Rapid 9 'blown away by brilliance' of Mimaki JV33 printer

 

Mimaki reseller YPS has supplied Newcastle-based sign and display producer, Rapid 9, with a Mimaki JV33 printer in order to boost the company's throughput.  The new printer was installed to meet the increased demand created when Rapid 9 successfully bid for a large new contract.

Oliver Whickham set up Rapid 9 to serve the local area's display needs in October 2011. With a workforce of nine providing everything from lightboxes to large marketing installations, Oliver needed to add to the JV3 on which he built the business to satisfy higher demand from his ever-expanding client base â€" and has been pleasantly surprised by the results.

"We thought the JV3 was great but we were blown away by how brilliant the JV33 is; it's been running superbly," Oliver says. "We've just picked up a big new contract so the JV33 is running even more work alongside our existing JV3. They're brilliant for what we do and would consider no other machine now: they're bomb-proof!"

This reliability has been important to Rapid 9 but, faced with expansion and more demanding work, time management has also been critical. "Buying a second Mimaki has enabled us to split our work into two divisions," he explains. "We can have two jobs in production at once with two members of staff working on them, plus two vans out doing separate deliveries. This has decreased our production time and improved our turnaround, meaning we can win and deliver work more quickly."

YPS has supplied Oliver and Rapid 9 since they began trading and it's the long-standing support and technical help that have made this a win-win business relationship. "Garry helped me with a very technical piece of work using a flat-bed when I was at my previous company, where he was instrumental in helping the company pioneer digital equipment. I often come to Garry for advice now: he gives me honest and intelligent responses even if there's no direct business benefit to him," Oliver says.

"YPS are local, friendly and will do anything to help you with your technical enquiries, as well as having fantastic products. I wouldn't recommend YPS," he laughs, "because I want to keep them a secret!"

For more information on Rapid 9, please visit www.rapid9signs.com