Garsu Pasaulis, a label and packaging printer based in Vilnius, Lithuania, produces a large number of orders on metallized label papers in grammages ranging from 65 to 80 gsm. In order to meet the high requirements of the beverage industry and boost productivity, the leading Baltic print shop invested in a six-color Speedmaster SX 74 with a chambered-blade coating unit. The new SX generation was launched by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) at drupa 2012 and combines cutting-edge technologies from the Speedmaster XL class and the tried-and-tested Speedmaster SM platform in one performance class. 

"Installation and training, which were taken care of by Heidelberg Service about a year ago, were simply perfect. The press offers us 60 to 70 percent more productivity than the press we were using before, which came from another manufacturer," explains Jonas Jonaitis, technical director at Garsu Pasaulis. "The stability of sheet travel, the dampening and inking system, and ease of use are particularly outstanding features of this press." 

The new press is being run in three-shift operation, seven days a week. "The Speedmaster SX 74 enables us to produce more than a million sheets a month, even though the majority of our orders require a range of Pantone colors, which results in a great deal of makeready and washing work. However, the Speedmaster SX 74 has surpassed our expectations in this area, too. We simply couldn't achieve that with our last press," says Jonaitis. "Another advantage that the new press has over its predecessor is its ease of use, which is possible thanks to the Prinect Press Center. Now the entire machine can be run from a central control station." 

The transfer system from the suction-tape feeder to the delivery ensures excellent stability. "Our downtime during production, particularly in the case of metallized paper, has dropped to virtually zero," emphasizes Jonaitis. "The high print quality is typical of Heidelberg and helps to keep our customers very satisfied." 

"Our new Speedmaster SX generation is perfectly tuned to current market requirements. The machines are proving extremely popular in both the commercial and packaging printing sectors and are winning friends through consistently high-quality standards, continuous availability, and outstanding productivity in this class," says Jürgen Grimm, head of the Sheetfed business area at Heidelberg.