ROTOCON’s recent partnership with VICUT, a manufacturer of digital cutting and finishing machines, is a testament to its mindset of versatility and efficiency. The collaboration, which took root at drupa 2024, is already yielding results, offering new opportunities for small and medium print shops across South Africa.

According to Patrick Aengenvoort, sales director for ROTOCON, the introduction of VICUT’s equipment significantly broadens the scope of solutions ROTOCON provides. He says VICUT’s machinery is perfectly suited for smaller print shops or businesses with wide-format printers.

‘VICUT is more geared toward the graphics industry,’ explains Patrick. ‘It’s perfect for smaller print shops that want to do offline die cutting, such as vinyl printing or shorter runs of business cards, wedding invitations and packaging.’

VICUT’s range of machines includes the VL-450X (digital laminating and foiling), the VFC90 (digital flatbed DTF cutter), the FC500 (flatbed cutter) and the SC-350 (autofed sheet label cutter). Among these, the FC500 flatbed cutter offers diverse functionalities to the South African market, allowing for the creation of custom packaging, cutting both the shape and crease lines with high precision, making it ideal for small-run niche packaging or personalised box production.

For print service providers (PSPs) focusing on embellishments, the VICUT range also offers offline foiling machines that add a high-end touch to products such as wedding invitations and concert tickets. The machinery’s capability to handle small digital runs without compromising on quality makes it a game-changer for many businesses. ‘VICUT excels at producing high-quality outputs in smaller quantities, which opens the door for small and medium PSPs to offer premium services without massive overheads,’ Patrick adds.

For ROTOCON, selecting a principal like VICUT is not a decision taken lightly. ‘We’re very selective when it comes to choosing our overseas principals,’ Patrick emphasises. ‘We hand-pick partnerships based on our reputation and service delivery standards.’

A key part of this commitment is ensuring that ROTOCON’s technicians are fully trained in the installation and aftersales service for all VICUT machinery. With all VICUT machines now on display in ROTOCON’s Johannesburg showroom, the team is inviting potential customers to book live demos to see the equipment in action. ‘The response has been phenomenal. Everyone’s impressed with how a small machine can add such a big effect to labelling or packaging.’