Warrington, UK
HCC – Warrington is a two year old start-up company that specializes in clothing embroidery, digital printing, CAD/CUT vinyl and signage.

The company was founded by Sean Horan who started out buying and selling specialized work wear. Pretty soon, due to client demand, the business evolved into an embroidery business. Soon, this venture paved the way for vinyl cutting because many clients were asking for display logos as well.

Enter Alan Whittaker, who at first came on board as a freelancer helping out in the evening to deal with artwork design and file creation – all after a full day’s work at his own job!

However, after literally working 24/7 and not getting a chance to even walk the dog, Whittaker joined Horan full time in January 2005 and the two have never looked back.

The duo visited Sign UK last year and after walking around the show found themselves at the buzzing Roland DG exhibit which Alan describes as “by far the best at the event.”

Here they met with Roland DG UK’s almost-legendary salesman, John de la Roche. They organized a visit to the Crewe showroom where the two could really look at the Roland machines and discuss in greater detail their business requirements and aspirations.

In July, HCC took delivery of a VersaCAMM SP-540V print and cut system running eco-solvent inks.

After two months, HCC upgraded to ECO-SOL MAX inks. “These new inks have really made a huge difference to our output,” says Alan. “They are not only far hardier and much more scratch resistant, but they also smell much less. I come from a printing background and have experienced the aroma of solvent, but I practically sit next to the 540V on a daily basis and the smell is very minimal, indeed.”

“We’ve also discovered that we get far more mileage out of these new ECO-SOL MAX inks, ” he continued. “They really don’t run down as much and, being cheaper, they really are an excellent value for the money. We’ve also noticed that the density and overall color vibrancy are much better.”

Due to the superior output that HCC feels it can now achieve, the company is far more confident in the way it runs its business.

HCC clearly has an excellent relationship with Roland DG. According to Alan, “We are very much in a comfort zone with Roland DG and we believe that the Roland VersaCAMM SP-540V in tandem with the new ECO-SOL MAX inks have increased our production by about 15 to 20 percent. The machine often runs itself, earning us money while we are able to do other things.”