Printer's Across the Country Invest in Heidelberg Technology
Press release from the issuing company
KENNESAW, Ga. – February 28, 2007 – Heidelberg USA announces the following new product installations:
Cohber Adds Flagship Speedmaster XL 105 to Fleet of Heidelberg Presses to Celebrate 75th Anniversary
Longtime Heidelberg customer Cohber Press, West Henrietta, N.Y., celebrated its 75th anniversary recently with the installation of a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 6-color press with aqueous coater. The new press replaces a 10-year-old, six-color machine and joins Cohber’s all-Heidelberg pressroom, currently host to a Printmaster QM 46 2-color press, a 2-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfector, a 6-color Speedmaster SM 72, 8-color Speedmaster CD 102 with UV, and a 10-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfector. According to Eric Webber, president and CEO, the XL 105 turns out marketing, promotional and corporate materials up to its full operating speed of 18,000 iph “on a regular basis,” representing a run-speed improvement of 200 percent and a makeready improvement of 40 percent over his older press. Elsewhere in the shop, Cohber operates 54” and 25” programmable POLAR cutters, a variety of Stahlfolder folders, and a Heidelberg ST 270 stitcher-trimmer. “We are a loyal Heidelberg customer for the simple reason that Heidelberg consistently brings the best quality and the sharpest cutting-edge technology to the table,” Webber says. Established in 1931 and with 136 employees, Cohber Press serves a national clientele comprised primarily of advertising agencies and Fortune 500 companies.
Bennett Graphics Banishes Bindery Bottlenecks with High-Tech, High-Speed POLAR Cutter and Peripherals
When Bennett Graphics, a commercial printer in Tucker, Ga., found its cutting work piling up, the company replaced its 15-year-old, paper cutter with a highly automated, state-of-the-art cutting system from POLAR. Installed last November, the new high-speed, programmable POLAR 115 XT with Autotrim has eliminated Bennett Graphics’ bindery backlog, while peripherals including a POLAR jogger RA-4 with scale, POLAR stack lift LS1060-6 and POLAR Transomat ER 130-5 have streamlined material handling. Over the long term, says company President David Bennett, the new cutter will help Bennett Graphics address capacity issues. A Heidelberg customer for more than 20 years, the company also operates a 4-color Speedmaster SM 102 and a 6-color SM 102 with aqueous coater, in addition to a Stahlfolder TH 82 folder that recently joined existing Stahlfolder B-26 and B-20 folders in the company bindery. “Heidelberg is our preferred equipment provider,” affirms Bennett. “Not only do they take care of us when we have production issues, but we feel confident moving toward the highest levels of automation with Heidelberg equipment. Automation is not an option any more, and that includes the bindery, where we soon will be in the early stages of JDF implementation. We feel very comfortable moving in that direction with Heidelberg as our partner.” Established in 1967 and with 39 employees, Bennett Graphics serves a metropolitan Atlanta customer base comprised primarily of colleges and universities, non-profits and small graphic design houses.
Boncraft, Inc. Installs Highly Productive Speedmaster XL 105
Boncraft, Inc., a $10 million general commercial printer located in Orchard Park, N.Y., recently replaced an aging press with an ultra-productive Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 6-color press with coater. The new press comes equipped with the Prinect CP 2000 Center with Instant Gate and Prepress Interface connection, Prinect Image Control spectral-photometric color measurement and control system. According to Jim Bubar, president, and Tom Walters, vice president of Operations, the company expects to achieve significant productivity improvements as a result of the installation. Boncraft also operates a Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 press, in addition to a POLAR 137 high-speed programmable cutter and Heidelberg platen die cutter. “Heidelberg has been a great supplier to us in the past and we look forward to a great relationship for many years to come,” Bubar adds. Established in 1952, Boncraft has 71 employs. The company provides high quality print, mailing and fulfillment services to a national clientele.
