DOVER, NH - The Banta Catalog Group began installing the first of four new Heidelberg Pacesetter 1000 saddlestitchers this month. The installation program will be completed in August, resulting in a total of 52 hoppers of additional saddlestitching capacity at the company's Maple Grove, Minnesota facility. All four Pacesetters will be equipped with Heidelberg's new H211 horizontal hoppers and STI hopper loaders. They will be configured for selective binding and extensive ink jet personalization. "We installed our first Pacesetters in 1997, and we have found that they are the fastest and most productive solution for the type of work we do," explains Richard Johnson, vice president of the Banta Catalog Group. Johnson says almost all of Banta's catalog customers take advantage of selective binding and ink jet personalization options. "The Pacesetters give us those capabilities, without compromising on the net productivity," he adds. Two of the new Pacesetter systems at the Banta Catalog Group will feature 16 hopppers. The other two will be configured with 10 hoppers. Heidelberg will supply its own FS1000 stitchers, HT205 trimmers and BS60 stackers with each system. The Banta Catalog Group is a perennial member of Heidelberg's Pacesetter Club. Each year, the club recognizes companies that achieve top productivity with the Pacesetter saddlestitchers. A Banta crew holds the Pacesetter Club record for netting 19,708 finished books per hour over an eight-hour shift.