Toshiba

Toshiba Tec Corporation

CASE STUDY
FTG Company

Customer: FTG Company
Country: Japan
Industry: Foodservice
Solution: Special Media

"Superb photo reproduction printing on the waterproof paper"


SUCCESS STORY

Waterproof Eco Crystal paper for restaurant menus and display materials allowing handwritten messages.

In most Korean barbecue restaurants in Japan, you grill the meat yourself at your table. But Osaka-style yakiniku --- Futago --- is different. A restaurant waiter or waitress grills the meat for you at your table, which no doubt is why it is becoming more popular and even expanding overseas.
Many restaurants now feature waterproof Eco Crystal paper for shop front posters, POP menu guides, menus and　event notifications. This special paper is not only attractive and effective; it makes it easier to produce these displays.

THE CHALLENGE

FTG Company was founded in 2010 and now has 37 restaurants in Japan, and 13 overseas. They include Osaka-style Futago yakiniku with staff grilling meat at customer tables.
Printed display materials used to be laminated for durability. But lamination takes time and is troublesome.
FTG wanted a better solution.

THE SOLUTION

Toshiba introduced FTG to the advantage of waterproof Eco Crystal paper and Toshiba MFPs. Eco Crystal is a　luxurious gloss paper which is great for photos and text, without any need for lamination. With a Toshiba MFP it can be output in an easy, speedy, one-step operation, perfectly matching business needs.

FTG decided on the combination of Eco Crystal and Toshiba MFPs because:
1) No lamination is needed --- all you have to do is print out the materials.
2) Superb photo reproduction makes menu displays of food look simply mouth watering.
3) Eco Crystal is waterproof --- which is perfect for menus which often have to endure spills at the table.

THE RESULT

FTG holds seasonal events every month such as Food Fairs. Prior to introducing Toshiba MFP, they outsourced　design of materials for event notifi­cations, which were printed out by the Head Of­fice, laminated and distributed to shops. One event might require 4 to 6 copies of printed materials per shop, for about 200 copies in total.

After the introduction of Toshiba MFPs, the lamination step was cut out—so there was extra time for other tasks. It’s now possible for the head offi­ce to respond more quickly to store requests, which pleases local staff.

Since Eco Crystal is not only waterproof, but oil resistant as well, it can be used in a wider range of situations, for example, in restaurant kitchens of other situations where in house materials frequently get soiled.
In addition, this system allows single copy or very small volume printing --- which is good for printing less-frequently used materials such as menus in foreign languages.

FTG is planning to take full advantage of Toshiba MFP’s many features and applications, including its ability to handle special papers --- not just Eco Crystal --- but also magnetized paper and clear plastic folders. Toshiba is helping FTG’s business develop.

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