In 2018 Catapult Print embarked on a new journey. Driven by a passion for setting new standards and expectations for quality, price, service, lead times, and innovation, Catapult propelled themselves into the U.S. market to deliver high-quality print in the self-adhesive, narrow web film and linerless labeling arena.

Founder and CEO, Mark Cook, comments on the vision: “at Catapult, we offer something unique to brands; we’ve dared to go where no flexo printer has gone before, we’re disrupting the current norm and accepted level of service, and challenging it.”

“The status quo is no longer a recognisable base, habits and trends are evolving; retail giants such as Amazon are entering the grocery space which, along with the explosion of retail’s own-label, means that it’s become a very competitive marketplace for everyone. Consumers are increasingly shopping online, resulting in fewer visits to grocery stores. Retailers everywhere are looking for the best way to attract these shoppers back into their stores and to keep them coming back. Quality, price, and innovation are at the heart of a very customer-centric approach to modern consumer needs. We witnessed this in the U.K. market ten years ago and now the change is happening in the U.S.”

Entering a competitive market isn’t for the faint-hearted, from day one Mark and his team recognized the need to differentiate themselves.

“We set out to disrupt the market by offering the best quality, best price, best service, and best lead times. As a start-up, these were bold claims; we had to seek out technology and suppliers who could not only help us realize our claims, but deliver them daily” continues Cook.

Catapult offers retailers, brands, and manufacturers a print solution which facilitates showcasing of their own-label products to make them stand out on the shelf.

“Researching the market, we considered the two key requirements of quality and price. To deliver exceptional quality, the team identified various technology solutions for print; we visited demo centers and looked at print samples. On one occasion when a colleague put a print sample in my hand, I thought he was showing me a lithographic print. The image detail was superb and when he told me that it was a narrow-web flexographic print sample my only thought was: ‘WOW!’”.

“Bellissima delivers the ‘WOW’ factor which grabs your attention immediately. Catapult wanted to offer its customers game-changing quality, and there it was - we decided to go 100% Bellissima from day one.”

Alongside Hamillroad Software’s Bellissima DMS, the infrastructure that supports Catapult’s full-service print offering includes prepress technologies; Esko CDI Spark, Vianord Evo 4, and MacDermid Graphics Solutions ITP 60 advanced photopolymer plates processed thermally with a LAVA system.

In the press room, four Nilpeter FA press sit, enhanced with Advanced Vision Technology (AVT) inspection systems, Apex GTT anilox, and INX low-migration inks.

“These combined technologies give us a transformative solution which enable us to deliver excellent print at an affordable price. Technology is at the heart of what we do and drives the efficiencies and savings that allow us to deliver at a higher speed and lower cost than our competitors.”

Working with our technology suppliers, Catapult took the time to fingerprint the press.

“Spending time getting things done correctly from the outset has set us up for success. We match the first time; there’s no downtime due to color shifts, no plate remakes, our make-ready is quick, material waste is low. We believe that this achievement is due to the combination of our partners’ involvement” says Cook.

“Bellissima is a game-changer; it allowed us to hit the ground running; it has given us the differentiator we needed to enter the market and win business. Brands love the quality and how it makes their product’s visibility stand out on the shelf. It’s the best screening in the market; it gives us the edge.”

We are passionate about print, we believe in Bellissima, and we are here to keep disrupting for the long-haul” concludes Cook.