Toronto - Today, Webcom expanded upon its earlier announcement that it would be installing two new bindery lines – the Müller Martini Acoro and the larger-sized Bolero. The addition of these new lines, installed last month, completes the array of new equipment and upgrades that book printers in North America will be challenged to compete with.
 
The Bolero will finish books with the option of Perfect Bind or Layflat PUR Otabind, the binding technology that Webcom pioneered nearly 20 years ago. The flexibility of the Acoro line makes it well-suited to support Webcom's advanced digital production capabilities. Describing the benefits to publishers, Mike Collinge, Webcom's President and CEO, explained "both of our Müller bindery lines will contribute to quick, reliable turnaround of quality books with the superior strength of PUR adhesive. The new efficiencies that we achieve with the use of JDF standards are particularly important to Webcom's ability to provide publishers with a cost-competitive advantage through our BookFWD program." Job Definition Format (JDF) is a printing industry language established to connect book production workflow from prepress through completion for maximum efficiency.
 
The application of PUR adhesive tops the advantages to publishers of both the Acoro and Bolero lines. Manufacturers' tests of the PUR process score off-the-charts for strength in page-pull tests against industry standards of excellence. The strength of the PUR process is complemented by Webcom's selection of a Volumetric PUR Nozzle (VPN) spray that ensures efficient, consistent and precise adhesive application.
 
Webcom is unique in coupling the application of VPN with the PUR process on all of the books it binds. VPN minimizes the amount of glue used while at the same time producing a stronger book than hot melt gluing and even challenging sewn bindings. As stated by Gary Hughes, President of Müller Martini Canada, "While the Acoro and Bolero both offer the option of using hot melt glue, Webcom is ahead of all other North American printers with their adoption of VPN technology – recognizing that the application of PUR contributes to overall cost efficiency, matching the cost of a hot melt process but exceeding its strength."
 
Above all else, it is the automation of Webcom's new binders and the integration from prepress to shipping pallet stackers and every device in between that are responsible for the superiority of our book production capabilities. For example:
- Bar codes are placed on files during the prepress process and are read by cameras down the line to prevent any pages or covers from being bound upside down
- Automation reduces set-up time and spoilage by more than 90% on every book project
- Feeding project results through JDF software and integrating Flex performance tracking provides a mechanism for achieving the highest possible levels of efficiency, particularly for reprints
The net result is an exceptionally lean manufacturing process that provides publishers with superior quality at a competitive cost.
 
The Bolero line, which replaces two older binders, will primarily support conventional printing operations. With the capability to bind books with spine widths up to 3? inches and as thin as ? inch, the Bolero also expands Webcom's already extensive range of book sizes.
 
The Acoro and Bolero binders join the fleet of new equipment at Webcom, working in combination with the HP Indigo 7000 cover press, HP T300 inkjet and the Magnum FlexBook. Each new piece of equipment connects to the flow of information for individual book projects as well as the broader management of Webcom's BookFWD production programs. "Publishers need every advantage they can get to stay competitive," says Collinge, "these bindery lines and our BookFWD program address an urgent need to transform the ability of publishers to get and stay ahead."