The EFI VUTEk Q5r sold by CMYUK has been installed at the spray painting factory Hollywood Monster in Birmingham, UK, in response to record-breaking demand for four months.

 

This is the tenth VUTEk printer the company has purchased from CMYUK, a relationship that began nearly 17 years ago. It coincides with Hollywood Monster's 30th anniversary and is the first VUTEk printer the company has purchased without first seeing a demo.

 

"We're buying a total quality, highly engineered product with a good return on investment, which we believe in," said Hollywood Monster CEO Simon McKenzie.

Purchasing demand is the result of brisk orders in 2022, including firm commitments from retailers, supermarkets and some major sporting events. To cope with the required capacity and speed, Hollywood Monster needed to replace an old 5m printer, an EFI VUTEk GS5000r that has been a tireless workhorse for a decade.

 

Simon said: "The GS5000r has been pumping out millions of pounds worth of work, so it definitely earned its place, but it's just too slow right now."

 

The Q5r was selected for its excellent industrial printing capabilities. "We ordered this printer purely for high quality high volume output. We didn't add any extras like eight colours or white ink as our HS125 Pros and 5r cover that. We just wanted a 5m printers to reliably and consistently deliver high-quality prints,” he said.

EFI technology - supporting company development

 

Hollywood Monster purchased its first VUTEk printer in 2006, a QS2000 UV mixer from CMYUK. So far it has been using NUR and Scitex equipment, but the purchase of the 2m wide QS2000 started a partnership with CMYUK that remains strong today.

 

Since then, Hollywood Monster has remained loyal to EFI, leveraging its technology to support its business growth. However, Simon believes that where EFI VUTEk really makes a huge leap is with the HS125 Pro 3.2m UV LED flat panel and the high-speed roll-to-roll 5m EFI VUTEK 5r UV LED, which offers a redesigned print algorithm for new printing algorithms. The white print mode was developed to increase speed and improve quality.

 

"Like the HS125 Pro and h5, the Q5r really boosts performance. Compared to the previous generation of GS machines, it's chalk and cheese. We get a new printer for almost the same price as the old GS, but it's more powerful and fine-tuned , the performance goes to the next level. The price doesn't reflect that, it's very affordable," he said.

CMYUK, a true partner

 

The relationship between Hollywood Monster and CMYUK began in 2005 and has seen both companies grow and transform into leaders in the large format digital printing industry.

 

"Our long-term partnership with CMYUK has been very rewarding. They have always provided excellent unbiased advice that is relevant to our ambitions as a business, but not just equipment and materials, CMYUK in terms of financing and supporting clients with suitable programmers Leading the way. It's this customer-centric approach that has earned CMYUK such a solid reputation. They have never let us down," Simon said.

 

In addition to CMYUK advising Hollywood Monster and supplying the printer equipment, the two parties jointly promote and establish Kavalan's PVC-free banner material as a viable alternative to conventional PVC. In the early days of the lockdown, Hollywood Monster was able to spend time extensively testing Kavalan in print quality, pull, tear and strength testing to see if it could offer a greener, more sustainable solution to its customer base should a rebound occur Program.

 

"The move away from traditional PVC has definitely gained momentum in the past year or so," Simon said. "We've printed more textiles than ever for our exhibit clients who typically use traditional PVC backgrounds. The balance shift from PVC to non-PVC is huge, I'd say about 75 percent."

 

Along with the right technology and the best suppliers, Simon attributes the company's success to hard work and the dedication of its employees. “As a business, we have always been ambitious and our priority has always been to trust our customers 100%. If you take care of your customers, they will buy from you and keep coming back. This core ethos has served us well, making We were able to attract big clients like McDonald's and the Westfield Group. Larger clients bought large budgets and matched our strong in-house skills and cutting edge production processes. We've just really been convinced that we're on the right track and this That's where we are today," he said.

 

Employees - the lifeblood of an enterprise

 

Hollywood Monster is a family business. At the helm are three directors, brothers Simon and Andrew Mackenzie and brother-in-law Tim Andrews. The turnover rate of personnel is very low, and the average service life per capita is more than 12.5 years, and many of the employees have more than 20 years. While continued investment in technology has facilitated the work, Simon insists that it is the production people who make it all possible, working together for a common goal.

 

 

"At Hollywood Monster, it's all about delivery," he said. "We make sure customers get what they're told they're going to get, and when they're told they're going to get it, it looks like they think it's going to be."

 

The days leading up to the March 2020 lockdown were extremely challenging as the company's exhibition and event clients across the UK and Europe cancelled work, wiping more than ￡1.5 million from the order book. Now safely on the other side, Simon said he and his fellow directors are very proud of how employees handled those dark days of the unknown - something they will never forget.

 

"During the lockdown, our staff started producing their own PPE, security signage and floor graphics. Staff have been at home for eight weeks - they are terrified of their jobs and their nerves are tormented - not to mention their mental health, but When we called them back, they absolutely screwed it up. We all did it. We made over ￡2.5 million worth of floor graphics. Who would have foreseen that these printers could put PPE into offices, travel centers, etc.? It's an amazing use of our devices, turning printing into an essential service.

 

"Our employees take it out of the bag again and again. They usually work weekends and never complain. They want to get the job done and they really care about the business. It's really a family here. 50 hours a week At work, that means you see your coworkers more than you see your loved ones at home," he said.

 

future focus

 

Hollywood Monster has now recruited several new employees with a primary focus on retaining customers and growing with them. Business has never been better, and Hollywood wants to make sure its customer service never loses its edge.

 

Simon said: "We want to make sure all our customers feel loved and they have no where to go. New hires have seen a 20% increase in customer spend, which equates to another ￡1.8m in sales. We want to continue to be in the crowd Stand out. We're here 7 days a week, whether it's Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and we offer same-day service. It's all about trusting Hollywood Monster to deliver every time. We're sure we're working with the right fit of customers and will grow with them. This confidence led us to purchase the new EFI VUTEk Q5r, which we believe will help us provide better service.