Tobe Direct Aggressively Expands with Digital Printing Solutions from MCS
GAITHERSBURG, MD—Jan. 24, 2012—MCS Inc., a leader in industrial inkjet technology, camera systems and digital production solutions, is pleased to announce the acquisition of its Eagle UV-curable inkjet system by Tobe Direct of Louisville, KY.
A Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C8000 color digital press and the bizhub PRO 1200 black-and-white digital press were also part of the order. Tobe Direct is using them to increase its production capacity for direct marketing promotions requiring fully variable customer offerings driven by end-user buying patterns.
Tobe Direct, one of the nation’s leading direct marketing firms, was founded in 1988 by John Tobe. The company specializes in turnkey direct mail programs and cross media campaigns. They also offer a full line of printing, mail services, logistics and data management services.
“We’ve been aggressively expanding our business for the past three years, but 2011 was our breakout year—we grew 54 percent,” remarked John Tobe, founder and CEO. “One of our reasons for this astounding growth was due to a major award from a F50 account for their direct mail postcard business. We were awarded a multiyear contract, which really boosts our requirement for production throughput and added capacity. That’s where the MCS Eagle UV Inkjet comes in.”
Terry Berg, vice president of manufacturing, describes the operation. “We run a lot of 100 lb. gloss cover for self mailers and postcards. Also, we handle some very unique applications, and need to be able to run jobs from as small as a few thousand to several million postcards per job. We chose the MCS Eagle for several reasons, one of which was the permanent print head—there is no switching cartridges between jobs, and no having to manage different inks for different stocks. We also like the speed and the price point.”
The MCS Eagle Inkjet system supports either UV or water-based ink. Tobe Direct found that the Eagle UV dries on the postcard coated stocks faster, it adheres better, and outputs a better quality product coming off the line.
“It’s fast, it’s inexpensive, we’ve improved our run speed by 33 percent, and we’re spending 50 percent less on ink,” Berg reported. “We can run more jobs with the higher throughput the Eagle offers.”
“MCS speaks the language of direct-marketers and understands our challenges,” added Tobe “They’ve been able to deliver what we needed for workflow as well as hardware. Even the owner is hands-on.”
The Eagle UV Inkjet system was sold by distributor Thompson Direct. Tobe Direct is in the process of moving its plant, more than tripling in size, and making room for additional Eagle UV Inkjet systems.
About Tobe Direct
Tobe Direct, one of the nation’s leading direct marketing firms, was founded in 1988 by John Tobe. Tobe Direct provides innovative one-to-one marketing techniques that break through the clutter, allowing businesses to connect with customers on a more direct, personal level. From turnkey direct mail programs using variable data print technology, to email and mobile marketing, Tobe Direct delivers a personalized, relevant user experience that helps their clients retain customers, increase customer satisfaction and ensure a higher marketing ROI.
About MCS
MCS is a leading provider of technology for the production mailing market. MCS’ inkjet hardware, software and camera systems provides the integration cornerstone for high-speed mailing and hybrid inkjet printing, as well as matching systems for inserters. The new MCS Eagle inkjet platform combines the next generation modular 4.25”, 600 DPI print head technology with MCS’ proven job layout and print proofing software. MCS systems can be integrated on a wide range of existing transports and inserters. MCS’ new production color digital presses offer print-quality and VDP workflow solutions designed for direct mailers.
Source: MCS