Triangle Communications Group Upgrades Prepress Workflow with
Suprasetter and Prinect Components from Heidelberg
Any graphic communications company that can point to an
average annual growth rate between 20 and 40 percent certainly
commands attention. Established as a 1,000-square-foot quick print
shop with two employees in 1986, Triangle Communications Group
(TCG), Raleigh, NC has established a record of growth and
innovation that is at once a point of corporate pride and the
source of its forward momentum.
TCG president Jeff Majewski is among those company owners who
sought to broaden their company offerings as a hedge against the
soft commercial market of the past several years. The ambitious
printer has systematically upgraded its all-Heidelberg pressroom to
include machines in every format size, as well as made key MIS and
prepress software improvements designed to promote faster, more
efficient production. Key to TCG's success is a farsighted
investment strategy, which saw the November 2009 installation of an
ultra-productive Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 6-color hybrid UV
press with extended delivery, DryStar dryer, FoilStar cold foil
module and Image Control color measuring system, which the company
shares with its Speedmaster CD 74 5-color perfector.
"In preparation for our step up to 40-inch format, we decided
to upgrade our prepress workflow by installing a Suprasetter 102
with Prinect Prepress Manager, Meta Dimension RIP and Signa Station
imposition station," Majewski said. "Shortly thereafter, we also
switched to Saphira Thermal aluminum plates, yielding an increase
in efficiency from 70 to 100 percent over the competitive plates we
had been using, even now that we're burning plates 24 hours a day."
Critical improvements have also included the installation of
Heidelberg's Prinect Prinance MIS system and Prinect Pressroom
Manager workflow to handle the urgent demands of a diversified
print shop. Among other benefits, Majewski said, TCG's revamped
prepress workflow "has cut our proof output time to less than 24
hours."
"Now that we're Prinected," he continued, "everything is
connected and accessible via computer terminal. The integration
between software and hardware is just tremendous. Now we deal with
facts and actualities. There's no guesswork involved." Best of all,
Majewski said, "Heidelberg is the company that knows it all. The
support they offer is tremendous. They make it all work."
Superior to conventional standards in every way:
The
Heidelberg Suprasetter family.
Stolze Printing Keeps A Good Thing Going with Full Systemservice
Coverage from Heidelberg
It all started with Stolze Printing's search for a second 40"
press to grace the new, 50,000-square-foot facility to which it
relocated in 2007. According to company president Phil Stolze, the
company had been hoping to replace its existing full-size machine
with a new press that could support the company's business
expansion by doing the work of two, but was skeptical it could
locate such a capable machine. That was before Stolze had an
opportunity to evaluate Heidelberg's Speedmaster XL platform, and
wound up purchasing a 6-color Speedmaster XL 105 with aqueous
coater three years ago, protecting the press with Heidelberg's
comprehensive Systemservice 36plus service coverage. The company
recently renewed the Systemservice contract on its Speedmaster 105
for another two years, citing the security ad peace of mind arising
from the knowledge that the Heidelberg service organization is
"solidly behind us," Stolze said. "Access to top-flight regional
service is a big plus, and we've never had a problem getting parts
when we've needed them. We think the world of our Heidelberg
Systemservice people locally and maintain a close relationship with
them. They consistently go above and beyond the call of duty to
make sure our equipment stays up and running the way it should."
The XL 105 is the first Heidelberg press Stolze has ever
owned, and it's fair to say the company was blown away by its
performance. "Basically, there's nothing we don't like about the
press," said Stolze, a self-described "tough customer" from the
Show Me state. "From feeder to delivery, the Speedmaster XL 105
more than lives up to its billing. It's phenomenal to be able to
run a 60-lb. coated text with heavy ink coverage at 16,000-18,000
sheets per hours without marking. From an engineering standpoint,
the things that have to happen to run high-quality work at these
speeds is just mind-boggling." To date, the company has logged more
than 80 million impressions on the XL 105 since it was installed.
Bridgeton, MO-based Stolze Printing has been providing print
communications solutions since its founding in 1984. The company is
FSC-certified, and internationally recognized for its commitment to
forest stewardship. With annual sales around $10 million and a
staff of 56, the company serves a large and diverse client base
worldwide, including many of the largest corporations in St. Louis.
Products include annual reports, corporate identity and business
marketing pieces, some catalogs, and a fledgling high-end packaging
business that currently represents about 5 percent of its workload.