Gintzler Graphics Installs New Postpress Equipment, Considers Heidelberg Quality a ‘Benchmark’
Gintzler Graphics, Buffalo, N.Y., a narrow web printer and provider of labels, films, security and flexible packaging for the health and beauty, pharmaceutical and gourmet food markets, recently brought the power of advanced automation to its bindery. The shop replaced an older cutter with a high-speed, programmable 54” POLAR 137 XT cutting system with jogger, stack lift and integrated scale. The installation enables Gintzler to accommodate jobs requiring the specialized conversion of 35x50” synthetic polyester materials. “The system makes the handling of larger sheets significantly more time- and labor-efficient and has dramatically improved our throughput,” says Franklin Nice, president. “We are at least 50 percent more efficient in terms of speed and accuracy, due to the higher-speed movement of the back gauge and programmability of the cutter.” Nice admits to being “wowed” by the POLAR jogger RA-6 that removes the air from the stack and presents a solid “brick” of material to the cutter. Established in 1916 as a commercial printer, Gintzler has focused on the label and flexible packaging market since the mid-1970s. The company continues to regard Heidelberg as the standard against which to measure all others. “Heidelberg engineering has always been and will remain the benchmark for us,” Nice says.
Oracle Packaging Experiences “Flawless” Start-up with Heidelberg Speedmaster
XL 105
Oracle Packaging gave itself an impressive housewarming gift when it expanded its operations in Winston-Salem, N.C. In November, the company installed an elevated Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105-8+LX press with Image Control to handle its paperboard packaging work. The XL 105 is the company’s first Heidelberg press and the first offset machine in its Winston-Salem pressroom. The $235 million company was searching for a high-end offset press to round out its printing process offerings when it selected the Heidelberg technology. Oracle also offers flexographic and gravure printing to its packaging customers. “We were on a very demanding time schedule,” says Jim Hummer, director of Manufacturing Services. “It was one of the most flawless press start-ups I’ve ever experienced.” Eight-year-old Oracle Packaging has 850 employees across five facilities located in Winston-Salem and Wilmington, N.C., Thomaston, Ga., Philadelpia, and Toledo, Ohio.
Heidelberg Technology and Service Win Over Triangle Communications Group
Triangle Communications Group’s new Speedmaster CD 74 (format 23.82 x 29.12 in.) with perfector and coater has helped the shop exceed customer expectations with the latest technology. “We had to have a high-quality press to deliver on our core values: quick turnaround and the highest quality,” says Jeff Majewski, president of Triangle Communication Group. “The purchase needs were volume-driven. We didn’t have enough capacity and we needed a press with speed.” The CD 74 is perfectly equipped to handle high speeds with automated makeready, Preset feeder, AirTransfer system and easy-to-control sheet travel. It has already recorded more than a million impressions producing business materials, annual reports and other commercial work for local universities, advertising agencies, design firms and corporations in the Raleigh, N.C. area. Majewski wants to expand his clientele to include all of eastern North Carolina, and he believes the new CD 74, along with Heidelberg’s service will help the shop grow. “Heidelberg’s service has always been excellent. That is a major reason we decided on Heidelberg,” Majewski said. Founded in 1986, Triangle Communications Group has 35 employees.
Brown Printing Raises Bar on Quality with New Speedmaster SM 52 from Heidelberg
When Brown Printing replaced a much older, two-color press with a highly automated, 5-color Speedmaster SM 52 press with perfector and coater from Heidelberg last October, it was the dawn of a new era for the Jefferson City, Mo.-based commercial printer. “The configuration, size, color and coater fit our niche perfectly,” says Plant Supervisor Geoff Gladstone. “Not only has the quality of our printing greatly improved, but production runs exponentially better with the new press in place.” Established in the early 1970s and with 30 employees, the $2 million commercial printer provides a primarily local clientele with ad specialty and promotional printing, together with a wide variety of ancillary services. The company sees the new Speedmaster SM 52 as an engine of its continuing growth. “It does such great work,” Gladstone says. “Heidelberg makes the best presses.”
Addison Graphic Solutions Takes CtP Offline with Prosetter SCL 74, Reaps Benefits in Efficiency, Productivity
Addison Graphic Solutions, Southfield, Mich., reports a dramatic decrease in makeready times and an overall increase in productivity as the result of the installation of a Prosetter SCL 74 violet platesetter with Meta Dimension RIP from Heidelberg. The new platesetter produces 650 plates every month for use in the company’s Speedmaster 74 DI press, which it currently operates as a straight printing press. “Our makeready times have greatly improved with the new system,” says General Manager Dale Umphrey. “Offline plating also will give us flexibility in making plates for other size presses.” The $5 million commercial printer, which also provides a variety of variable data and print-on-demand services, serves a Detroit metropolitan area clientele including top automakers and various advertising agencies. Umphrey praises Heidelberg’s responsiveness and technology leadership, citing these as reasons Addison Graphic Solutions has remained a loyal Heidelberg customer since the company was founded four years ago. The company, which employs 20, uses Heidelberg press and prepress consumables throughout the shop, including Saphira violet plates and chemistry in the new Prosetter 74.
