Welsh printer Gomer Press was quick off the blocks for the newly launched Speedmaster XL 106 press, ordering a four-colour perfector with coater. Topping and tailing this order it has also signed for a Suprasetter 106 and a highly automated Stahlfolder KH 82. "One of the reasons we return to Heidelberg time after time because the after sales service is fantastic," says John Lewis, chairman. Jonathan Lewis, his son and managing director of the Llandysul company, adds: "We have been very pleased with Heidelberg equipment to date. It is still the best in the market."

It has specified the Speedmaster XL 106 as a four-colour perfector to maximise its flexibility, enabling it to handle high quality colour work and to coat it but also to manage the high volume of perfected mono bookwork it handles. 

Already Heidelberg ISO 12647-2 certified it had no hesitation in signing up for Prinect Inpress Control as a colour measurement and automatic adjustment device because it is a critical tool for the speediest makereadies.

The Suprasetter 106 replaces a Topsetter and increases hourly plate output from 13 to 21. This will be installed along with the latest Prinect upgrades to Prepress Manager and Pressroom Manager, Meta Dimension and Signastation. It will eventually link in its postpress functions and so in selecting its folder it was keen to have a future-proof model that could be connected later. 

But there was also a more logistical reason behind the company making a switch from a buckle machine to the combination KH 82 model. Although the company needed a machine that was automated and could consistently change sizes it tends to focus primarily on combination 32pp and conventional 16pp formats and the combination could accommodate these without requiring any switching round of units between jobs. "With the Heidelberg kit and a new binder we have also bought at the show we hope to increase our current turnover of £3.5m by 20% in the next two years. It's achievable because with the new equipment in place we will be even more competitive." 

The company says the publishing market has been through a tough time but it has picked up work by being able to offer an in-house casebinding service. It also handles high quality, full colour commercial work and, through its sister company Lewis Printers which installed a Ricoh C901 earlier in the year, a jobbing facility. "We used Drupa for research with future investment in mind and we were particularly impressed by the demonstration of the new Prinect products, Business Manager MIS and Web2Print, which could open up opportunities for selling to the private or self publishing markets," says Jonathan Lewis. 

This year Gomer Press celebrates its 120th anniversary and John Lewis will launch a history of the business, the family and the town at an open day for customers and authors in September.