Rapid growth for Lisa Angel with laser engraver from Trotec.

Creativity and a customer-centric approach are the cornerstones of Norwich-based Lisa Angel Ltd. Founded by Lisa Angel in 2004 to pursue her passion for creativity. The business specialises in the creation of bespoke jewelry and gifts.

The business was initially home-based, consisting of Lisa and three employees, making products by hand and selling them at craft fairs. Lisa Angel Ltd began to gain recognition and a strong reputation for quality products. Today, the company is a major partner with notonthehighstreet.com, and also has two retail outlets and a global website, shipping products worldwide.

One of the core values of Lisa Angel is a commitment to designing and sourcing stand out jewelry and gifts at affordable prices for the customer, with each item being unique to the individual. Together with customers and clients, the team works to create products that meet the market demand.

Lisa and the team began by producing products including standardised jewelry and pearls without personalization. Personalised products were quickly added to the range as popularity grew, with hand stamping used during the early years of the business to personalise the products.

Personalisation by hand-stamping remains popular with customers to this day due to the handmade look it achieves. However, as the demand for products soared, the team needed to find a method which allowed them to meet demand while also reducing the strain on employees.

This led the business to invest in a laser engraver, which proved to be a welcome addition to the workflow, allowing the team to ramp up production. However, the machine came with drawbacks, which included cumbersome software, often resulting in inefficient production. The team researched other laser engravers looking for a more efficient solution. After a visit to Trotec’s Midland’s showroom and having received successful application tests and promising return on investment calculations, Lisa Angel Ltd. purchased a Speedy 360 laser engraver. Since the Speedy 360 was installed in 2015, Lisa Angel has invested in a further five Trotec systems, including the high-speed SpeedMarker 300 laser marker.

Lisa Angel's rapid growth has been aided by investment in a range of technologies which allow the team to offer a diverse range of products. Three SpeedMarker laser markers are used for personalisation, while three flatbed Speedy laser engravers are used for producing larger quantities and products. Additional lasers, UV printers and a diamond drag engraver complete the production portfolio.

Whilst not applicable to all products and ranges, customers are often able to choose which finish they would prefer for their product, with the variety of technologies offering additional added value for the customer. Despite each system being used for dedicated applications, there is frequent collaboration between technologies, including the flatbed Speedy engravers and the printer, which are used in conjunction to create a stock of different products, including accessories stands.

The later investment in the SpeedMarker galvo systems from Trotec has been another turning point for Lisa Angel. The systems are constantly in production, personalising jewelry in a matter of seconds, while the rotary attachment allows the interior of rings and other cylindrical homeware to be easily personalised. The galvo laser markers also optimize employee time, as when the Speedy lasers are producing larger jobs the operators can work with the galvos to personalise products, ensuring non-stop production.

Another benefit of the galvo laser marking systems is Trotec’s SpeedMark laser software. This software is intuitive and user-friendly, while working perfectly with Adobe Illustrator, saving the team valuable set-up and production time.

The "press and play" functionality of Trotec machines further helps to reduce set-up times, with the ability to save custom settings for jobs further speeding up production. Trotec's support has proven invaluable to the staff at Lisa Angel. Their account manager has been highly praised, continually offering help and support when needed. One particular example was helping the team to alter saved settings which maintained quality whilst reducing production times, which saved valuable time at busy periods such as Christmas.

With the advice from Trotec experts, the team can hit the ground running with new products and are confident that they will achieve the best results possible, no matter the job. Looking to the future, Lisa Angel is excited to continue to expand their product range with exciting new products and services.