A year into its partnership with Gerber Technology, on-demand apparel manufacturer OnPoint Manufacturing has installed Gerber’s Z1 cutter and AccuMark suite of products at its headquarters in Florence, Alabama. This is the next phase of the partnership, which began when Gerber launched the FashionTech Platform 1.0 last year; the software and cutter installation will help OnPoint continue to evolve from direct-to-print to direct-to-manufacturing.

OnPoint, which manufactures purchase-activated, on-demand, personalised apparel manufacturing, said this will streamline the entire process from design to final product by improving lead time, reducing costs, and minimising errors and waste.

The Z1 cutter is an automated cutting solution for single-ply materials which uses two patented solutions to enable on-demand digital print workflow, while Gerber’s PrintSync device allows a hands-free and continuous workflow from printing through the final cut parts, synchronizing the material from any digital printer to the speed of the cutter.

According to OnPoint CEO J. Kirby Best, the company is setting up for a total in-line system whereby they can go from direct-to-print to direct-to-manufacturing. The company is still determining a final digital press solution; however, Ms Best said, “each system we implement makes our manufacturing process more efficient and helps our customers get from concept to production more quickly."