First North American install of the Onset X3  

Hanover Park, Ill. –  FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division recently installed the all-new Inca Onset X3, a high productivity, high-quality flatbed press, at Holland & Crosby Limited, an Ontario-based print provider specializing in point of purchase retail-based signage programs. 

Capable of printing at a blistering 9,688 square feet per hour (180 beds/hr), the Onset X3 features 3 x CMYK ink channels plus the choice of White or Orange, and 14-picolitre printheads. The Onset X3 sits at the pinnacle of productivity. With this printer, users of analog screen printing lines can take the digital route, confident they can print long runs of high-quality print with superb consistency and reliability.

“When we went to Cambridge, United Kingdom, for the Onset launch, the decision was made right then and there to move forward with the Onset purchase,” said Scott Crosby, VP Sales and Marketing, Holland & Crosby Limited.

Crosby and Richard Labiuk, VP Finance & Operations, Holland & Crosby Limited, spent the better part of last year touring the world for the latest digital technology, to give the company the edge it sought in today’s competitive digital landscape. What it eventually found in the Onset X3 was a workhorse. 

Thanks to Inca’s pioneering “Scalable Architecture” concept, each Onset X Series press is based on a new common scalable architecture platform that can be upgraded on-site when additional capacity or capability is needed. This provides the flexibility to configure the Onset X printer for the combination of productivity, color and quality that best matches a customers’ need today with the ability to upgrade later when production requirements change.

“Surviving in retail is extremely difficult, and we have the ability to turn jobs very quickly so we can always say ‘yes’ to our customers,” said Labiuk. Crosby calls this ability to respond a ‘Cure for the Crunch.’ 

“It separates us from the pack when we can offer a ‘Cure for the Crunch’ to a customer who needs something fast,” adds Crosby.

Founded in 1932, Holland & Crosby offers a complete range of services, from creative and structural design, to storage and distribution, including print production with prototyping and finishing. Operating from a purpose-built 71,000-square-foot production and distribution facility near Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Holland & Crosby has the ability to design, manufacture and distribute all under one roof.

Throughout its 80-plus year history, Holland & Crosby has been defined by its ability to be on the leading edge of technology and meet the ever-changing needs of its customers. For example, it was the first North American install of the Onset S70 in 2008. In 2009, it installed the S20 to take the short-runs off the S70, and to be able to print white digitally.

In 2010, with the Onset leading the way, Holland & Crosby walked away from screen and became a digital-only facility. “We live in a world where it is all about efficiency,” says Labiuk. “When our customers understand the efficiencies of digital compared to screen, new opportunities arise. That makes it exciting.”

“We have never looked back,” said Crosby. “Digital was a perfect fit for the type of work in our marketplace, and the Onset was the perfect solution. The X3 is built for speed, and stands out as a stellar solution.”

Holland & Crosby also recently upgraded their finishing department to include two Esko Kongsberg C64 cutting tables to eliminate any possible bottlenecks in their production workflow. 

“Our cutting table operators are moving quickly to keep up with the output. There is no down time, and it provides us the ability to finish larger runs in-house,” Crosby said. 

The benefits of digital are helping Holland & Crosby in other ways, too. For example, digital is helping expand its workforce.

“We are an attractive potential employer to university graduates,” adds Labiuk. “Our equipment is intriguing and creates interest. It was a challenge to attract a younger generation when we were a screen-only facility.”

Over the past 12 years, Holland & Crosby has taken a leading role in the marketplace. 

“Every step of the way, as we’ve gained experience as a print provider, we’ve gained confidence in Fujifilm’s ability to provide leading edge technology,” Crosby says. “From their equipment performance, ink and customer service, their quality is what keeps us a Fujifilm customer. It’s about building long-term partnerships.” 

Holland & Crosby will be hosting an Innovation Gala Open House on May 4th and 5th, from 4 pm until 8 pm.