In the truest sense, Image Technique is a sign manufacturing business: much of its
Birmingham-sited facility remains dedicated to it, despite the onset of wide-format digital output. Fabrication, metal-spraying, routing, lighting and fulfilment occupy most of a compact but well deployed space, at the heart of which sit two vital decks. The office is above, inspired by images of neon-era or otherwise iconic signage; and below, in a purpose-built, hermetic area, the Fujifilm Uvistar Pro8 3.2m roll-to-roll and Acuity Advance flat-bed UV-curable wide-format printers wait, ready for action.

In 1997 Gavin Smith and Des Kenehan spied an opportunity to fulfil external signage contracts for national-weight brands, pooling their experience as sign-makers and creating, over time, a 45-strong team generating a six-million pound turnover. At points Image Technique has subbed out business, retaining control of the project management and fulfilment, but quickly realised that quality and turnaround would be handled much more effectively in house. "When you're installing outdoor signs and displays the installation needs to be executed in one session," explains Kenehan. "If your trade supplier is a few hours late with delivery you could be letting your client down."

The 2.5 x 1.25m Acuity Advance HS flat-bed was selected to plug this gap, also creating a new, more diverse service proposition. "Clients are now using more complicated logos – more half-tones, intricate design – in excess of the capability of traditional sign techniques," he continues. "Now, part of the package is point-of-sale and interior displays, so it made far more business sense to provide it all."

With prior experience of solvent roll-to-roll, Image Technique's directors knew that the economics of a move above the three-metre mark had to stack up. Two factors were crucial in backing Fujifilm's flagship UV-curable engine, the Uvistar Pro8. "The machine isn't running all day, every day, so return on investment had to be achievable at that level of throughput," explains Kenehan. "There are heftier machines out there, but they're twice the price and need to be fed much more to break even."

Second was the machines' compatibility, making them a double-act with consistent and exact colour – crucial to the sensibilities of customers such as Debenhams, The Body Shop and B&Q. "We are the brand guardians for the client. They'll specify colours and we'll manipulate them across different applications and sizes. The repeatability characteristic of the Uvistar Pro8, its harmony with the Acuity and the ability to use the same inks in both machines make sure our digital print department is in keeping with the rest of the factory – lean and dependable."

This power to interchange between the two platforms gives Image Technique the opportunity to rearrange workloads for productivity. If the Uvistar is full up with PVC, the Acuity can print Contra Vision window graphics or other substrates from the Euromedia stable, making use of its 2.2m additional roll unit. Between this, the lack of cross-platform issues and Fujifilm's positive approach to service, Image Technique ensures that only two percent of its digital print requirement is outsourced – namely, when it's over the five-metre mark. Large jobs, such as the recent refurbishment of Birmingham's New Street railway station, can therefore be realised completely in-house.

Doubling production capacity leaves the company free to experiment, creating attractive new propositions for its brands. Recently, Image Technique invested in digital signage business Vueinti, recognising an appetite for the charms of dynamic displays – videowalls and point-of-sale set-ups, in particular. "Retailers have to keep moving," Kenehan continues. "You can't be all things to all men, but we are very good at managing multiple-site installations that use a range of processes. That kind of project management and forward thinking keeps our existing clients closer to us, and keeps us away trying to pile it high and sell it cheap."

While the rest of the industry debates whether or not digital signage is taking jobs off printers, Image Technique sees matters differently. "Offering digital signage to marketers will bring more roll-to-roll work in the form of complementary graphics," Kenehan says confidently. "They go hand-in-hand without even knowing it. And when that happens, we're prepared: that's when we'll make use of the Uvistar's multiple-shift throughput, for example."

For Image Technique it is, unequivocally, a multi-channel world. Whether the project is in metal-working, point-of-sale print or interactive display, it is discerning and pragmatic in its choice of technologies. Fujifilm's Uvistar Pro8 wasn't picked because of its heavyweight marketing, or unlikely promises about ROI; most simply, it does exactly what the directors need it to do, today and tomorrow.