Morelock Signs Ltd., based in the West Midlands, has recently installed a Durst Rho 161 TS Traffic Sign Printer.

Paul Gorman, Morelock’s Supplies Manager, said: “After talking to Durst and 3M, we believed that digital was definitely the future direction of the industry. We also felt that it would offer us the ability to respond better to the inherent peaks and troughs of demand within the industry.”

Morelock Signs Ltd. was founded in 1980 as a sign manufacturer, initially producing temporary road signs as there was no existing production technology available then and they saw an opening in the market. Over the last 25 years the business has expanded into other areas of sign manufacture.

They have always been ready to invest in the latest technology and, in fact, have developed some of their own manufacturing equipment, particularly with steel fabrication. Today the company employs 85 full time members of staff and is a leading UK sign manufacturer, producing permanent and temporary road signs, traffic management systems, commercial signs, safety signs, graphics and vehicle livery. They offer a complete service, from the design of customised standard signs and the creation of bespoke signs, through production to installation.

“There are several factors that contributed to our decision to install the Rho, over and above increasing our production capacity,” commented Paul Gorman. “Firstly, the Rho offers us the ability to respond even faster to clients’ requirements. The normal turnaround for permanent road signs is 7/10 days; with the Rho we can produce the finished sign within 5 days of receipt of the order, if necessary. The next point is that we are able to use 3M high reflective media, either High Intensity Prismatic or Diamond Grade™. These media offer environmental benefits over the standard glass-bead material used in traditional permanent grade signs and UV inks further help to reduce VOC emissions. The Rho, with its auto-nesting ability, also reduces wastage of material and maximises productivity.”

“Our customers are becoming increasingly aware of environmental issues and the Rho with 3M materials has helped us meet these criteria whilst being able to offer a 12 year warranty. We are constantly exploring more environmentally friendly solutions for our business. Another example of this is that we also manufacture industrial signage frames and have recently moved from solvent based to water based paints. Until now the technology was not there to provide the necessary durability of the frame.”

“We first saw the Rho at one of Durst’s customers in Belgium. They were extremely helpful and showed us all we needed to be convinced that this was the way forward. We ordered the Rho shortly after the visit.”

“The Rho has only very recently been installed but we are already very pleased with its performance. It has provided the consistency and productivity that we require and the quality of print is excellent. Also it allows us to print several colours at once, whereas the traditional method requires a separate process for each colour. At present the Rho adds capacity to our existing production process but over time we will move more and more work to the Durst. Our customers are very pleased with both the quality of signs it prints and the exceptionally fast turnaround we can now achieve.”

For more information on Morelock Signs Ltd. visit www.morelock.co.uk or telephone 01902 637575.