July 27, 2007 -- Canada’s largest and one of North America’s largest printers: Transcontinental Direct Montre in Quebec has installed new QuadTech auxiliary press controls. The company has introduced the QuadTech Color Control System on ICON and QuadTech Register Guidance System with MultiCam and the initial operation reviews were very encouraging and dramatically improved performance.
Transcontinental Direct Montre, operations manager, Marcel Bernard commented “We initially installed one system which opened our eyes to the potential, so installed two more to align ourselves with current technology, while remaining abreast of present trends for quicker turnaround times. We anticipate operating a more efficient and productive system.”
The company initially carried out a MultiCam upgrade to one of its press lines and has recently added a further two to its other press lines. Marcel Bernard added, “We installed the Register Guidance System with MultiCam, with the aim to reduce the quantity of wasted signatures on makereadies, restarts and splices.”
Transcontinental Direct Montre prides itself on high quality color and fast turnaround times, so getting runs accurate before and after and back into register quickly after a web break is paramount. Mr Bernard states, “One of the first benefits we saw with the Register Guidance System was the decrease in makeready times during shorter runs due to its enhanced register control. This has increased productivity, dramatically cut waste levels and streamlined the whole printing process. Our long-term customers have already noticed a considerable improvement in turnarounds.”
As Canada’s fourth largest employer, the commercial printing industry is one of the country’s most important manufacturing industries while Transcontinental Direct Montre attracts customers from across North America with its reputation for sheetfed printing, competition elsewhere remains fierce. In an age of shorter runs and high quality graphics, the company’s aim is to continue to meet the demands of the customer, while adapting to meet a variety of new requirements.
“Our QuadTech equipment is optimizing press performance by reducing waste, eliminating problems elsewhere in the run such as monitoring ink-key levels, detecting blemishes and giving the user total automated control when operating the system through the ICON Integrated Platform. This enables us greater authority over the entire process, by removing further margin for error, even down to the smallest detail” Mr Bernard added.
Transcontinental Direct Montre were established in 1976, their majority of work is direct mail also producing brochures, posters and reports. Its network of sites and offices throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico employ over 14,000 people and the company also operates within other sectors such as magazine printing, Canada’s version of Time magazine being one notable example.