Elgin, Illinois — Hagg Press is adding an AmigoPlus perfect binding system to its full-service bindery. The commercial printer selected the Muller Martini innovation to get a firmer grip on the production of soft-cover books for its customers. Hagg, which offers a complete range of commercial products, selected the AmigoPlus in part on the basis of a test demonstration. “We called in our Muller Martini expert and gave him some perfect binding projects with challenging papers and grain directions to deal with,” says Kern Hagg, President and Co-Founder. “He came back with books produced on the AmigoPlus, and they made an impression. None of us could pull any of the pages out. I was convinced right then and there that AmigoPlus was our solution. Our plan is to change the glue with regularity and keep the QC in- house with the AmigoPlus.” But quality isn’t the only concern Hagg has about turning its printed signatures and covers into soft-bound books. In these competitive times, the cost of the process needs to be scrutinized, as does the ability to turnaround work quickly. All were factored in to Hagg Press’ investment decision. A 90-employee, 13-press commercial printing company operating in a 53,000-square-foot facility, Hagg Press has been running a Muller Martini variable size web press two shifts a day for many years, so the company was aware of the finishing leader’s reputation for durability. “I personally like heavy metal. I don’t buy used equipment, and I like things that last a long time,” Hagg declares. “I’m not impressed with whistles and flashing lights. I like heavy-duty steel frames, and appreciate lubrication systems that do the job. Muller Martini provides old world craftsmanship and advanced technology in its products. You don’t find that too often anymore.” Hagg Press is set to run a wide range of products on its new AmigoPlus, which is scheduled for installation this month. They include schoolbooks, teachers’ guides, parts manuals and catalogs. “We anticipate being able to run both coated and uncoated paper on the AmigoPlus, binding folded signatures that come off of our big presses,” Hagg observes. “Strength, versatility, quick set-ups, and the latest spine preparation and gluing technology — these are the reasons we chose AmigoPlus.” The Chicagoland company will marry its new AmigoPlus to an existing 16-pocket collator. The combination will enable it to cost-effectively handle jobs ranging up to 20,000 pieces. “Perfect binding is the tail on the dog,” Hagg says. “It’s the last step in the entire production process; so it’s very important to us to have our own internal quality assurance at this critical stage of production. AmigoPlus will give us the element of control we need to meet the price, scheduling and quality needs of our customers.”