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Steve Goodfellow (left) and his son George

Established in the 1940s and still belongs to the same family, the investment in the digital cutting table makes this family business face the future

CMYUK, Shrewsbury – O'Neill Signs installed Kongsberg X24 digital cutting table and i-Cut software from CMYUK. The new equipment eliminated the production bottleneck of the Runcorn-based company and improved efficiency, speed and quality.

It was founded in 1947 and is still owned by the same family today. It embodies the evolution of logo making from hand-painted to the latest digital technology. As a high-quality supplier of the former British blue chip giant ICI, O'Neill's specializes in providing all types of signs and engravings for multiple industries and venues. It also provides vehicle graphics, posters, labels and banners.

Managed by the husband and wife team Steve and Tracy Goodfellow (nee O'Neill), investing in Kongsberg means more than improving internal capabilities. "My son George and I went to the CMYUK evaluation machine and we were all shocked," Steve said. "George is 26 years old and investing in Kongsberg can make the business more resilient. In the next few years, if one of us retires, George will be able to do more effectively with fewer people. This is true. Is a future-oriented exercise."

Kongsberg factor In the past few years, many material representatives pointed out to Steve that Kongsberg's digital cutting capabilities are the way he needs to go, but Steve thinks Kongsberg is an ideal device, which makes him leave.

However, for some time, he has been studying how to square the circle with the end plate. The printing and cutting equipment of the company's CJV Mimaki printer can handle non-rigid jobs, but rigidity is problematic. The versatility of the guillotine or CNC router is not high enough.

He finally succumbed and began to study the opinions on the British sign. "Compared to Zund, Kongsberg is a high-end, reasonably priced option with all the reliability and longevity you expect. I have received a few electronic photos from CMYUK, and I also know Sue Hayward, CMYUK’s Director of Equipment Sales, Because I bought several printers through her over the years. I called her and had a proper conversation. I still think Kongsberg is a bit extravagant, but then I realized that it’s not like a printer that needs to be upgraded every five years. We Talking about a 20-year-old machine, the X24 is modular, so you can add tools at any time. The X24 Edge set really suits us," Steve said.

The proof in the pudding Steve and George visited the CMYUK demonstration and training center, putting Kongsberg on the right track.

"We took some samples. I've heard sales pitches before, so I wanted to be sure. On the morning we left to demonstrate, I basically got some of the lowest viscosity vinyl I could find and glued it to Foamex and Dibond. Obviously, the vinyl that has been stuck to the board for a long time behaves very differently from the vinyl that was glued to the board an hour ago-then it can be repositioned. I thought there would be some hooking, peeling or tearing . Our sample passed through Kongsberg perfectly without leaving any traces. This in itself contributed to the transaction," Steve said.

The company also bought i-Cut software, "it can do everything you need to do, you just need to press a button. It reduces a lot of processes," he said.

By actively demonstrating the capabilities of the cutting machine to customers, the bedding in the new equipment has begun to up-sell a variety of solutions-such as providing kiss-cutting stickers for old customers, greatly enhancing its products and services.

While Kongsberg updated existing customer requirements, it also attracted a lot of new jobs. In the first week alone, the company received an order for template cards, a work it had not completed for many years, when the work was done by hand.

The company's goal is to produce its own standard brand packaging boxes, enhance the overall corporate image, and complete the bottleneck almost disappear.

Steve said: "We will focus on powering Kongsberg from the front end. Even simply producing shape and contour cut signs will increase the growth momentum. We will push our customers to follow this route, optimize our existing products, and start exploring New avenues opened up before us."

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