中文Three Five Four, a commercial printer based in Basildon, Essex, has taken a pragmatic approach to capacity expansion that more print businesses may find themselves considering in the current economic environment. Rather than investing in brand-new equipment at full capital cost, the company has doubled its production capacity with a refurbished Heidelberg Speedmaster CX 102-5+L supplied through the manufacturer’s remarketed equipment programme — and the results are reshaping how the business thinks about growth.
The Decision to Go Remarketed
The deal was signed in February 2026, with installation and operator training completed by March. The press itself is a 2017 model that had accumulated 90 million impressions before being remarketed by Heidelberg. For Ian Drew, director at Three Five Four, the decision was driven by a combination of economics, technology, and trust in manufacturer-backed support.
“We invested in the CX 102-5+L so that we could offer more to our clients and effectively double our printing capacity,” Drew explained. “Despite being a 2017 machine, it had every level of automation available, including Push to Stop technology, and had only completed 90 million impressions. It was an offer we simply couldn’t refuse.”
The remarketed route is increasingly relevant for mid-market commercial printers who need to grow but face tightening credit conditions and rising capital costs. Heidelberg’s programme offers equipment that has been inspected, refurbished, and warranted by the original manufacturer — a different proposition from buying second-hand through independent dealers, where warranty coverage and technical support can be less predictable.
Productivity Without Proportionally More People
The efficiency gains from the new press extend well beyond simple throughput. Three Five Four reports that it is now running in half the time, with half the number of minders, while achieving the same turnover — a productivity improvement driven entirely by the automation and workflow integration built into the CX 102 platform.
“We expect the machine to give us 100 percent more productivity,” Drew said. “We are currently running in half the time, with half the number of minders, while achieving the same turnover — purely because of the efficiencies built into the machine itself.”
This kind of labour efficiency is particularly valuable in markets where skilled press operators are increasingly difficult to recruit and retain. A machine that can deliver double output with fewer operators not only reduces direct labour costs but also reduces the vulnerability of the business to workforce shortages. The Push to Stop automation on the CX 102 means the press can run with minimal manual intervention, with make-ready, registration, and quality checks handled by the system rather than the operator.
Manufacturer Backing as a Strategic Choice
Drew was explicit about why Three Five Four chose Heidelberg’s remarketed programme over the dealer channel. “We chose Heidelberg because they are the manufacturer. We have worked with dealers before and they have been very good, but the level of technology on this press meant that, as a business, we needed the backup of the manufacturer.”
The reasoning is sound. A press with Push to Stop, automated colour control, and integrated workflow connectivity is a complex system that requires deep technical knowledge for maintenance and optimisation. Dealer networks can provide competent service for simpler equipment, but as presses become more automated and more connected, the gap between manufacturer-level and dealer-level support widens. For a business that is staking its growth strategy on a single machine, that gap matters.
The Broader Context: Refurbished Equipment in a Tightening Market
Three Five Four’s investment is a case study in a trend that is gathering momentum across the global print industry. As capital budgets shrink and the cost of new equipment continues to rise, more printers are looking at the remarketed and refurbished channel as a viable route to capacity growth. The key condition is manufacturer backing: equipment that is warranted, supported, and serviced by the OEM provides a different risk profile than equipment that leaves the factory with no ongoing relationship.
Three Five Four also operates Ricoh digital equipment and finishing kit from Polar, Duplo, Morgana, and others, alongside data processing and direct mail services. The Speedmaster CX 102 fits into that mixed environment as the high-volume offset anchor, handling the work that digital production cannot yet match on cost or speed for longer runs.
For clients, the investment means speedier production and greater capacity — two things that are increasingly difficult for mid-market printers to guarantee in a market where capacity constraints can mean lost work and lost clients. “It’s very difficult in this day and age to tell customers you simply don’t have the capacity,” Drew noted. “This investment changes that completely.”
Source: printweek.com
