Left to right: Bruce Stratton, VP of Operations, Premier Packaging; Jeff Knisley, VP of Sales and Marketing, Premier Packaging; Jason Grady, President, Premier Packaging.

Kennesaw, Ga. – After a decade of sustained growth, Premier Packaging, a subsidiary of DSS, Inc., recently relocated its plant of 30 years in Victor, NY to a brand new 105,000 square foot facility in West Henrietta, NY. The company, looking to optimize growth and diversify its customer base, recently installed a new hybrid Speedmaster XL 106-7+L (equipped for both UV and conventional production) in addition to a refurbished Speedmaster CD 102-5 – both from Heidelberg. The newest generation Speedmaster, Premier Packaging’s XL 106 was purchased with Heidelberg’s Subscription Smart plan, which includes Prinect Production Manager, Saphira Consumables, and extensive Performance & Consulting services – all ensuring the press consistently runs at peak performance.

Wider Gamut. Enhanced Capabilities.

Founded in 1989, Premier Packaging offers a full-range of services including package design, prototyping, manufacturing, inventory management, and securing your brand’s reputation and authenticity. The company, while maintaining continued expansion through the years, has been fulfilling printing needs with a 40” aqueous press that was purchased used eight years ago. To meet the demands of the market, Premier is now uniquely positioned to provide a fully scalable service that is both agile and responsive to their customer needs, big or small. Premier Packaging recently installed a new seven-color Speedmaster XL 106 with UV capabilities which will enable the company to print with a wider gamut for “higher end graphics” and on a new range of materials with more diverse coating and special effects. Currently, the company expects to produce about 10% of its work with UV and has a near term goal to transition to using UV more than 50% of the time.

The new XL 106 features autonomous Push-to-Stop technology, AutoPlate Pro, and a completely new operating philosophy, the Heidelberg User Experience, which together with the patented Intellistart 3 and other assistance systems, ensure short makeready times and the best possible support for press operators. Due to its ultra-efficient makereadies, the press will aid with the cost-effectiveness of the company’s short run jobs, especially when working on product development with current and new customers. “One of things that attracted us to the XL is that we felt we could get up to color quicker and with less waste, enabling us to better service our customers,” said Bruce Stratton, Vice President of Operations. Additionally, the new press’s advanced technology has attracted new and experienced talent to Premier Packaging – crucial in today’s tough labor market. “Everyone has been excited to have the new equipment here,” said Stratton. “We just hired two new employees that were enticed to work for us just because they wanted to work on the XL.”

“Takes the Worry Off of Us”

To fully leverage the technological capabilities of the XL 106, Premier Packaging decided to purchase its newest investment using Heidelberg’s Subscription Smart plan. With Subscription Smart, the company pays a fixed monthly rate for an agreed “pay-per-outcome” print volume. The rate also includes Heidelberg’s full Prinect Production Manager workflow, Saphira Consumables, and access to Heidelberg’s Performance and Consulting services. “After running the numbers of owning a press, looking at the maintenance and the service side and also the cost of consumables, Subscription Smart was the best option for us,” said Stratton. “This partnership takes the worry off of us and allows us to get the best value and support for this press.” Still early in production, Heidelberg experts will soon work together with Premier Packaging’s team to analyze the company’s KPIs, processes, and benchmark data to provide insights about areas for potential improvement – ensuring the company is always producing at maximum productivity. From there, the company plans on maximizing transparency of its production data for its full team – from scheduling to prepress to press. “We’re looking forward to having the tools to measure ourselves and identify opportunities for success,” said Stratton. “With a good partner, and with this plan, we have what we need to support us each and every day.”

Continued Development

The Subscription Smart plan also includes the consumables necessary for production and will be Premier Packaging’s first-time using Heidelberg’s Saphira products. As with any new product testing, there has been a learning curve, but the company has been impressed by the teamwork and guidance that Heidelberg has provided during the start-up process. “Heidelberg is just a phone call away,” said Stratton. “They’re always listening to our needs and willing to try a new variation that might work better for our business”.

“We are grateful to expand our business and add valuable team members during this transitionary period. We have appreciated working alongside the team at Heidelberg to create a successful outcome and pave the way for our future growth,” commented Jeff Knisley, VP, Sales and Marketing.

In addition to running Heidelberg products on the new XL 106, Premier Packaging also decided to switch to all Saphira Consumables for its other press purchase, a used Speedmaster CD 102 from Heidelberg Remarketed. While a 2008 model, the CD 102 was fully refurbished by Heidelberg using Original Heidelberg Parts to ensure high quality and a long machine life. The company expects to utilize the CD 102 as its “workhorse” for the many long runs it performs for its existing customers. Whether new or used, Premier Packaging believes in the equipment reliability and service that Heidelberg provides its customers. “We feel Heidelberg continues to invest in itself and evolve,” said Stratton. “The company continues to add and improve the features to its equipment, and we are excited to have that available at our fingertips.”