Kennesaw, Ga., - Phillips Printing, Nashville, Tenn. claims to have doubled its output and nearly tripled its capacity with four fewer employees on the production end after consolidating the majority of its consumables purchasing with Heidelberg USA.
 
Founded in 1959, the formerly small family print shop has evolved into a full-service communication company offering print, design, direct mail, inserting, wide-format POS, fulfillment and inventory, along with a range of special services. With a staff of just 13 employees, the enterprising company continually looks for opportunities to improve its efficiency, productivity, and profitability. Over the past year-and-a-half, Phillips has had an opportunity to experience the positive difference the right consumables package can make.
 
The company currently uses Heidelberg Saphira Chemfreeplates, fountain solution, Saphira Advance process and Pantone spot color inks, in addition to press wash, blankets, rollers and other pressroom consumables. Phillips also relies on Heidelberg Systemservice personnel and Original Replacement Parts to keep the company's Speedmaster SM 102 6-color and Printmaster QM 46-2 presses humming.
 
Clean and Stable Yields More with Less
Using Saphira Chemfree plates and the Saphira Advance process ink set, Hearn claims to see a clean sheet from nearly the first sheet through the press on a new job, yielding substantial improvement in quality and production volume.
 
"Saphira Chemfree plates roll up clean almost instantly, such that we're up to color in as little as five sheets, especially when we're also using the Heidelberg ink and fountain solution," said John Hearn, Operations Manager. "Heidelberg ink is stable from the first sheet and responds well to small adjustments. Whenever we have a sensitive job or one with a lot of coverage, we'll open up a new can of the Heidelberg PMS because we know it's going to give us fewer problems and more consistent results." In addition, "We certainly have noted a cleaner, sharper, more consistent dot on every color on every job," he confirms. "Generally, we're able to get 30 percent more work off the press on a series of short runs, and 100 percent more doing one or two long runs during the day. Our run speed also has increased for most stocks because the plates, ink and chemistry deliver high-quality work at higher speeds."
 
A Family Affair
Focusing on the larger picture, however, Hearn insists that what Heidelberg brings to the table with its consumable offerings is a combination of elements that have been thoroughly tested and proven by Heidelberg to perform as well as possible together.
 
"While the greatest improvement Phillips has seen over the past 18 months is due to the new Saphira plates, "the outstanding results we see from Heidelberg Saphira consumables really come from using them together across the board," he said. He further observed that Heidelberg's reliance on Saphira consumables to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of new equipment at its Kennesaw Tech Center "should speak volumes to any printing company owner or pressroom manager."
 
Print jobs make or lose money, based on how productively and efficiently the press runs, not on the cost of consumables, Hearn cautioned. "Every printer wants to produce more work faster and generate more sales. It just makes good business sense to rely on a consumables package that is specifically designed to bring about that result."