DeGraaf’x Takes on New Challenges with Heidelberg’s Printmaster PM 52 and Prepress Technologies
When Diana DeGraaf bought a struggling Three Rivers, Mich. print shop in 2000 and transformed it into DeGraaf’x Inc., she wasn’t prepared for the challenges that lay ahead of her as president of a general commercial shop. “I learned very quickly that you can’t be a pretender in the printing industry,” she said. Frustrated and hoping to differentiate DeGraaf’x in a heavily saturated, competitive market, DeGraaf began looking at new presses in June of 2006. “We immediately eliminated everything but Heidelberg,” DeGraaf said. DeGraaf’x installed a new 5-color Printmaster PM 52 press with perfector, along with a Prosetter P 52 platesetter and several elements of Heidelberg’s Prinect workflow system, including Prinect Signa Station, Prinect Printready System and Prinect MetaDimension. “I knew that the 5-color press offering would distinguish us among our competitors,” said DeGraaf. She added that Heidelberg’s systemservice 36plus offering cemented her decision to partner with Heidelberg. In less than two months, DeGraaf determined the Printmaster PM 52 can double the plant's capacity. “It’s too early to determine exact numbers for the output on the press, but so far it is awesome. I’m very pleased,” DeGraaf said. With very few employees, DeGraaf’x is able to serve a variety of area clients, including hospitals, non-profit organizations, corporations and local industries. DeGraaf and her team produce high-quality business materials, brochures and collateral materials and is paving the way for new growth with her latest technology and equipment in place.
Modern Litho Supercharges Its Bindery with New Cutter and Folder from Heidelberg
Modern Litho, an $11 million general commercial and publication printer located in Jefferson City, Mo., recently installed a high-speed programmable POLAR 137 XT cutting system and Stahlfolder TH 82 folder from Heidelberg. According to company President Darrell Moore, since it was installed in January 2006, the new cutter has doubled the company’s cutting speed and output per operator and significantly improved bindery safety. The highly automated TH 82 folder has increased Modern Litho’s speed and folding capacity by enabling the company to perform in-house folds it had previously outsourced to another provider. Elsewhere in the shop, the longtime Heidelberg customer operates a 6-color Speedmaster SM 102, a pair of 4-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfectors, a 5-color Speedmaster SM 52, and a 2-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfector. Established in 1937 and with 95 employees, Modern Litho provides customers in 40 states with commercial and publication printing. Moore characterizes Modern Litho as “highly confident in Heidelberg equipment and service,” citing Heidelberg’s folder service team as the “driving force” behind the decision to purchase the TH 82 folder.
Spanish Moss Printing Trusts Heidelberg for Quality and Support
Spanish Moss Printing, located in the historic district of Savannah, Ga., has been delivering high-quality work for Savannah area clients for more than 27 years. When business increased last year, President Phillip Carter turned to Heidelberg to install a third Printmaster QM 46 in its pressroom to keep up with his growing workload. The press was installed in December and is already helping to produce business materials for local advertising agencies, schools, churches, hotels and corporations. “We are running the press at its full speed and have already seen high-quality results and quick production times,” Carter said. Heidelberg’s Printmaster QM 46, which is specifically designed for small-format offset printing, is highly automated to create extremely short makeready times and increase productivity for any size shop. “Both Heidelberg’s support and education programs have been very beneficial to us at Spanish Moss, along with the equipment,” Carter said. The small-size general commercial printer was founded in 1979 by Alvin Carter, and is now owned by his sons Phillip and Mark. The reputation of high quality and quick turnaround time at Spanish Moss has been built over time through word-of-mouth support from loyal customers. Now with seven employees and its new QM 46, Spanish Moss Printing can continue spreading the word of the high-quality work it is known for across the region.