"If ink will stick on it, we'll print it," Stolze said.
Full service protection for your valuable investment:
Heidelberg
Systemservice expertise.
MARTA In-Plant Streamlines with New Press and Bindery Equipment
from Heidelberg
The in-plant print department of the Metropolitan Atlanta
Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) may not make the trains and buses
run on time, but it does print the schedules, brochures, training
manuals, flyers, posters and forms on which millions of riders rely
to get where they're going, when they need to get there.
A typical job for the 30-year-old MARTA in-plant involves
printing between 12,000 and 16,000 two-sided bus and rail schedules
at a clip, according to an unforgiving production timetable.
Because time is of the essence in fulfilling its charter, the
facility recently installed a state-of-the art, 2-color Heidelberg
Speedmaster 74 perfecting press to ramp up the productivity of its
pressroom, along with a Stahlfolder USA B30 continuous-feed folder
and a POLAR 92X paper cutter to insure its bindery could match the
output of the new press. "Our bindery doesn't slow down the
workflow anymore," reports Jim Morgan, Supervisor of Reprographics.
According to Morgan, state-of-the-art automation and
user-friendly digital controls have made all the difference to his
operation. "All three machines work hand-in-hand to make us more
productive than we've ever been," he said, adding, "Not only can we
meet tight deadlines, but we're often ahead of schedule," giving
the shop's eight employees some unaccustomed breathing space
between jobs. In the wake of the installations, press makereadies
have shrunk to between five and 10 minutes, thanks to the automated
wash-up and blanket cleaning features of the Speedmaster 74, which
also delivers substantially better quality and sharper detail than
the aging single-color press it displaced. Likewise, both the
Stahlfolder B30 and POLAR 92X cutter are characterized by easy
setup and high productivity output. The shop uses a variety of
Heidelberg Saphira consumables, including blankets, packing,
fountain solution, wash-up solution and wash-up cloths.
A wider range of half-format options:
Speedmaster
SM 74. The right-sized programmable cutter for 20x27" formats:
POLAR
92X.
Stahlfolder
USA B30 : High-quality folding for small formats and short
runs.
Bramkamp Printing Saves Time, Money with Prinect Prepress
Interface
Bramkamp Printing, Cincinnati, OH, recently installed
Heidelberg's Prinect Prepress Interface to streamline the ink-key
settings on its multiple Heidelberg presses.
"We used to send plates from our prepress department to the
pressroom, and our press operator would have to set the ink keys
manually," said prepress Manager Craig Masencamp. "As a result, we
typically needed up to 500 makeready sheets to come up to color.
Now, he simply exports a CIP3 file from prepress to the press
console. Prinect Prepress Interface uses the CIP3 data to
automatically calculate the ink coverage percentage value per ink
zone and transfer them to the press, ensuring the precise quantity
of ink required for the print sheet is available to the relevant
ink zones." As a result, said Masencamp, "The press is inked up and
ready to go in approximately 100 sheets, slashing waste, and saving
us time and money."
Founded in 1921, Bramkamp Printing installed one of the first
Heidelberg platen presses in Cincinnati, and has steadily added
Heidelberg pressroom equipment over the years. Today, the company
operates a Heidelberg Quickmaster 46 2-color press, a Heidelberg
Speedmaster 2-color perfector, and a 6-color Speedmaster 74
perfector with coater, for which the company recently extended its
comprehensive Systemservice contract. An assortment of POLAR paper
cutters, pile and continuous feed Stahlfolders, as well as a
Heidelberg Cylinder die cutter and Windmill press round out the
company's lineup of Heidelberg equipment.
Bramkamp's 28 employees print a variety of general
commercial materials, including marketing pieces, advertisements,
company brochures and pocket folders for clients in the
greater-Cincinnati area, including homebuilders, insurance
agencies, hospitals and financial concerns.
The perfect link between prepress, press and postpress:
Prinect
Prepress Interface.
Speedmaster SM 52 Boosts Productivity, Efficiency for Grunwald
Printing
Grunwald Printing of Corpus Christi, Texas recently upgraded
its all-Heidelberg pressroom with the installation of a 4-color
Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52 press with aqueous coater. The company
now performs more work in less time, thanks to faster makereadies
during job and format changes and running speeds to 15,000 sph.
