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November 24, 2021

Pandemic drives Farmington company's $2.5M investment in Maine's largest inkjet printer

large printer Courtesy / Franklin Printing Franklin Printing in Farmington invested in a new printer that, at 60 feet by 15 feet, is the largest inkjet press in Maine.

An investment of $2.5 million and a specialized facility layout have brought the state’s largest inkjet printer to Farmington.

“If someone wanted us to print a million postcards for them, we could print them and put a million different addresses on them as they’re going through the press,” David Nemi, general manager of Franklin Printing, told Mainebiz.

The recent investments in the printer and related equipment have meant that medical supply companies, pop-up clinics, health care firms and other businesses have been able to print labels, signage and packaging quickly. 

That need became particularly apparent over the past year, when medical product manufacturers in Maine and beyond have needed fast, flexible and accurate materials, according to a news release. 

Franklin Printing “met and exceeded the printing challenges Abbott faced with dogged determination, creativity and flexibility,” client Ric Schneider of diagnostic test manufacturer Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) said in the release.

Family business

Franklin Printing is a family-owned business in its third generation. It’s rooted in the 1960s, when the company’s founder, Joseph Nemi, started a newspaper publishing business, according to its website.

2 people at control panel
Courtesy / Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership
From left, Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership Senior Project Manager Wayne Messer looks on as Franklin Printing General Manager David Nemi demonstrates a control panel on one of a new suite of printing equipment.

The business expanded through the 1970s and 1980s by increasing commercial printing sales. Joe’s two sons, Greg and Dick, eventually joined the firm and now run the business. In 2008, the company moved into the digital printing business.

The facility is 100% wind-powered and its paper goods are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international nonprofit headquartered in Bonn, Germany, that promotes responsible management of the world's forests.

David Nemi is part of the family’s third generation to be involved.

Printing services include canvas banners, vinyl or plastic signs, mailings, packaging, embossing and more, for large national companies as well as local mom-and-pop businesses requiring small print runs.

Variable printing, digital accuracy

The new printer is the only inkjet web press in Maine, said Nemi. Web printing refers to the paper as a continuous roll, similar to newspaper presses. 

“The paper is supplied to us on a roll,” he said. “The roll is unwound, fed through the press and printed on both sides, then exits the press and rewinds onto a roll.”

The decision to purchase the press, manufactured by the digital printing division of Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), was driven by demand Franklin Printing was experiencing as a result of the pandemic, he said. 

“It was something we knew eventually we would have, because in our industry it’s becoming a relevant technology to adopt,” he said. “But the pandemic significantly accelerated the decision.”

The technology allows for more production flexibility and labor efficiency, he said.

“We have one operator running the press,” he said. That compares with the company’s traditional sheet fed presses, which require two people to run. 

The press is capable of variable printing at high speeds and with digital accuracy. That means that every square inch that’s being printed can be completely unique. On a conventional press, those million postcards would be printed on one side. Then they would go through another machine to print the addresses on the other side. Now the operations are condensed into one pass.

The press cost $1.25 million. Additional investments totaling another $1.25 million were made in separate but integrated machines that can, for example, cut, fold, collate and staple.

The press was financed through a lease program offered by Hewlett-Packard, which also provides maintenance and repairs.  Hewlett-Packard performed the complete installation, assembly, tests, verifications and on-site training over the course of about a month.

The additional equipment was financed through a loan with TD Bank.

Remote shopping

While increasing demand for the new printer, the pandemic also made the search for one trickier than normal. 

“We weren’t able to visit anyone because it was all happening during the pandemic,” Nemi said. “So we had to do it remotely, which is a challenge when you’re trying to potentially spend that amount of money.”

The company conducted its inquiries through video conference and viewing videos and livestream demonstrations.

Nemi and his team were familiar with the products made by Hewlett-Packard and other major players in the market. 

“I had seen them before at industry events over the years,” he said.

Space expansion

The press is about 60 feet long by 15 feet wide. Franklin Printing had already built a 7,800-square-foot addition to its facility that was originally intended to gain production efficiency. And the company had already been working with Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership to figure out optimal equipment layouts — when the decision to buy the new press came into play.

“This equipment found its home in the new addition,” Nemi said.

Maine MEP is an economic development organization that helps small and medium-sized manufacturers in Maine with everything from safety credentials to product development, cyber security, workforce solutions, improving efficiency and more.

For the Franklin Printing project, Maine MEP’s senior project manager, Wayne Messer, worked with the staff on systemic layout planning, using data to develop a new plan to ensure the space was used efficiently so printing processes would be improved. Layout planning was also designed to reduce costs and maintain quality. 

“When we work on a change of layout for an operation, we look at the placement of the equipment and the placement in relationship to how the products flow through the facility, so it’s more of lean manufacturing philosophy and we can eliminate waste in handling, movement and processing right at the point of laying out their operation,” said Messer.

Print remains strong

Is print still a strong market? 

“That question comes up quite a bit,” said Nemi. “What I see is that, years ago, the printing industry served a need to store information because electronics didn’t exist. Now, it’s being used to communicate a message and being used in conjunction with other types of communication as a multi-prong approach to reach people.”

Nemi said that studies show that consumers still enjoy having printed materials in hand, on top of digital communications.

“A lot of our customers use all of those methods of communication to target their customers,” he said. 

Long-term, he said, service areas for this type of equipment include high-volume direct mail, publishing, marketing collateral and stationery. Franklin Printing’s clients are primarily in the Northeast, with the furthest on the West Coast.

Significant growth

In general, Franklin Printing experienced significant growth over the past year. The company doubled its revenue in 2020, compared with 2019. It’s on track this year to grow beyond that, probably in the 25% range, said Nemi. 

The company has 52 employees, a number that’s been fairly stable in recent years, but is now looking to grow. 

“I expect that number will increase next year,” said Nemi. “We’re potentially looking to hire two to five people in various areas of the company.”

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