Kennesaw, Ga. – Abbott Communications Group (ACG) is a family-owned business in Orlando, Florida, that is passionate about their state-of-the-art Heidelberg technology and partnership. An all Heidelberg shop, ACG has three Speedmasters (XL 105, CD 102, and SM 52), a Suprasetter CtP, two Versafire CPs, two POLAR cutters, and a Stahlfolder TH 82, all supported by the use of Saphira Consumables and SystemService. Their full Heidelberg suite has been a major contributor to their success since 1977.

A Complete Heidelberg Shop – No Worries

Throughout production, ACG is able to depend upon their machines to increase their productivity rates and produce the highest quality possible. Beginning with the prepress department, ACG’s Suprasetter produces twenty-one 40” plates in one hour.  This has doubled their production rate on plates compared to their previous, less efficient technology.

The sheetfed department is even more impressive with their Speedmaster XL 105 producing at top speeds and equipped with Prinect Inpress Control, which has drastically improved their quality and decreased waste and production time.

“If a pressman doesn’t have Inpress Control, they are wasting an incredible amount of money and time,” said Bob Stokes, General Manager of Abbott Communications Group. “While most 40” presses take about 40 minutes or longer to hang plates, set color or registration, we only take 5 minutes with Inpress Control. We also have incredibly low waste sheets when doing a makeready.”

The industry leading spectrophometric color control system, Prinect Inpress Control automatically measures and controls color at any speed. Integrated in the press, it measures process colors, spot colors, and registration via the print control strip. Any corrections are directly forwarded to the Prinect Press Center for adjustment automatically without operator intervention.

“After years worrying about critical color job matching, I don’t have to worry anymore,” said Stokes. “The color consistency coming off these presses is unbelievable.”

ACG’s digital department has also improved since switching to Heidelberg equipment. With two Versafire CPs, ACG is pleased with their color reproduction, increase in speed and the reliability of the equipment.

Finishing off in the postpress department, ACG trusts two POLAR cutters with Stack Lift and jogger and a Stahlfolder TH 82 to complete production. The TH 82 folder massively reduces makeready times because of automated set-up and the ability to store and recall settings for repeat jobs. Previously, ACG’s makeready time for a 16 page signature was about 30-45 minutes, but with the automated TH 82 folder, set-up time was reduced to about 5 minutes.

A Trusted Partnership

While machines and equipment are crucial for the printing industry, a trusted partnership trumps it all. At the end of the day, ACG loves Heidelberg for the service they receive. Using FlexibleService, ACG has inspections every 6 months where a Heidelberg technician will come into their shop to check for any potential issues. This allows them to troubleshoot any problems that could cause a major breakdown.

“Previously, we had to stay shut down for long periods of time due to breakdowns, which caused us to lose a lot of money,” said Stokes. “Since I know that Heidelberg is there to stop problems before they even start, it really makes me feel confident in the company – that’s why I love Heidelberg.”

FlexibleService is a service package that is tailored to a company’s specific needs. SystemService experts and clients develop a program together to best fit the company’s goals and budget. 

“I can trust and rely on Heidelberg,” said Stokes. “I feel confident that the product will do what it’s supposed to do, that our machines will perform at a high quality and speed level, and that Heidelberg will take care of me.”