Thus equipped, said company President John Grunwald, the company is
better able to handle a higher volume of the high-quality short-run
color and other commercial work it performs for graphic designers,
ad agencies, corporations and trade clients throughout South Texas
and the surrounding area. Compared with the aging 5-color press the
SM 52 replaced, "We're definitely more efficient and productive on
short-run color, as well as more competitive in the marketplace,"
Grunwald said.
Elsewhere in its 40,000-square-foot facility, Grunwald
operates a range of hardworking Heidelberg presses, including a
5-color Speedmaster CD 102 with coater, a 2-color Speedmaster SM
102 perfector, a single-color Heidelberg KORD, and a Heidelberg
Printmaster QM46 2-color press. In addition to a pair of POLAR
paper cutters, Grunwald also performs die cutting, perforating and
numbering using an assortment of Heidelberg Windmill and Cylinder
letterpresses.
Established in 1954, family owned Grunwald Printing takes
pride in its longstanding relationship with Heidelberg. "Heidelberg
makes an excellent press: sturdy, solid, and reliable," Grunwald
said. "We've consistently had good luck with them, and the service
and support has been outstanding."
The company employs a staff of 35.
Speedmaster
SM 52: The customized concept for all your requirements.
When At First You Do Succeed: CDS Publications Installs Second
POLAR Cutter
CDS Publications, Medford, Oregon, a subsidiary of
Consolidated Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: CGX), reports the installation
of its second high-speed, programmable POLAR 78X paper cutter to
service the needs of its five-year-old digital center. Steve Brown,
President, commented, "CDS acquired an additional POLAR 78X cutter
based on its highly efficient performance. Both POLAR cutters are
currently deployed 12 hours a day." Brown continued, "during the
company's high volume periods, however, it is not unusual for the
cutters to run around the clock." The offset print operations of
CDS also include a Stahl USA B26 folder, a Stahl B30 folder, a
POLAR 137 XT Autotrim cutter, a 40" 6-color Heidelberg Speedmaster
CS with inline UV coater and a 2-color Quickmaster QM 46 press.
Brown described the POLAR 78X cutters as very reliable,
citing the ease-of-use, rapid set-up and automatic graphic
programming that enables a mostly automated working sequence.
"We've always had a good experience with Heidelberg, from the sale
to the installation itself, to service and support after the sale,"
Brown said.
Founded in 1906, CDS Publications has established a
reputation for quality, on-time service and technological
advancement. The company provides marketing communications and
education materials for industry segments including technology,
catalog and trade publishing, healthcare, finance and other
commercial markets. The company's digital center specializes in
personalized photo products, on-demand book publishing and direct
mail. CDS employs 150 to 350 staff at any given time, subject to
seasonal fluctuations.
The high-speed cutter for four-up formats:
POLAR
78.
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
A technology provider and partner in the print media industry
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is with its
sheetfed offset printing machines one of the leading solution
providers for the print media industry. All over the world, the
name Heidelberg is synonymous with state-of-the art technology, top
quality, and closeness to the customer. The core business of this
technology group covers the whole value-added and process chain for
the 35 x 50 cm (13.78 x 19.69 in) to 121 x 162 cm (47.64 x 63.78
in) format classes in the sheetfed offset sector.
Heidelberg develops and produces precision printing presses,
platesetters, postpress equipment, and software for integrating all
the printshop processes. Environmental protection has an enduring
importance in this regard. Solutions for the development,
production, and utilization of presses help to conserve resources,
reduce emissions, and cut wastage. The Heidelberg portfolio also
provides general and consulting services ranging from spare parts
and consumables to the sale of remarketed equipment, and training
at the Print Media Academy.
Based in Heidelberg, Germany, with development and production
sites in seven countries and around 250 sales offices across the
globe, the company supports around 200,000 customers worldwide. All
Heidelberg presses destined for the world market are manufactured
at the Wiesloch-Walldorf site in line with strict quality
standards. Standardized presses in all standard format classes and
folding machines for the Chinese market are produced by Heidelberg
in Qingpu near Shanghai.
Heidelberg presses worldwide produce high-quality print
products such as business cards, brochures, posters, and folding
cartons.
In financial year 2008/2009, Heidelberg recorded sales of EUR
2.999 billion. As at March 31, 2009, the Heidelberg Group had a
workforce of 18,926 worldwide, including 707 trainees.
Media contacts:
Tim Henschel
Manager, Public Relations Heidelberg USA, Inc.
+1-770-419-6554
timothy.henschel@heidelberg.com