Investment in machinery isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. The potential benefits of providing an improved service to clients have to be weighed against the considerable cost of purchasing a new machine. The sheer quantity of presses on the market and their apparent similarity only makes the task of selecting the right one all the more difficult. Ronan Keegan at Keeco Creative Ltd took his time when it came to investing in a new press, weighing up the pros and cons of several machines on the market and assessing their suitability for his requirements. That cautiousness is now paying dividends for the company.
Keeco Creative has been operating in the print and design space for over 30 years. The firm produces a large range of products and services from high quality print, design and digital media to exhibitions and all sign needs. Ronan and his team had been using their own Xerox 250 and then a Xerox 1000 which belonged to another company in the same building. Investment in a newer, more technologically advanced press was the next step. “We made the decision to invest in a new machine so we could continue doing what we were doing, but at a much better quality,” says Ronan. After comparing several of the market-leading presses, Ronan was more aware of the benefits and limitations associated with each one. “I evaluated these machines and compared them as I wanted to be certain that I was purchasing the right one for us. I’ve had an excellent relationship with Xerox for a long time and have always been happy with the service I’ve received from them, so in the end I decided to continue that relationship.” Ronan invested in a Xerox Versant 180 Press with the full performance package. “Although I was confident of the service I would get from Xeretec, it took a long time to get me over the line on this. I had to be sure I was making the right investment in the right machine.” The Versant 180 can print at speeds up to 80 ppm and can produce up to 80,000 pages per month. It prints on stocks and specialty media from 52-350 gsm, while automated registration and image quality controls help create error-free output and tolerances to within one millimetre. “It’s just a really good machine. The print quality is excellent and the fact that it can print on heavier substrates without any loss of clarity or quality is a huge plus. It has allowed us to improve our offering to customers and that’s really what we were after.”
Clever features, like the spectrophotometer which automates colour calibration, also helped to push Ronan over the line. “The press also has the ability to not just match specific spot colours as closely as possible, but to match them to a particular type of paper.” Ronan opted for the Versant 180 full performance package. “Obviously the higher end press is more technologically advanced but it also made sense from a value perspective. When I did the sums on all the different machines, it actually worked out cheaper to go for the Versant.”
Before installing the new press, Ronan was on a higher click rate. “Now, I’m on a much lower one. We now do litho work in-house and that has also improved our margins. Overall, the new press has given me more control over jobs and has given my clients a much quicker turnaround.”
Keeco Creative has been dealing with Xeretec for over a decade. Excellent customer service has ensured the longevity of the relationship. “I’ve never had any issues and if myself or anyone on the team ever has a query, a quick phone call to Xeretec sorts it out. We’ve had the Versant 180 now for about seven months and we’ve had no issues with it. There are other machines out there that say they do X, Y or Z but that’s just not the case. I know a lot of people in the same game as myself who opted for one of those machines and were sorry that they did. The Versant 180 works and there’s a lot to be said for that.”
For information on the Xerox Versant 180 or any other Xerox press, contact Xeretec on 01 862 2976 or email [email protected]
