BluEdge Blog

BluEdge's 125th Anniversary: A Journey of Excellence and Innovation

Written by Desireé Olivera-Medina | Aug 1, 2023 1:00:00 PM

Did you know only .5% of U.S. businesses reach their 100th anniversary? This year, we are so humbled and honored to be celebrating our 125th continuous year in business!

Aside from celebrating this tremendous milestone, 2023 has been a year of significant change and accomplishments for BluEdge:

  • We brought on our NEW Media team
  • We brought on our NEW Fabrication Team
  • We brought on our NEW Packaging Realization team
  • And we moved into our new 60,000 sq. ft. facility in Carlstadt, NJ 🥳 🎉🥳 🎉 

Our Big Move

2020 marked the beginning of rapid growth in our Creative Graphics division. We were inspired to expand our capabilities but found the space we were in was limiting our options. Thus began the search for our new facility:

“BluEdge’s strategy is to become the premier provider of high-end Creative Graphics and Experiential Environments in the United States. This move is a critical step in achieving that vision by giving us a facility that is unmatched in our industry,” says, Doug Magid, President. “Our rapid growth in sales in our Creative Graphics division has necessitated that we quadruple our space in the last two years alone. We have used that space to increase our production capacity by multiples, add a brand-new Experiential Environment unit with exciting new capabilities, as well as increasing our previous 3d printing capabilities.”

Doug Magid continued by discussing how the new facility will help to improve internal workflows, “We’ve used the opportunity to redesign our operations from the ground up to create the ideal production environment. Co-locating our large and small format creative graphics capabilities will be a home run for our clients, because it broadly expands what we can do for them. Furthermore, it also creates an environment where the associates in these units collaborate across disciplines to foster their greater creative juices from ideation through craftsmanship of a final product. Associates have more opportunities to learn and expand their own skill sets, and move within the organization. And they also have a brand new large, open light facility with lots of natural light to come to work to every day.”

Our brand new 60,000 sq. ft. facility in Carlstadt, NJ

The Celebration

To celebrate this momentous year, we wanted to give our clients a first-hand look at our evolution and present all that we now have to offer. On June 15th, we opened our doors to our clientele for an open-house event. The event was defined by 9 stations, each showing off one of BluEdge’s unique offerings:

Grand Format Printing

The star of the show was our Durst printer. We brought in our good friend Joe from Durst to explain and demonstrate the capabilities of the Durst P5 350 hybrid printer, with its cutting-edge features and special ink effects, enabling a wide range of printing possibilities.

 

Video courtesy of Durst's YouTube. 

 

Laser Cutting & Engraving

Brian Hamilton, Director, Experiential Design and Fabrication, led the demonstration of our Kern OptiFlex industrial large format laser cutting system, captivating our audience with its precision and versatility.

 

 

Our clients were very impressed by the precision of the Kern Laser cutter! 

Media Services

BluEdge's talented media team, led by Director Joe Savattieri, exhibited their expertise in CGI, VFX, and retouching, revealing how they create stunning visual effects for various platforms. These media sessions closed off with a surprise walk down the hall where we presented guests with a live demonstration of our Holowall.

 

Holowall Demonstration

 

Projection-Mapping Capabilities

Fabrication Services

Director of Experiential Creations, John Gagliardi, led a tour of the shop, showcasing BluEdge's ability to create immersive environments through custom fabrication, all under one roof.

Silk Screening Capabilities

William Maiurro highlighted BluEdge's premier screen-printing services, demonstrating how we create unique and vibrant designs & special effects, as well as our ability to print onto unique substrates.

 

 

viewneo Lift and Learn

Liam Doerr, along with our partners from viewneo in Germany, presented our new “lift and learn” in-store technology. Our custom fabricated, interactive store display used RFID technology to allow guests to experience custom content triggered by lifting specific products. The content on screen was created by our Media team.

 

 

viewneo Lift & Learn technology at work in a custom display.

3D Printing and Scanning Capabilities

Will Wasley, BluEdge's 3D Solutions Specialist, Fabian Tasama, 3D Designer, and our Matterport partner, Stephanie Shih-Pei Lin, demonstrated all that our 3D team has to offer our clients including:

  • 3D Printing: BluEdge showcased their Stratasys F-series and Ultimaker farm, walking visitors through their capabilities and uses in model-making, prototyping, and end-use short run manufacturing. They even had a live print running, demonstrating the creation of a 3D printed shoe—a true marvel of modern technology.
  • 3D Mapping: In collaboration with their skilled media team, BluEdge designed and mapped captivating 3D signage. Visitors witnessed how stores could utilize videos to create dynamic signage, surpassing traditional printed media with immersive visual experiences.
  • 3D Scanning: BluEdge's partner from Matterport discussed the technology and uses behind 3D scanning. Visitors learned how this cutting-edge tool revolutionized various industries and opened new possibilities in the realm of 3D virtual tours.
  • Bobble Shop: Visitors stepped into the Bobble Shop, where their faces were 3D scanned, and one-of-a-kind keepsakes were created. The magic of personalized 3D creations was showcased, leaving visitors with memorable and unique mementos.

Business Technology Offerings

Director, Ron Dehmer presented a wide range of business technology solutions, including Epson Desktop Printers and Epson Multifunction Printers, as well as 3D scanning and printing technologies.

Packaging & Realization Services

During the event, Director, Lisa Mcgowan and Project Manager, Julie Heis walked our clients through our latest offering, Packaging Realization. Their wide range of samples showcased their ability to create high-end samples, hero products and sales kits. No matter the unique finish or effect, this team is able to bring any vision to life.

Takeaways

The Open House event received rave reviews from clients and guests, who were thoroughly impressed by BluEdge's capabilities and evolution.

Tony Dang from MdeAS expressed, "BluEdge hosted a fantastic Open House! It was interesting seeing the facility where all the magic happens, and I enjoyed meeting some of the amazing staff that work behind the scenes. It was a great event."

Michael Minarczyk from KPF added, "I could sense the excitement and pride as we toured the new facility. BluEdge has a lot to be proud of and a future that looks to be promising based on the strengths and capabilities that were on display."

Our 125th-anniversary celebration and the move to our new facility are humbling milestones that reflect our unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in the Business Technology and Experiential Marketing industries. We are grateful for the trust our clients have placed in us, and we cherish the success we have achieved together. As we continue to grow and thrive, we remain dedicated to being a reliable and trusted partner for all our clients. Our journey of creative excellence and customer satisfaction is an ongoing adventure, and we are excited about the promising future that lies ahead. Thank you for being a part of our remarkable journey.