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Realization of high value-added products and expansion of the scope of work

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Mitaka Seihan Co., Ltd. is a printing and processing company established in 1955. The company is particularly strong in special printing and processing on metal, and handles a wide range of printing from general silk screen printing to label printing, sheet metal printing, press work, and more.

For this interview, we spoke with Mitaka Seihan's vise-president Mr.Taichi Takasu and an operator Mr.Hiroki Ito about how the "JFX600-2513" was introduced and their impressions after the introduction.

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First, please explain about your company

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Mr.Takasu: We, Mitaka Seihan Co., Ltd. are a special printing processing company that has been in business for about 70 years. The company specializes mainly in metal printing and processing, such as silk-screening, to make nameplates. We manufacture mainly metal, plastic, and custom labels that are attached to machines.

It has been about 15 years since we first installed Mimaki's inkjet printer. The previous chairman of the company wanted to introduce a UV inkjet printer as the fastest in the Tokai region, and this led to the introduction of the UJF-605.

At first, we considered several printers from other companies, both domestic and international. We were also interested in overseas printers, but gave up on them due to various hurdles. I realized the importance of being a domestic manufacturer. I also remember that Mimaki's finish was very good.

We have installed Mimaki's machines for the first, second, and third machines, and each time we have chosen Mimaki's printers because they are the best after considering other companies.

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How did JFX600-2513 come to be introduced?

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Mr.Takasu: Until now, the workpiece size was small and materials had to be changed many times, which required many man-hours. However, we decided to introduce the JFX600-2513 because it is a large inkjet printer, which allows us to streamline the series of processes of setting, printing, and collecting materials, as well as to mass-produce high-precision, high-spec special printing processes.

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Our main target customers are manufacturers of industrial machinery and other customers who use nameplates. For these people, if the number of units produced is large, a plate and mold are created and printed and processed, but if only 100 to 1,000 units are needed, for example, the cost of creating a plate with a mold would be high, so by using UV inkjet and fiber laser cutting, the product can be provided at almost no initial cost. This way, the total cost is lower when printing a small quantity of a large variety of products, and since printing can be done without making molds or plates, it is very popular.

Our company has also been involved in the aerospace defense industry since around 2015. I cannot be more specific, but some plates and other items that are attached to flying machines are printed by Mimaki's inkjet.

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What do you think of JFX600-2513 in practice?

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Mr.Ito: I think it is good that the larger size allows for more efficient printing. I appreciate that the touch panel monitor is easy to understand, as it explains all the consumables that need to be replaced, cleaning, and other maintenance items. I am almost new to Mimaki's machines, let alone to the machines themselves in the first place, but I have had no problems with them.

Mr.Takasu: We have installed four Mimaki machines so far, and each time the RIP software has evolved and become more user-friendly, so I think the frequency of updates is appropriate. When I look at users of other companies, I get the impression that they are a little slow in updating their software, and I feel that Mimaki can be used without trouble in many ways. If a problem does occur, they respond quickly, and I feel very confident using their service.

The ink has been changed from the previous machine, and although there are some differences, I feel that the image quality has also become more beautiful. I feel that there are few inkjet printers that can produce such fine and detailed images, and in fact, our customers have given us a very high evaluation.

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How is the production efficiency after installing JFX600-2513?

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Mr.Takasu: The work size itself is now larger than before, so we are not yet operating at full spec, but we are already seeing a positive impact. The difference starts from the cost estimate calculation for the customer when receiving an order, and the supplier, the sign maker, may request, "Mitaka-san, you can print large sizes, can't you?". It has potential.

The time an operator spends on the machine during the entire process of setting materials, printing, and collecting them can be reduced, and since a large printing area can be utilized to print multiple products at the same time, we feel that this is a very significant advantage in reducing labor costs while increasing capacity utilization and cutting costs.

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Do you have any future plans with the JFX600-2513?

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Mr.Takasu: It is a little embarrassing to say, but we take pride in the fact that we have been involved in manufacturing for many years. In other words, you build things based on drawings. Then, they have little experience in coming up with ideas and creating something on their own. However, some of the people in the company are university graduates in the arts or have a high sense of design, so I honestly think it's a waste. As for machines, we have inkjet machines with high specs and colorful expressions, so I would like to be able to produce more freely and creatively in-house.

First of all, we are planning to make proposals in areas where our technology can be applied, such as interior design, which we have not had the opportunity to be involved in until now, and interior decoration for airplanes. I think the challenge for the future is to create an environment where members can fully demonstrate their potential and abilities.

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Finally, is there anything you would like to share with our clients?

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Mr.Takasu: Yes, there is still an image that inkjet cannot be mass-produced and is expensive. There is an impression that we can do small-lot printing, but it doesn't work well when the number is large or the turnaround time is long, but we have large machines so we can finish printing quickly and at a lower cost. Of course, Mimaki's machines are of perfect quality, so we hope that you will contact us if you have any requests for panel sheets and the like, as they can be mass-produced with high quality and high image quality using UV inkjet.

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