Kennesaw, Ga. - Phil Vedda & Sons (Cleveland, OH) has doubled its stitching capacity and more than tripled its productivity by installing a Stitchmaster ST350 saddlestitcher from Heidelberg.
 
The third-generation, family run company is one of just a few shops in the Cleveland area with a 6-pocket stitcher that also boasts a larger format and the ability to handle bigger sheet sizes-a dual advantage that gives the company a leg up on the competition.
 
"We've already been able to drum up new business as a result of this installation," said Vice President of Production Jim Vedda.
 
A Bindery To Pace the Pressroom
Vedda & Sons completed a pressroom upgrade last year, adding a Speedmaster XL 75 press to supplement the company's existing Speedmaster CD 74. The resulting significant increase in throughput threatened to overburden the company's bindery, however, prompting additional postpress investment.
 
"Because we became so much faster and more productive on the offset side, we had to make sure our bindery could keep up and not turn into a bottleneck," Vedda said. "The ST 350 saddlestitcher enables us to match the output of our pressroom."
 
In addition to the Speedmaster CD 74 and new XL 75, Vedda & Sons' 22,000-square-foot facility in Lakewood, OH houses a 2-color Speedmaster SM 52, a Printmaster QM 46-2, and a 2-color Heidelberg SORSZ. Likewise, the company's full-service bindery also relies on a pair of USA B20 Stahlfolders; a near-line DG Creaser to eliminate cracking along the fold; 45" and 36" POLAR paper cutters; and an Original Heidelberg Windmill press used for diecutting, scoring, and perforating. While the company also provides cut-sheet digital printing, "Offset is still going strong," Vedda insisted, its long-term viability getting a boost from steady advances in speed, efficiency, and reliability.
 
Comfort and Confidence
While the company acknowledges looking at competitive equipment from time to time, the 100 percent Heidelberg shop "always [comes] back to Heidelberg because the equipment is so reliable," Vedda added. "It all boils down to a level of comfort with the technology and confidence in Heidelberg as our single-source supplier." For Vedda & Sons, that confidence also extends to its reliance on Heidelberg consumables, including Saphira Chemfree plates, pressroom chemistry, and assorted press supplies. Founded in 1956, Phil Vedda & Sons Printing is a high-quality, fast-turn commercial printer serving local commercial and residential real estate concerns, large print brokers, hospitals, and the Cleveland City School District, among others. The company proudly describes itself as a "tradesman's union printer" with a tradition of fiscal discipline, a habit of reinvestment, and demonstrable results that include steadily increasing sales revenue from year to year. "We did well during the recession without resorting to layoffs," Vedda said. "As a result, we have emerged in a strong position, poised for further growth." The company is on pace to record about $6.8 million in sales revenue for the current year.