• Customer values solution portfolio that combines consultancy, productivity, quality, and integration for the entire process chain
• Production equipment includes the first Speedmaster XL 105-4+LYY-P-4+L on the French market
• Prinect Inpress Control and AutoPlate XL keep makeready times and waste to a minimum
• Green printing thanks to Saphira Eco consumables

In 2009, French commercial print shop Dridé, based in Neuilly-sur-Marne, sat down with the Business Consulting department of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) to develop an ambitious investment plan. After several months of analyses, the company, which is run by the Aubin-Dridé family, finalized its plans. The print shop decided to double the size of its facility and completely modernize its machine park in 2011 with three Speedmaster XL 105 presses, thereby entirely restructuring production. The millions of euros invested in the project certainly paid dividends. Today, Dridé, which was established in 1934, is one of the best known and most productive print shops in the Paris region. Covering an area of 8,000 square meters, the business employs a workforce of 75 in three shifts and produces premium products such as brochures and catalogs for its discerning customers. The full-service print shop offers an end-to-end service that covers the entire spectrum of the graphic arts industry - from design to mailing. "To make sure our project was a success, we needed a partner we could rely on," explains Gilles Aubin. "As a pioneer in innovation, only Heidelberg was able to meet our requirements for consultancy, productivity, quality, and integration throughout the entire process chain. Our machine park now enables us to respond to market challenges with a fully comprehensive and highly competitive portfolio."

XL technology, Prinect Inpress Control, and Autoplate XL deliver maximum quality and productivity

The pressroom at Dridé is home to three Speedmaster XL 105 presses, each equipped with the Prinect Inpress Control measuring and control system, which controls color and register automatically and on the fly. In addition to two four-color Speedmaster XL 105 presses - both with a coating unit and a production speed of 18,000 sheets per hour, one with a perfecting device - the print shop also runs a Speedmaster XL 105-4+LYY-P-4+L that is the first of its kind in France. The eight-color Speedmaster XL 105 LPL prints and coats up to 15,000 sheets per hour on both sides with four colors in a single pass. "Prinect Inpress Control has significantly improved the way we work by enabling us to cut our costs and reduce paper waste by 50 percent. The presses run-round-the clock at their maximum speed and deliver consistently high color and production quality.  We expect to increase our production by 30 percent and can supply each order to our customers in the shortest possible time," says Dridé.

Since 95 percent of orders at Dridé require matt, gloss, or satin acrylic coatings, the company opted for the Speedmaster XL 105-8 LPL and the AutoPlate XL fully automatic, simultaneous plate changer. "The LPL represented a major technological advancement for us," explains Hélène Dridé. "We can rely on the press to achieve its promised operating speed. Thanks to AutoPlate XL, the eight plates can be changed, the blankets washed, and setup completed - all in a record time of three minutes. This enables us to process both big and small orders under optimum productivity conditions and really improve the combination of digital and offset printing techniques. The outstanding performance of our press means we can now produce an order for 300 pages in a run of 200 with outstanding offset quality and on a profitable basis.

Green printing thanks to Saphira Eco consumables

The corporate strategy at Dridé also includes a proactive environmental policy, which is where the Heidelberg presses come into their own, due to their energy-efficient operation and significant reductions in waste. The print shop uses consumables from the Saphira Eco product line, which satisfy the most stringent environmental criteria for consumables in the print media industry.