How the Acuity Prime™ UV has given Tactive an in-house advantage for wide-format success
Toward the end of 2019, Tim Browning and Kurt Ellinger were on the cusp of a big decision. Their company, Print Resources (including the URL printindy.com), was a darling of the Indianapolis business community for the past 20 years, landing on the Indianapolis Business Journal’s “Fast 25” list of the region’s fastest-growing companies in 2005, 2017, and 2018.
But as they watched the industry evolve away from just printing services, they decided it was time for a rebrand. The Print Resources brand no longer captured everything the company did. So, they
rebranded to Tactive, with the tagline that they were “engagement experts who help busy marketers reach audiences and achieve ROI.”
Today, through strategic investments, smart hiring and a tireless “we-can-do-it” attitude, Tactive has earned a reputation as a uniquely reliable and versatile marketing vendor. While it still offers traditional printing services, it has evolved into a strategic partner with a full arsenal of engagement tactics deployed on behalf of their clients, including tactile marketing, 3D mail, printing, promotional products and e-shops.
The Challenge
Tactive specializes in both digital content creation and physical marketing materials, including offering services like producing T-shirts and corporate apparel, comprehensive marketing kits, and innovative 3DDM kits. The 3DDM kits, which are fully customized, feature printed designs on the inside and outside of the box, and include print collateral pieces and swag giveaways. Additionally, its commercial printing division supports direct mail campaigns.
With the rapidly expanding growth of the wide- format department, CEO Courtney Bills and VP of Operations Tyler Koontz sought to bring more production in-house, which would give them greater control over the quality and speed of the projects. “In outsourcing to other companies, you lose control over aspects like quality and time; plus, your cost is more of a premium.”
After examining the numbers behind how much it spent on outsourcing and the quality of what was coming back from it, Tactive decided to bring that work in-house, beginning its search for the equipment to add another option to its commercial printing portfolio. “Our aim is to ensure our clients don’t experience any disruptions in service,” Bills says.
The Solution
In Tactive’s quest to find a large-format press, it conducted extensive research to determine the most suitable machine for its needs. Factors in the decision would include production volume and the specific products it intended to produce, which involved primarily corrugated boxes, banners and Corex.
“We compared equipment from various manufacturers and also spent time evaluating machines in Hanover Park with Fujifilm,” Koontz says. “One of the key considerations was the size of the ACUITY PRIME UV Flatbed printer. We determined that a static bed with a moving gantry would best suit our requirements, rather than a traditional three-meter wide format bed. Ultimately, the ACUITY PRIME aligned well with our criteria and proved to be an ideal choice.”
The Results
By bringing box production in-house, the ACUITY PRIME has significantly transformed Tactive’s business operations, primarily by enhancing speed and efficiency—something its clients have noticed in turnaround times. “With everything produced internally, we can now handle a much higher volume of projects,” Koontz says. “Once the boxes are printed, converted, cut and shipped to our downtown facility for assembly, we’ve noticed a notable reduction in turnaround times.”
While saving even just one or two days may seem insignificant, Koontz says it makes a substantial difference when trying to meet tight deadlines or control shipping costs. “By manufacturing in-house, we can make up for lost time caused by delays in artwork or shipping, ultimately improving our overall productivity and workflow.”
The ACUITY PRIME’s impact also is being felt internally. Today, thanks to the ACUITY PRIME, clients are noticing the difference in what Tactive is bringing to the table. “Internally, this digital approach has greatly benefited our customer success team,” Bills says. “By eliminating weeks of back-and-forth for non-press proofs, they can now directly communicate with operators to address any quality concerns and collaborate on necessary tweaks much more efficiently. The ACUITY PRIME has helped reduce the back-and-forth with vendors, minimized waiting times and enhanced our ability to get things right the first time on press.”