ImagesMagUK_January_2022

www.images-magazine.com JANUARY 2022 images 33 IS DECORATOR PROFILE When Brexit kicked in, we found the labour force was wiped out Fespa but, because of the investment needed, we couldn’t do it at the time,” Shabbir explains. “We just got busier and busier, and we thought we had to find a quicker way to do this that’s less labour intensive.” Snuggle invested in a Kornit Storm Hexa in 2017, via distributor Adelco, and a second one three months later. By 2019, the two Hexas were unable to cope with the level of production so Snuggle swapped them for two industrial Kornit Avalanche HD6 DTG machines, which the company still has. It then added three Kornit Atlas DTG printers followed by two Atlas Max machines with XDi technology for creating raised prints and simulated embroidery. “Our choice has always been based around speed and quality,” Shabbir explains. “When we had the Storm Hexas, that was our entry level because it was the most affordable at the time. From there, we went to the Avalanche HD6s because they have additional colour bridges with red and green and they printed at double the speed. Then when the Atlas launched, we wanted it as it was double the speed of the Avalanche and we got even better quality print. With the Atlas Max, it’s the additional functionality: it enables you to print 3D so you have the raised prints and can do things that a lot of brands are looking for. It gives you that edge and something different.” Snuggle has become such a major buyer of Kornit machines, and all its specialist pallets, that it has been supplied and supported directly by Kornit for a year and a half. It also has five conveyor dryers from Adelco, including three Dual machines and one EcoTex. Workflows and training Snuggle can print up to 12,000 units per day over 12 to 18 hours, and operates 24-hour shifts before Christmas and Father’s Day. It was able to deliver one overnight order for 2,000 T-shirts for a charity which ended up ordering 90,000 tees over a year. “A lot of being able to do this depends on your workflows and the training of your operators,” Shabbir explains. “If you have operators spending a lot of time setting each job up, it slows you down and you can’t get the throughput you need.” Speed is why Snuggle has never dabbled with screen printing. “With screen printing, you could spend hours setting up a job, but in that time we could have printed the order and despatched it already,” points out Shabbir, adding that DTG also makes it quicker and less costly when customers with bulk orders require samples. Snuggle’s customers were originally a mix of business-to-business – other decorators – and print-on-demand retailers, but, as online garment shopping has grown, particularly during the Covid lockdowns, this split has shifted. “The volume of work for decorators has grown, but print-on- demand has grown even further,” Akil says. When the first lockdown hit, the pair were as anxious as everybody about what would happen, but orders quickly returned. “Literally everybody cancelled their orders overnight,” Shabbir recalls, “but after a couple of weeks, the print-on-demand customers started emailing saying they were really busy and asking when we’d be back.” However, he says it was challenging sourcing blank garments due to suppliers shutting down or having shipping delays. Because of these experiences, Snuggle now keeps even more popular garments in stock, sourcing from major brands such as Gildan, Fruit of the Loom and multi-brand distributor BTC Activewear. In 2020, the company was appointed an official dealer for Stanley/Stella, with the ethical garment brand becoming more popular with its own customers. “It made sense for us as a lot of their values are what are really important today and sit well with us,” Shabbir points out. “More than ever before, our customers’ customers are asking for things that are sustainable and good quality.” In-house embroidery and automation Snuggle brought embroidery in-house last summer, investing in six single- head Melco embroidery machines. The main entrance to Snuggle: recruitment is a “massive” challenge for the company [L-R] Shabbir Maimoon and Akil Thathia with the new Atlas Max