Toledo, Ohio September 18, 2007 -- Choosing the right equipment can be among the most vital strategies for growing a printing business. One of the companies utilizing that strategy is Metzgers Printing + Mailing, a 65-employee business that has grown from a typesetting shop in 1970 to a full size commercial printer and mailer producing direct mail catalogs, brochures, annual reports and several other kinds of products 24 hours a day for customers throughout the Midwest and Canada.  Metzgers Printing + Mailing recently installed a Muller Martini BravoPlus T saddle stitcher configured with six pockets plus cover feeder as well as a 4th and 5th knife, inline 3-hole and single punch, and Apollo compensating stacker.
The new equipment replaced a circa-1980s Muller Martini stitcher which, according to Joe Metzger, President of Metzgers Printing + Mailing, “was doing the job, however we required more speed, a larger finished folio size and more capabilities of inserting various envelopes and cards. Also, we wanted to be able to meet the future requirements of inline inkjetting and addressing.”
Since installing the BravoPlus T saddle stitcher, Metzgers Printing + Mailing has achieved significant improvements in productivity along with the potential to grow its business even further. Among those improvements are significantly faster set-up capabilities than Metzgers has ever had as well as faster runs overall.  “The speed of the machine, the speed of changeovers...it all equals greater throughput,” continues Mr. Metzger.  “The faster we can deliver to our customers, the better. Also, we were outsourcing more and more stitching work and we needed to make sure we could keep everything in house. It’s been the foundation of our growth…keep it in house and keep control of the project and the deadline...that means happy customers and happy customers equals more growth.”  Also important to note is the fact that Metzgers Printing + Mailing is utilizing new PerformancePlus stitching heads on its BravoPlus T saddle stitcher, assuring the highest level of stitching performance and quality for its customers’ jobs.
Capable of producing product at up to 11,000 c/hr., the Muller Martini BravoPlus T saddle stitcher delivers maximum uptime and exceptional net output.  The user-friendly BravoPlus T stitcher also provides a level of automation that is unmatched in the mid-range performance class, enabling rapid set-ups and allowing the machine to be changed over very swiftly.
The BravoPlus T stitcher features PLC assisted controls and comfortable touchscreen operation with simple adjustment of clinchers.  BravoPlus T also comes equipped with a three-knife trimmer and due to its modular design, it can be expanded at any time to feed up to 14 signatures or 12 signatures with a cover folder feeder – meeting the requirements of growing printing and binding businesses. 
Other key advantages include: touchless stitcher control from below; gripper and suction opening; individual 1:2/1:1 gearing; heavy-duty in-line single book trimmer; frequency controlled drive; and an easy-maintenance central lubrication system on the stitching machine and three-knife trimmer. Top-quality production on the BravoPlus T is closely controlled through selectable options that include: ASIR (optical automatic signature image recognition), lateral thickness measurement by side caliper, oblique sheet monitor, thickness measurement by ridge caliper, stitch monitor, trim monitor, and sequential on/off.