Exhibition and event project management specialist Rocket has upgraded its Dye-Sublimation equipment with the addition of an MTEX 5032 3.2m wide, direct to textile, state of the art machine, adding to the company’s production equipment and continued growth plans.

The move increases the firm’s dye-sub printing productivity and also improves the overall output of its textile graphics quality (up to 1440dpi), and adds further to Rocket’s full, in-house, from project management to completion, service offering to clients. 

Using water-based inks, the MTEX 5032 has the ability to print direct onto the textile media, and then advances through an in-line fixation unit which sublimates the inks to the fabric. This provides vibrant, impactful graphics to suit a wide variety of print applications. 

The addition of the MTEX 5032 complements Rocket’s existing solvent and UV print solutions, which include a 5 metre wide  GS5000R, two QS 3200 and three Mimaki JV33-160, several of which were added as part of an earlier equipment investment at the beginning of this year.

The MTEX 5032 is capable of printing on a wide variety of substrate materials, including; HT Polyester, Flag Polyester, Backlit Polyester, Block out Polyester, Decotex stretch fabric, Voile and Fabric Mesh.

The MTEX was used recently by Rocket to great effect to produce a hanging fabricated box frame with powerful graphics, imagery and illumination, as part of the fanzone for the final of the ATP Tennis Tour at the O2 in London.

This latest equipment upgrade and investment follows a year of significant expansion and development at Watford-based Rocket, which has included the additions of a 5 metre wide  GS5000R, a    second QS 3200 and a third Mimaki JV33-160 to its plant list, as well as adding to its staff headcount with further recruitment.

At the beginning of this year Rocket announced its intention to expand its salesforce this year and invest in new equipment, with the company revealing a 17% growth in turnover for 2014, as it geared up for further expansion and development in the exhibition, retail, event and interior market sectors.

Altogether, Rocket has ploughed some close to a £1m worth of investment into the business over the past year, with the company also reporting a 17% growth in year-on-year turnover for 2014, with profits also in line with expectations.

“The upgrade of the MTEX 5032 will assist and increase our capability and service offering to both existing and new clients who are attracted by  the advantages of our "Start to finish in-house" offering,” stated Antony Rider, Commercial Director at Rocket. 

Rocket specialises in working in partnership with its agency, end-user and trade sector clientele to provide large format branding and graphics solutions and brand implementation services for events, exhibitions, and the retail and interiors sectors.

Rocket’s work has included the production of event and exhibition display material for such illustrious events in the USA and UK, which have included the likes of the Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium, Mobile World Congress, Farnborough Airshow, The Goodwood Festival of Speed, ATP Tennis Finals, PGA Wentworth, Twickenham Home Internationals and the British Grand Prix, Silverstone, as well as major name clients such as BAE Systems, Unilever, HSBC, INTAS, Nikon and Nissan.

A large part of Rocket’s clientele is agency based, with some 30% of its turnover coming from the project management and installation side, an area where it has also invested in both staff and training.