Leatherhead, Surrey, UK – The immense productivity of a Durst ‘workhorse’ is saving 6,000 man hours a year alone for Gardners, one of the UK’s largest superwide commercial printers in the UK. 

Playing a major part in helping Gardners drive through hundreds of thousands of square metres of print a month, the Durst Rho 1330 hybrid near £1million investment could pay for itself in less than two years.

Richard Courtney, Managing Director of Gardners – which has a 20-strong armoury of wide format printers at its Cardiff headquarters, of which three are Dursts – said: “We’re certainly hoping that Durst will be at the centre of everything we do going forward, so the relationship is very important to us.

“The Durst technology in terms of outstanding productivity, reliability and quality is universally known in the printing industry, but not everybody is aware of the service support and caring attitude of the staff.  We have a huge respect for the Durst business – it’s a company that really displays humility. On the rare occasion a system ever goes down, they seem just as keen to get it back up and running as we are. It’s clear Durst is in it for the long term, not just short-term gain.”

One reason for the new Durst investment – they already have two Durst Rho 512R systems – was Gardner’s acquisition of the Agripa licence, which has brought a sudden surge in new work that will ensure the company employing 120 staff goes through the £13million turnover barrier this year.

Agripa is a patented advertising system that enables large print to be changed in a matter of minutes. It’s widely used for marketing, one prime example being the printed advertising on the side of delivery lorries. Although the mesh used with Agripa is not printed on the Durst Rho 1330, which is used for roll-to-roll and flatbed work on a 24x7 basis, it’s taking work off other systems.

Gardners, which employs 120 people, specialises in helping customers deliver their print campaigns. The three main markets are fleet, major retail and outdoor such as billboards on roadsides, at airports and at railways stations. 

Said Mr Courtney: “Already, we know that the Durst Rho 1330 will save us 6,000 man hours a year, which is immense, although it’s difficult to put an exact figure. One thing we’re convinced about is that the ROI will be in two to three years, but may even be quicker.”

Peter Bray, Managing Director of Durst UK, said: “We are pleased to see that this investment in the Durst Rho 1330 provides Gardners with the level of productivity they require in their demanding production markets, and at an affordable price.