Vic Lepejian was born with ink flowing through his veins. His father, known as the “King of Headshots” in Hollywood, owned a printing business in Burbank, California. When Vic started to work for his dad, he wanted to take the business digital - “I love printing, especially digital printing” he says.
He has always been interested in working with textiles, which lead him to learn about Kornit quite early on. So, when his father sold the business Vic moved to Thailand to start up on his own. This is how ANOOGO was born - the name is a combination of his parents’ names, but it’s also simple and easy for Thai people to pronounce.
Vic opened a small shop in a mall, close to the Skytrain, it was in a great spot as people had to pass it in order to get downstairs.
When it was time to hire staff, Vic looked for talented people, from various background and with a fresh approach to how manufacturing can be done. He now has an all-female staff - working mothers, with a great eye for detail and amazing customer service skills. They’re serious about their work and clients, but they goof around as well and love to have fun at work.
Soon they expanded the square footage of the shop, but the business kept growing and Vic wanted to better serve his customers. It was time to start looking for new premises, with a great location and ability to sustain Vic’s vision for the business, as well as the equipment to make that vision a reality.
Love at First Sight
“I’ve been to all the tradeshows, and was familiar with all available equipment off and online”. But when the time came to get a new machine, everything in the universe aligned - he found the perfect new premises for his business (10 times the size of his previous shop) and then he discovered the Kornit STORM.
He saw it at a trade show, and as Vic says: “I instantly fell in love”. When he noticed what looked like a “cookie conveyor belt”, he immediately had to know what it does. When he realised that there was no pre-treatment, and he didn’t have to constantly open and close drawers, and, that it would cut down his production time from 12hrs to 3min, it was music to his ears.
When he first told his staff about his desire to purchase the Kornit STORM, they were hesitant at first and didn’t love the idea.
When the staff realised what the Kornit machine can do “Their jaws dropped”. Long story short, he was the first one in Thailand to own a Kornit STORM HD6 digital printing machine.
Paving the Way to a Prosperous Future
The Kornit STORM has opened all the doors to Vic’s business . “Now, when a customer comes to me and says they need 50 to 100 pieces for tomorrow, I am able to do it”, Vic says.
He’s extremely excited about what he’s able to offer his clients through using the Kornit STORM digital printer.
“There’s a saying that when a customer wants something ‘faster, cheaper, and better’ - they have to pick 2 out of the 3 - but with the Kornit STORM, I am able to offer them all 3”.
And if that wasn’t enough, the whole process is sustainable thanks to using Eco inks.
Vic says “People will always take photos, print or another form of design and wear it” and now there are no limits to what I can offer them, from printing on dark textiles to other, previously “impossible” solutions.
The future looks bright for ANOOGO as Vic plans to expand his business by sewing their own products (bags, pillowcases etc.) to be able to offer an even better, higher quality service to his customers.