MCS, Inc. has announcde the acquisition of its MCS Eagle UV Inkjet system by Datamart Direct, Inc. of Bloomingdale, IL, USA. The company says that the installation, still in its infancy, has already produced tangible savings and results, with more expected in the future.

Datamart Direct Inc. provides products through digital print, direct mail, fulfillment and electronic marketing. The company serves a broad range of clients, from small “mom-and-pop shops” which are taking their first steps in direct marketing, to sophisticated Fortune 100 clients with highly technical requirements.

Scott Bussert, COO, describes the application that led them to the MCS Eagle UV Inkjet: “It was time to upgrade our older inkjet system. We had been printing personalized plastic cards for one of our large clients. This client had a loyalty and member ID application, with very large daily volumes. Up until then, we had been running the cards through thermal printers,” he says.

In this particular ID card application, Datamart receives from 20,000-30,000 cards per job. “It was clear we needed a better solution. But we also had to get the buy-in from the client prior to making our decision. We ran samples by them, and they OK’d them. The Eagle, with its UV-curable inks, works especially well on cards that arrive with pre-UV coating on them. MCS came in with the right solution at the right time,” Bussert says.

“It used to take two full production days to run the cards on our thermal system. Now on the Eagle, we run it in 4-5 hours,” Bussert says. “That’s a big cost savings in time and overhead, for a job that runs frequently. We believe this will translate to a $40K – $50K annual savings alone,” he says.

“It’s important for us, in all of our large investments, to figure out where the savings will be,” explains Bussert. “We knew the Eagle UV would give us the ability to run more efficiently and cost effectively, due to the technology of the Eagle. The 4.25″ print heads are much easier to use, and offer a cleaner way to print whole envelopes at one time. Also, the operators like it quite a bit, because the software is easy to use.”

“It’s only been installed a few weeks, and yet we are already seeing the efficiencies of the new system,” says Bussert. “We’re also expecting savings just by switching from thermal systems to the Eagle. From maintenance costs, to the costs of the ribbons, to payroll, all of these things will come way down.”

Sales will benefit from the MCS acquisition as well. Julie Leder, director of digital communications remarks: “This really opens up the door to lots of new potential applications. Now our sales channel has more tools in the kit bag, and having more flexibility and capabilities empowers us to compete. It gives us a wider breadth on print capabilities, and makes a stronger case for choosing Datamart Direct.”