for like basis per operating hour. With our aggressive and realistic depreciation policy we are able to change at three and four years respectively on the 75s to maximise the opportunities available to us,’ said managing director Anthony Thirlby.

‘We continue to build and enhance our reputation as a highly efficient manufacturer of quality printed products and this investment will enable us to maintain our cost-competitiveness across all market sectors and service the increased demand we have seen being presented to us.’

The increased sales are coming from new business wins, existing customers and work generated through the company's own B2B Web2Print system which has just been rebranded ADAPT. Today the company has four in-house software developers; an indication of the direction that businesses are evolving as cross media providers and utilising integrated workflow platforms for the maximum efficiency.

ESP Colour works in very close partnership with Heidelberg and benefits from access to new products and the ability to feedback information that can steer valuable developments. ESP were an early adopter of the latest Prinect AnalysePoint business information software which they runs in tandem with a Tharstern MIS system allowing ESP to base business decisions on advanced fact-based measurements giving the company real time MI.

‘The printing market is quite simplistically divided into the “haves” and “have nots”. Those who have invested in recent times are well positioned to deliver market requirements. Those who have not will struggle to recover their position.