Yavne - Highcon announced today that West Chester-based Anro Inc. has placed an order for the Highcon Euclid digital cutting and creasing machine making it the first company in North America to be able to offer the benefits of digital package converting to its customers.

The Highcon Euclid will join Anro’s digital printing line-up, allowing them to offer their customers a one stop shop; faster speed to market, greater flexibility and shorter run packaging.

The family-owned entity has been in business since 1953 and launched digital technology in 1998.

Chris Baker, Highcon VP Sales and Business Development:  “ Anro is well known for product innovation and customer service. A proven early adopter, the company needed no introduction to the advantages of digital technology. The Highcon Euclid allows Anro to produce products and services that are unique to digital finishing, such as highly creative packaging and on-demand responsiveness,  giving Anro a real competitive edge’’.

Jim Spinelli, Anro COO: “As a full service printer we believe in making our customers’ lives as easy as possible.  The Euclid will allow us to complete this service, extending their branding reach into short and medium run packaging and complementing the levels of quality, responsiveness and service that we strive to bring to all our clients. This addition to our digital supply chain will enhance our competitiveness in today’s demanding market.”

The Highcon Euclid is scheduled to be installed at Anro before the end of the year.

Commentary by Cary Sherburne

I was interested to see that the first Highcon Euclid finishing device for folding cartons is being installed in the U.S. a commercial printer/direct mailer rather than a packaging converter.  ANRO, Inc., was founded in 1953 by Angelo and Rose Rossi, as a secretarial and duplicating service. With an equipment list composed of a single Remington Rand typewriter, Rose provided secretarial services for professionals and small businesses in the Philadelphia area. Needless to say, much has changed in the many ensuing years.

Today, ANRO has a blended production platform that includes an HP Indigo 10000 (being installed as of this writing), three Indigo 7000 series presses and several 8-color 40” sheetfed offset presses.  The company also has an HP T-300 production inkjet press. 

ANRO’s comprehensive services include package printing and dimensional services, black & white and color digital printing, variable data printing, prepress, CTP, bindery, direct mail, fulfillment, Web development, and commercial hosting. According to COO Jim Spinelli, “Although we do a lot of prototyping for the packaging industry, work mostly acquired through our designer customers, I think there are a number of commercial applications that will be well-suited for the Euclid, especially as runs across a variety of applications continue to get shorter.”

Commercial applications ANRO plans to produce on the Euclid will primarily be produced on the HP Indigo 10000, but Spinelli also sees the potential for output from the HP 7000s and his offset presses as candidates as well.  These include door hangers, custom cut and uniquely shaped cards, short run pocket folders and other applications which Spinelli admits they probably haven’t even thought of yet. He anticipates the Euclid to be up and running completely by the end of January 2014.

“A key justification for acquiring the Highcon Euclid,” Spinelli adds, “was a 15% reduction in bindery outsourcing. The Euclid will enable us to bring at least $800,000 of that in house immediately. We also have a number of proposals out to customers right now, that, if they develop, will also generate volume for the Euclid.” He points out that this base of work was necessary to justify the acquisition, saying, “Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated an instant.  Today, however, risks are not that easy to take. Having a base of work we can count on made the decision much easier.  I know there were several businesses being considered as the first install site, and we are delighted that we were selected.”

ANRO and its staff have fully embraced the world of digital print. Spinelli comments, “Our team has really grasped the digital world.  It is interesting to see our T-300 running continuously, and while the offset presses are busy, they are not as busy as before, especially with the decline of the need for preprinted offset shells for direct mail, transactional and other applications. Today, I am confident I can put a conventional pressman on a digital machine because they understand this is the way we have to go if we are to continue to grow.  The entire team is tremendously excited about the opportunities the Highcon Euclid will open up for us.”