“The partnership will allow Signmaster to continue to supply its existing customers, but they can now offer them more industrial equipment, which will allow them to target a larger customer base,” EFI’s channel sales development manager Dale Norcliffe told SignLink on the eve of the announcement.

He added: “We at EFI are very pleased to have Signmaster as a partner. They are a very reputable and well-established business in our target market. Their customers will now be able to have conversations about how they can move their business on with our technology, based on a trustworthy assessment of their needs and how demand in the market is affecting them.

“It gives Signmaster a wider toolbox when discussing products their customers are currently finding difficult to fulfil and where the bottlenecks are in their operations.”

The EFI H652 UV hybrid prints direct to Dibond in its first demonstration at Signmaster
Systems bespoke-built showroom in Whitchurch, Shropshire
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When SignLink visited Signmaster’s showroom, the 3.2m EFI H652 UV hybrid was on show front and centre. The new unit features 4-colour plus white ink utilising variable greyscale print technology and can move between its roll-to-roll and flatbed printing modes in less than a minute—something Signmaster’s EFI sales consultant, Jay Fleming, demonstrated. The system is also due to go on show at Signmaster’s customer open house on October 2nd and 3rd, alongside flagship systems from Mimaki and Roland DG .

 “We thought carefully about what we could offer customers to evolve their business and drive top-line revenue while reducing costs,” explained Phil George, managing director of Signmaster.

He continued: “Having access to EFI’s wide-format printer line means we will have more opportunities to help their businesses reach new levels of competitiveness, profitability and growth.”

We thought carefully about what we could offer customers to evolve their business and drive top-line revenue while reducing costs”

The new portfolio at Signmaster also includes the 3.2m roll-to-roll EFI R3225 and the flatbed EFI T1000. The former is designed to provide an option for sign-makers who need ‘photographic quality’ at ‘production level’ speeds and is targeted at those companies that want to, ‘capture premium-margin signage’. The latter machine provides an option for sign-makers and print-service-providers who need the capabilities of a dedicated flatbed unit where, ‘high-definition, near-photographic image quality is essential’.

“We have expanded our playing field and are now able to offer our customers a higher-end product that can cater for a target market that has more capital to invest and need that high-quality option at faster speeds,” explained Signmaster’s marketing and business development manager, Nikita Whitfield.

Capable of shifting between roll-to-roll and flatbed printing modes in under a minute, EFI's
channel sales development manager, Dale Norcliffe, says that flexibility is a key strength
to retain when considering your first investment in higher-end equipment
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She added: “It is all about being able to cater for a variety of different needs, and that is from an entry level sign-maker through to established companies who want to expand.”

A maturing market

With the market for wide-format printers continuing to mature and the majority of the sign-making and graphics arts industries now in possession of at least one wide-format system, this has meant the number of ‘fresh’ sales has decreased for suppliers such as Signmaster. But this fall has been offset as those who invested earlier are now in need of wide-format kit at higher productivity and flexibility levels to expand their business. This trend is one key motivating factor that has seen Signmaster expand to accommodate the EFI range. 
 

You have to react to market trends, and as our customers across the board are looking to expand their production portfolio, so we need to do the same”

Whitfield concludes: “You have to react to market trends, and as our customers across the board are looking to expand their production portfolio, so we need to do the same. We are adapting to reflect what is happening in the market. We are in the industry to help people and find solutions for their business challenges; it is about building a relationship with a customer.”

Technology virtuoso

The hybrid EFI H652 UV is now a flagship option for Signmaster and will service a virtuous circle of supply and demand that is seeing an increasing number of PSPs invest in systems that retain roll-to-roll capability.

“As these machines have become more affordable their sales have gone up. This has stimulated demand for rigid media and the production of some very innovative products. This has acted as a marketing conduit for the technology and in turn the demand for such products has caused more PSPs to invest in machines with direct-to-substrate printing capability,” explains Norcliffe.

The Signmaster Systems and EFI partnership is sure to intensify competition
in this already heated market sector
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The hybrid option is particularly attractive for many smaller sign-makers, as they can retain roll-to-roll capability while being able to step up and do flatbed printing.

The news will no doubt intensify competition between EFI and its wide-format manufacturer peers at this less industrial production end of the market. But, whereas the technology now being distributed by Signmaster is at the entry-level end of EFI’s portfolio, these machine’s productivity and quality is at the top end of most manufacturer’s range. 

Norcliffe concludes: “We have have been making a concerted effort over the last twelve months to increase awareness of these wide-format machines in the UK. We are pleased with our partner network and that we are working closely with our partners to demonstrate value, benefit and profit to the customers and grow our share in this space.”