Konica Minolta’s AccurioPress C3070 Digital Press has been key in enabling gifts and greeting cards manufacturer Porky Penguin to enhance its product output by 10 times, to meet increased online demand following the pandemic lockdown. The Konica Minolta press supplied by managed-office services expert ASL has also helped Porky Penguin expand its business into larger premises.

As a provider of high quality, unique and innovative gifts and cards, Huddersfield-based Porky Penguin has experienced a sudden growth in demand from online orders since the UK lockdown in 2020. Rebecca Kellett, Managing Director of Porky Penguin explains, “Our previous printing solution was no longer up to the job. We needed something that was not going to jam or cause us any last-minute headaches when producing orders. We absolutely needed reliability and a good solid machine that did what we needed it to, with servicing to match.”

Having already purchased a Duplo folding machine to enhance its operations, Porky Penguin was introduced to ASL to find the perfect print press for its expansion requirements. With expert experience across multiple manufacturers, ASL recommended Konica Minolta’s AccurioPress C3070 Digital Press as the perfect solution for Porky Penguin’s growing requirements.

Will Doherty, Commercial & Industrial Printing Systems Director at ASL comments, “As a vendor-neutral expert supplier we are able to take a broad view of the market and were sure that the Konica Minolta machine would be the perfect fit for Porky Penguin in terms of performance, price point and future-proof long-term service.”

Porky Penguin has carved out an impressive niche in terms of quality products and service. Rebecca elaborates, “The main product we sell is A6 sized flat card that comes complete with a wooden token or magnet. Our 2020 bestseller was a hugely popular ‘pocket hug’, which fundamentally enabled us to relocate and purchase the Konica Minolta machine and other equipment, increasing our capacity tenfold. We already wanted to develop our card selection, but the uncertainty of how the incumbent press would perform delayed that.”

The Konica Minolta AccurioPro Hot Folder system has been a key to this success, making processing orders far quicker and more accurate than a manual process. “The hot folders have now become a huge part of our business – what used to be quite a tedious and time-consuming job now takes less than one second to perform,” adds Rebecca. “Every member of staff is now able to print easily due to these hot folders – we literally drag and drop and within two minutes we can have 120 orders printed. It really is a game changer.”

In combination with the Duplo finisher, Porky Penguin’s AccurioPress C3070 enables it to print all associated products and designs together (rather than individually to size), assured that the products will be cut/creased (or both) and in numerical order according to order numbers. “This means a member of staff can simply pick up the stack of cards or orders and then sit and pack, knowing full well that each item is in perfect order. It has changed the way we do business in a huge way,” Rebecca comments.

Cameron Mitchell, Business Unit Leader (Partner Channel) at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd also comments, “Porky Penguin is exactly the type of young, dynamic, and unique print production business that really benefits from the flexibility of the AccurioPress C3070 Digital Press. It perfectly integrates into their business processes, enabling the team to deliver a quick and flawless turnaround of excellent products to their ever-growing customer base.”

Now settled into its new purpose-built facility, Porky Penguin has its eyes firmly on the future, as Rebecca concludes, “The lockdown order increases have enabled our business to go from strength to strength, to purchase more equipment, employ more staff and grow the business. We have also gained an invaluable perspective of buyer psychology and online marketing, which along with the support of ASL and Konica Minolta has enabled us to have a clear growth and development plan for the future.”

For more information on Porky Penguin please visit: www. porkypenguin.co.uk

For more information on Konica Minolta please visit: www.konicaminolta.eu/eu-en