A Class of Its Own
Up to 30 percent more productive than competitor presses. The
highest level of automation. Distinguished by the largest industry
organization in print media: it's no wonder that already more than
3,000 Speedmaster XL 105 printing units have been delivered
worldwide.
"The print quality is excellent, and we regularly reach a
production speed of 18,000 sheets per hour. Thanks to the Prinect
Press Center, our operators also find the machine straight-forward
to operate," said Mark Kerridge, Managing Director of the Benson
Group. The Group, the UK's largest independent packaging printer,
incorporates Benson Box, where the six-color Speedmaster XL 105 UV
with coating unit has been installed. "It has the 2,500th printing
unit in the series," says Markus Höfer, director of Product
Management for the Speedmaster XL 105. "An impressive number when
you consider that we first presented the Speedmaster XL 105 at
drupa 2004."
Benson Box is located in Bardon, Leicestershire. The central
location in the heart of England is ideal for the company's food
industry customers, spread throughout the UK. Founded in the
1920's, Benson Box is now one of the leading suppliers in the
folding carton market in the United Kingdom. The Group, with four
production facilities in the UK employing nearly 800 personnel,
produces annual revenues of more than £85 million (107 million
Euro/165 million US Dollars). The Benson Box site produces
packaging for food products, including frozen and chilled, for a
wide range of customers including all of the UK's major supermarket
chains.
Fewer machines, higher productivity
Benson Box is a typical XL 105 customer, with a range of run
lengths and a monthly production goal of around ten million sheets.
"The Speedmaster XL 105 is specially tailored to the needs of
highly industrialized offset printing," says product manager Markus
Höfer. "It supplements the existing portfolio with the
Speedmaster CD 102 as the flexible all-around machine."
"We purchased the Speedmaster XL 105-6+L UV because we wanted
to keep pace with the very latest in press developments and
increase our printing capacity at the same time," says Kerridge,
who has been satisfied with the way that his latest press
investment has settled in to its task.
Preset functions cut makeready times
"The Speedmaster XL 105 is equally popular with print shops
in the commercial, packaging and labeling branches," says
Höfer. In addition to the impressive production rate of 18,000
sheets per hour, Mark Kerridge particularly values the high level
of automation, color stability and comprehensive preset functions
which cut makeready times. "The ability to save settings, such as
those for the blast and suction air values in the feeder and
delivery, help to reduce changeover times between jobs, which is
important for us." Values for sheet transfer can also be saved, and
both are supported by characteristic curves guidelines. By using
the pre-settings, recurring jobs can be finished quicker. Further
highlights include: mark-free sheet travel, the high-performance
inking and dampening system Hycolor, and the coating unit with
multi-loader system for fast anilox roller changes.
Ecologically flawless
"Environmental issues played an important role in our
decision to purchase the Speedmaster XL 105-6+L UV," Kerridge
remembers. "We are now producing UV print with zero alcohol." The
Speedmaster XL 105 proves its environmental friendliness with its
"emission-checked" certificate as well as its "optimized UV
printing" certificate. It also received the renowned PIA/GATF
InterTech award for innovations in 2007. A decisive assessment
criterion for the independent jury was the increase in productivity
through innovative technology. The Printing Industries of America /
Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF), with headquarters in
Sewickley near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the world's largest
industry organization for the print media sector.
Perfecting press to attend drupa
The Speedmaster XL 105 is available as a four to ten-color
press with optional coating unit. As of mid 2007, it also boasts a
UV version and is available with double coating units as well. "We
achieve the highest gloss effects with UV. In addition, we can also
print unusual materials like laminated substrates, foils or
metallized surfaces," says Kerridge. The short drying times
associated with UV production allow print products to be finished
faster. As a double coating machine, the Speedmaster XL 105 turns
into a real all-rounder. Businesses can process conventional
colors, and, according to the job, they can apply a primer with UV
coating. Heidelberg also offers the machine in various special
configurations upon customer request.
Concluding his comment on the Heidelberg machine, Mark
Kerridge said: "The launch of the new Heidelberg XL105 has achieved
a great deal in terms of the evolution in printing technology. A
smooth passage into highly productive printing was fundamentally
supported by the strength in depth of Heidelberg employees, who
helped our teams deliver significantly better performance than
anticipated."
And Höfer proceeds to announce the next highlight: : "At
drupa 2008, we'll be presenting the new Speedmaster XL 105 with
perfecting device for the first time ever," announces Höfer.
Print Version