Arcola Products services with Mimaki and Jwei investment

Arcola, the Kent based design, fabrication, and digital printing company, has further boosted its service offerings with investment in a Mimaki JFX 200-2513 EX UV-LED flatbed printer, and a Jwei Jcut-2131digital cutting table from CMYUK. The equipment joins two 1.6 metre wide Mimaki roll to roll print and cut printers, and other existing fabrication and digital print production equipment, with another JFX200-2513 EX and Mimaki UJV55-320 UV-LED roll fed printer on back order.  

Arcola was founded in 1966, starting out as Engineering Patternmakers. It has since evolved into a versatile acrylic fabrication and high quality digital printing company providing high end 2D and 3D retail point of sale displays, commercial signage, event work, and specialist products. It is also the largest user of Madreperla Greencast acrylic in Europe.

The business is an excellent example of how traditional manufacturers can identity and capitalise on niche opportunities. For example, its online brand, www.uksignshop.co.uk, established a decade or so ago, offers personalised acrylic house signs/address plates, maximising the use of acrylic off cuts, and transforming what would be waste material into profitable smaller products whilst offering traditional signage solutions to businesses.

Two years ago, Arcola set up www.boxxco.co.uk, a Lego display case brand, which operates as a community driven business model focusing on building customer loyalty, community, and fan base.

What sets Arcola apart, is its in-house development. The company employs its own in-house own web team and software developers who create and maintain their websites, platforms, and internal management systems for workflow. It also takes care of its own search engine optimisation and website related activities, giving it full control and autonomy over its online presence, while maintaining production capabilities from start to finish.  

The latest investment in equipment from CMYUK underpins the company’s commercial ambitions and growth. The JFX 200-2513 EX installed in May this year is described by the company’s commercial print manager, Chris Payne, as ‘an impulse purchase with multiple wins’.

It was while he was visiting CMYUK to look at other equipment that Chris asked spontaneously for a test file to be printed on the Mimaki JFX200-2513 EX.

‘The files were printed at a reasonable speed and the results were fantastic. The quality was far more superior to what we had seen on other printers, I asked to see what the quality would be like on comparable speeds, and it was better on the JFX 200,’ he said.  

Mimaki’s LUS-120 inks are semi-flexible, offering the perfect equation of flexibility with durability, and have elevated Arcola’s acrylic printing services.  Chris was impressed with their adhesion, toughness, and scratch resistance – qualities that were especially important for the Lego display cases, where the models are placed against printed scenic backdrops, which are viewed closely.  

Other UV inks had been causing problems with scratching and damage during shipping and handling, leading to customer complaints and returns. In the weeks since the JFX 200-2513 EX was installed, the more robust LUS-120 inks have reduced these issues, allowing the business to ship acrylic panels to customers without special handling instructions.  The improvements of ink performance have reduced product rejection rates and improved customer satisfaction.

The Mimaki JFX200 has taken on far more work than the company anticipated and has become integral to the improved quality and cost efficiency of producing the Lego display cases.

Likewise, the Jwei Jcut-2131was installed at the start of last year and quickly became an indispensable part of the company’s production workflow. Sitting alongside an existing CNC machine and laser cutter, it replaced an old Aristo cutting table and handles all of Arcola’s daily cutting needs. ‘It works every minute of every day – continuously. It is our Swiss Army Knife cutting through lots of different types of materials and is very versatile. It is easy to operate, offers good speeds, and it is quicker to set up than our dedicated CNC. It was also a fantastic price point comparatively and saved us a lot of money rather than buying a Zund or a Kongsberg. It also came with a comprehensive range of tools that we didn’t have to pay additional uplift on, so we got everything we wanted without the high price tag,’ Chris said.

Chris has a longstanding relationship with Nick Reed, CMYUK’s finishing business manager, pre-dating the former’s arrival at Arcola over five years ago.  He also knows Tim Boore well, CMYUK’s senior digital print executive, who he says is, ‘one of the nicest guys in the industry. We have been on many demos together and he always works hard to understand our needs’.

One of the reasons Arcola has chosen to work with CMYUK as a supplier is because, according to Chris, ‘It always ensures we invest in the right equipment.’

Arcola’s decision to invest in the Jwei digital cutting platform was significantly influenced by CMYUK’s endorsement. Its inclusion of Jwei into its world class production portfolio provided the reassurance it needed.

‘CMYUK support was a key factor in our decision,’ he added.

Arcola is fast approaching its 60th year in business. Its success has come through clear thinking, calculated decisions, and a commitment to developing new ways of doing business.

As Chris said, ‘We are always looking to innovate and to bring new revenue streams and products to market. It is what we enjoy doing and it is a strength of ours. With a diverse production facility with everything in-house, we have the ability and the flexibility to try out new ideas at low cost and see how the market responds. We have new ideas in the pipeline and are looking forward to getting started.’