In mid July Roland DG held the opening ceremony for its new facility in Clevedon, North Somerset. The new facility has seen the company move from its previous premises in Swansea to the new building to allow for expansion, better contact with customers and for better coverage of the south and south west industry.

The open day also allowed Roland DG to invite representatives from the various offices from around the world, including the President Roland DG Japan Mr Masahiro Tomioka. Mr Tomioka explained that this move is evidence of the success of the company and of the hard work of the staff since the British company separated from the music division in 2003.

Mr Tomioka said, ‘I would like to congratulate the Roland DG UK staff on this special occasion.’ Also speaking to the assembled crowd of suppliers, customers and dignitaries was Divisional Director Jerry Davis who welcomed the visitors from around the UK, including representatives from Clevedon Town Council.

Mr Davis explained that the move was necessary as more space was needed for further expansion and for ‘further growth over the next 12 months and three years. The company has grown significantly to what it has now become, and we are now in what we hope will be our final resting place.’

The Clevedon headquarters sees the company gain its third official showroom in the UK, following the establishment of facilities in Crewe and Slough and an Irish base in Dublin. Mr Davis finished by thanking the staff who kept the business running while the move was planned and completed in early May.

2005 has been a year of new development for Roland DG, the company is best known for its production of wide format digital printers and its service to the sign making and decoration industries, but further strides were also made into the engraving sector.

The company has previously made engraving machines for industrial or specialised purposes, but in January 2005 an entry level machine was introduced into the UK market.

The Metaza is a small but effective engraving machine for those looking to expand their personalisation facilities. The Metaza works simply by engraving photos, text and logos onto metal surfaces.

This means that photos are engraved on to metal surfaces, rather than other methods that would just see the image printed on the surface. With transfer and screen prints photo-quality decoration is possible, but this technology means that an added dimension is possible, and your sales margin can increase significantly. The Metaza engraves objects to a maximum depth of 20mm providing a smooth and detailed finish.

There is a wide choice of consumables available from Roland including pendants, name tags, necklaces and small metallic flat surfaces. When purchasing the Metaza, a start up pack is also included that comprises of training packages, a pack of blank samples and leaflets and posters for decorators to efficiently promote the service to their customers.

It works by simply placing the consumable inside the Metaza with no need for clamping, and the diamond tipped cutter make the engrave. This simplicity means that repeat decorations are possible as no lengthy set-up time is required and once finished, another item can be placed directly in the Metaza.

Product Manager Peter Kettle said, ‘There is a variety of surfaces that can be engraved with the Metaza. Obviously the brighter the finish of the metal the better the image will be as what you are looking for is the holographic effect caused by the disturbance of reflective light.’

The technology has been extremely popular in North America with many malls now featuring kiosks in the aisles and decorators seeing a substantial turnover as a result. Peter said, ‘We’re expecting great things from this in the UK. Our aim is to establish people with the idea of engraving and if we can start people off with this concept at a low investment cost then they can grow that business by embracing new technologies in the future. We can offer training sessions and also open days where customers get the opportunity to talk to Roland team directly about the machine, and how to develop their business using the marketing tools offered by Roland.;

Roland DG offer more industrial engravers that can also engrave to greater depths and on a variety of surfaces. Peter said, ‘Our philosophy is to get people started with this, we can offer training sessions and we also offer open days where customers get the opportunity to talk to salesmen and experts directly about the machine.’

For further information contact Roland DG (UK) Ltd on 0845 230 9060, address : Westway House, Hither Green Industrial Estate, Clevedon Gate, Clevedon, North Somerset, BS21 6XT. Visit the website at www.rolanddg.co.uk.

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