October 4, 2007 -- In January 2007, Solo Printing, Inc. installed a Muller Martini BravoPlus saddle stitcher to complement a BravoPlus T which Solo already had on the shop floor for nearly two years.  "We chose Muller Martini equipment to get more production capabilities," says Manuel R. Hernandez of Solo Printing. The end result has been exactly that.  "We've had large gains in speed and in productivity," continues Mr. Hernandez.  And as you would expect, those gains have lead to quicker job turnarounds, more satisfied customers and the opportunities to broaden sales.
Solo Printing, which is located in Miami, Florida, employs 85 people and generates more than $14 million annually in revenues. Among the varied kinds of products the company handles are brochures, manuals, catalogs, direct mail pieces and magazines.  Solo's roster of customers includes a diversity of companies and organizations in the publishing industry, manufacturing and government as well as a wide range of advertising agencies.
"We selected Muller Martini as our machine supplier because of Muller's experience and reputation," says Mr. Hernandez.  Now, that experience plus the rapid running speed, automation and production versatility of state-of-the-art Muller Martini saddle stitchers are combining to pay handsome dividends for Solo Printing in terms of higher profit potential.
The 13,000 c/hr. BravoPlus stitcher, which provides a level of automation that is unmatched in the mid-performance class, delivers maximum uptime and exceptional net output.  Furthermore, the feeders on the BravoPlus have been re-designed to enable highly efficient advance and retard timing of each individual feeder to the chain in general.  Complementing the efficiency enhancements that have been made to the feeders on the BravoPlus is variable feeding capability with a choice of feeder options (flat pile feeder, vertical pile feeder, stream feeder, card and cover folder feeder, and merchandise and card gluers).  BravoPlus is also available with inside and outside inkjet capabilities, providing print shops and binderies with many ways to expand their service offering.
The Muller Martini BravoPlus T saddle stitcher is capable of producing product at up to 11,000 c/hr.  Partial AMRYS (Automatic Make-Ready System) is also available optionally, as is simple integration into a main MIS system...with JDF capability according to the CIP4 standard.  When equipped with partial AMRYS, BravoPlus T offers convenient and highly efficient computer-aided make-ready and changeover, enabling fast set-ups and allowing the machine to be customized in moments to meet changing job requirements. 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.
Production quality is excellent on both the BravoPlus and the BravoPlus T saddle stitcher.  Quality 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.