Four Times the Productivity
- Heliner
- Jul 21
- 2 min read
Mirage Visual is one of New Zealand's leading large-format print, signage, and display manufacturers, producing everything from vehicle graphics and retail displays to architectural signage.
Director, Sam Blenkiron, tells us how the pressure from growing demand led them to Heliner to secure a solution…
The bottleneck
“Our previous router simply couldn't keep up. It had served us well, but lacked the speed, power, and versatility we needed. Jobs were taking far too long, overtime was becoming more common, and we knew we needed to invest in equipment for the next stage of our growth.”
Finding the right partner
“While researching options, we found James through social media. After visiting him and seeing the machines in operation, we were immediately impressed. His technical knowledge stood out, but more importantly, he took the time to understand exactly what our business needed rather than trying to sell us an off-the-shelf solution."
Built around Mirage’s business
The Heliner machine was built around our operation, with the right tooling and configuration. It has given us everything we need to process a wide variety of materials very efficiently, including:
Retail displays,
Architectural signage,
Lettering and fabricated boxes,
V-notch fascia panels,
Custom display products, and
A wide range of routed components
75% time reduction
The biggest impact has been productivity. Our previous machine had a 1kW spindle, whereas the new Heliner router runs a 14kW spindle, and the difference is enormous.
What previously took an entire day can now be completed in half a morning.
More than just a machine
“The relationship didn't end once the machine was installed – it’s a long-term supplier partnership we’ve invested in.
The support has been excellent, with James and his team always quick to respond. They talk us through problems over the phone or come back to us the next day as soon as they can.
Our machine is running very well considering how complex it is, and we are extremely happy with the whole service.”
Savings on other purchases
“An extra benefit is sourcing tools and consumables through Heliner, accompanied by helpful advice. This reduces operating costs and simplifies procurement.
We also bought an acrylic bender from James, which has been a valuable addition to our manufacturing process.”
Business benefits and readiness for growth
"Our router is a critical part of our production facility and gives us significant business benefits:
Higher manufacturing capacity,
Faster turnaround,
Lower production costs,
Less overtime, and
Greater confidence quoting larger projects.
This is a strong foundation to approach our next growth stage."
