DCD Production’s Mounter’s Mate Workstation has quickly become an indispensible part of the team, so much so that it has even been given a name: Monty.

Dan Osterbery fell in love with the Balearic island of Menorca on his gap year and by turning his diving hobby into a business he found a way to make a living doing what he loved in his dream location. The move into signmaking and printing with the establishment of DCD Productions in 1999 sprang indirectly from diving. Having diversified from teaching diving to offering underwater photography he found that producing and selling the prints was more lucrative.

As time went on the firm added additional graphics and branding services. Today it offers wide format printing, signwriting, printing, promotional products and garment printing and embroidery. A key source of business comes from the yachts drawn to the island’s Mahón harbour and local hotels are another major source of business.

Running a business on a Mediterranean island isn’t all plain sailing though; getting skilled staff can be a challenge, and the location also means equipment has to be robust and support spot on to avoid down time and expensive engineer visits.

In 2016 the decision of two long-term team members to return to the UK and the challenge of finding suitable replacements led Dan to look for a technological solution. He identified a flatbed mounting table as a versatile and easy to use tool to improve productivity. He approached both UK and Spanish suppliers before settling on Mounter’s Mate due to a combination of the product and the company. Key product features were speed, quality and ease of use.

“We can produce so much faster with perfect quality; it takes one man rather than two and in a third of the time,” he says. “When we recently needed additional pair of hands we could leave a contractor who usually concretes in signs for us to get on with mounting for two days after 10 minutes of training. It is really valuable to be able to pull someone in so easily when there is a lot of work.”

In addition to improving existing working practices the new machine is also opening up new opportunities. The firm is working with local glaziers using the Mounter’s Mate to apply window films prior to installation. The results are higher quality and lower cost than application in situ at a property.

Before opting for Mounter’s Mate he asked for input from other members of UK Signboards and having got good feedback took the plunge. His own experience proved to be exemplary. He praised Mounter’s Mate’s willingness to work with DCD’s preferred courier to deliver the machine and Mounter’s Mate General Manager Omar Benmez going to Menorca to carry out the installation and training himself.

“He came over and installed Monty and showed us how to use it. When he saw how we were using our 15-year old laminator he showed us how to do it properly. We’ve gone from being able to handle five to 50m rolls. Omar is our laminating guru.”

Overall Dan has been delighted. Monty, the machine that acts as an extra pair of hands and Mounter’s Mate, a company that is willing to go the extra mile to support it.

About the Mounter’s Mate Workstation

The Mounter’s Mate Workstation is a flatbed applicator developed for graphic and signage specialists to be operated by one person. The sturdy and precise welded steel chassis features a 10 mm thick tempered glass bed with LED illumination, heated silicone roller and a wide range of features for simple operation and maximum productivity. Available in three sizes from the compact 213 suitable for panels up to 8ft x 4ft (1220mm x 2440mm) through the workhorse 315, for panels up to 10ft x 5ft (1500mm x 3050mm) up to the 4200 x 1700 mm 417 for high volume users.