Fast Forward Series: MWI Direct Consolidates Production and Grows with ProStream
Direct mail execution company MWI Direct was an early adopter of the Canon ProStream in 2020. Watch this video to see how the organization has evolved since then - adding a second ProStream to “move faster, print better,” while consolidating operations, increasing capacity, and achieving 35–40 percent growth.
Scaling Success: How MWI Direct Accelerated Growth and Efficiency with Support from Canon Inkjet Technology
In the highly competitive landscape of direct marketing, print providers are under constant pressure to deliver greater customization, faster turnarounds, and impeccable quality. For Lincoln, Nebraska-based MWI Direct, achieving these goals required a fundamental shift in production philosophy. By transitioning from traditional offset and monochrome devices to high-speed, continuous-feed color inkjet technology, the company has transformed its business model, expanded its market reach, and solidified its bottom line.
A Tradition of Data-Driven Personalization
MWI Direct operates as a full-service direct marketing execution company. Throughout its 35-year history, the firm has distinguished itself through a data-centric approach, prioritizing heavy personalization to help its clients optimize their marketing campaigns. For many years, achieving this level of tailored content meant relying on a mix of flat-sheet toner devices and conventional web presses.
However, as client demands intensified, MWI Direct recognized that its legacy production ecosystem lacked the speed and agility necessary for future scaling. The company began tracking the development of production color inkjet technology, waiting for a platform that could meet its strict criteria for both throughput and high-end commercial quality.
The Turning Point: Implementing the Canon ProStream
The breakthrough came with the introduction of the Canon ProStream series. According to the leadership team at MWI Direct, adopting this continuous-feed inkjet platform was an immediate game-changer. The technology provided the high output and accelerated turnarounds the company desperately needed, without forcing a compromise on printing quality.
The impact on MWI Direct’s operational footprint was profound. The facility was able to shut down:
- Two conventional web presses
- Nine standalone folding machines
- Seven monochrome devices
All of this decentralized infrastructure was consolidated into just two lean, highly automated work centers consisting of the ProStream press and its inline finishing lines.
The efficiency gains quickly translated into explosive commercial growth. In 2021 alone, the sales department leveraged the new technology to secure a 20 percent lift in new business. The initial ProStream engine was pushed to near-maximum capacity, routinely running at 97-98 percent utilization. To accommodate this soaring demand, MWI Direct quickly invested in a second ProStream press, creating significant headroom for further volume expansion.
Ensuring Seamless Consistency with the varioPRINT iX-series
To complement the high-volume capabilities of its continuous-feed web lines, MWI Direct also implemented the Canon varioPRINT iX-series sheetfed inkjet press. A primary concern for the company during this expansion was maintaining perfect color parity across different production platforms.
The varioPRINT iX-series helped deliver exactly what the team required. The color consistency and print quality between the sheetfed press and the continuous-feed ProStream engines match so well that even experienced internal operators cannot distinguish which machine printed a given sample. This uniformity is backed by Canon's PRISMA workflow software, which serves as a unified digital bridge connecting the different hardware assets to streamline prepress and data management.
Speed, Reliability, and Market Expansion
Over a five-year period, MWI Direct achieved more than 60 percent overall revenue growth, with overall business volume jumping 35 percent to 40 percent as a direct result of their high-quality, variable data capabilities. A major driver of this growth is the platform's sheer operational velocity. The current systems process complex 9-point cover stocks for postcards and self-mailers at a sustained speed of 525 feet per minute. This swift processing power yields a 39 percent increase in mail package pieces, helping to lower the total cost of ownership and passing those critical savings along to the client.
Reflecting on their relationship with the platform, MWI Direct's leadership emphasized that Canon’s engineering reliability has thoroughly proven itself out in the field. As early adopters of variable inkjet technology, it was vital for the company to choose a manufacturer capable of delivering world-class, ongoing technical support. By combining robust uptime with outstanding variable data flexibility, MWI Direct has successfully future-proofed its operations, demonstrating that strategic technology investments can completely redefine a company's trajectory.
To learn more about how Canon inkjet solutions can help your organization thrive, contact us today.