The sign shop recently invested in a new Esko Kongsberg V Finishing Table, bringing in-house many of the cutting and routing tasks it once had to sub-contract to complete. In doing so they have improved productivity, quality and cost efficiencies, and attracted more business. The printer is an independently owned and operated sign, graphics and visual communications company – and one of Fastsigns’ more than 530 franchise locations worldwide. Owner Paul LeBlanc needed a table that could read registration marks from a digital printer to cut squares, contours and other shapes on the printed piece. He also creates a lot of dimensional letters, so router capabilities were important. So he decided on the Esko Kongsberg V Finishing Table.
“There are a few different table manufacturers, and this was an important investment – one that we believe we will be using for a decade. I needed a machine where the company had a good track record among Fastsigns franchisees and within the industry,” said LeBlanc. “I spoke with people who were consistently happy with the Kongsberg table. I also knew that Fastsigns headquarters supported them. It also was able to do routing – an important feature. I understand that Esko has reps throughout North America, so it’s nice that I don’t have to work with someone who is far away. I feel like I have a local relationship with Esko.”
Leblanc recently completed a couple runs of signs for a security company where he produced 100-150 square Coroplast signs. “This would have been a big problem for us before. We ran them through the cutter and it saved a lot of time. We also needed to create a 3D letter sign for another customer. I really don’t like hard and fast deadlines for a sign that will be used for years, but the client was making it for a specific event. We were able to meet the deadline while creating a very high-quality sign – something we would not have been able to do without the Kongsberg V. It got us the order. In the past we would have turned it down.”
