Peter Sanders, managing director at Prince William Pottery explains how investing in quality products with Roland DG has helped improve the competitiveness of his business…

Clevedon – Founded in 1937 by Ray Sanders, Prince William Pottery was initially established as a wholesale glass and china distribution business. Through responding wisely to market demands and making savvy investments in advancing technology, the company has evolved into a highly successful ceramics print business that’s still run by the Sanders family, almost 80 years later.

As automated printing processes became more and more effective, and demand for commemorative and promotional ceramics grew, Prince William Pottery took the decision to specialise in supplying high-quality printed mugs. The company has continually invested in new, state-of-the-art machinery in order to stay ahead of the curve, first focussing solely on screen printing techniques before turning to dye-sublimation in order to tap into new markets.

The company purchased its first Roland DG machine, a SOLJET PRO 4 XF-640, in 2009 to support the growing customer demand. The highly productive wide-format printer meant the Liverpool based business was able to produce promotional mugs at high volumes, without compromising on quality or accuracy. Wanting to increase productivity even further, this year, the company invested in a second Roland DG machine, the Texart RT-640 Dye-Sublimation Printer.

Peter Sanders, grandson of Ray Sanders and Director of Prince William Pottery said: “Roland DG’s reputation preceded them, and I had heard great things about the company before we bought our first machine from one of their dealers, Quality Print Services. I was pleased with the performance of the machine from the very beginning, as well as the excellent customer service we received. 

“As a small business, when you rely on only one machine, a single issue can mean your whole livelihood grinds to a halt – but with RolandCare we’re able to deal directly with Roland DG to resolve any problems extremely quickly. When it came to buying a second machine, I knew straightaway I wanted another Roland DG because of the quality, superb service, and aftercare.” 

After introducing the RT-640 to Print William Pottery earlier this year, Peter has already seen a positive impact on the running of the company. Advanced features such as the new, eight-channel print head and Roland DG’s proprietary Ink Switching System enables continuous unattended printing, as well as Texart ink coverage being so efficient that it has dramatically lowered running costs for the business. 

Peter continued: “We use Roland DG Texart inks alongside the RT-640 to ensure maximum efficiency and quality when producing our products. The Texart inks are so cost-effective that whereas we were previously spending around £8000 on ink each year, our ink costs are a fraction of that amount now. As well as impressive savings, we can be confident that our Roland DG machine and ink combination delivers sharp detail and consistent vibrant colours from one product to the next.”  

Armed with the RT-640 and XF-640, and open to expanding its growing Roland DG family of machines, Prince William Pottery has ambitious growth aspirations for the year ahead. With a new warehouse being built next door to the current site, the company aims to produce and offer its customers a much larger range of products in the near future.