Welsh printer Gomer Press was quick off the blocks for the newly
launched Speedmaster XL 106 press, ordering a four colour perfector
with coater. Topping and tailing this order it has also signed for
a Suprasetter 105 and a highly automated Stahlfolder
KH 82.
"One of the reasons we return to Heidelberg time after
time because the after sales service is fantastic," says John
Lewis, chairman. Jonathan Lewis, his son and managing director of
the Llandysul company, adds: "We have been very pleased with
Heidelberg equipment to date. It is still the best in the market."
It has specified the Speedmaster XL 106 as a four colour
perfector to maximise its flexibility, enabling it to handle high
quality colour work and to coat it but also to manage the high
volume of perfected mono bookwork it handles, primarily academic
and legal publications.
Already Heidelberg ISO 12647-2 certified it had no hesitation
in signing up for Prinect Inpress Control as a colour measurement
and automatic adjustment device because it is a critical tool for
the speediest makereadies.
The Suprasetter 105 replaces a Topsetter and increases hourly
plate output from 13 to 21. This will be installed along with the
latest Prinect upgrades to Prinect Prepress Manager and Prinect
Pressroom Manager, Meta Dimension and Signastation. It will
eventually link in its postpress functions and so in selecting its
folder it was keen to have a future-proof model that could be
connected later.
But there was also a more logistical reason behind the
company making a switch from a buckle machine to the combination
model Stahlfolder KH 82. Although the company needed a machine that
was automated and could consistently change sizes it tends to focus
primarily on combination 32pp and conventional 16pp formats and the
combination could accommodate these without requiring any switching
round of units between jobs.
"With the Heidelberg kit and a new Kolbus binder we have also
bought at the show we hope to increase our current turnover of
£3.5m by 20 per cent in the next two years. It's achievable
because with the new equipment in place we will be even more
competitive."
The company says the publishing market has been through a
tough time but it has picked up work by being able to offer an
in-house casebinding service. It also handles high quality, full
colour commercial work and, through its sister company Lewis
Printers which installed a Linoprint C 901 earlier in the year, a
jobbing facility.
"We used Drupa for research with future investment in mind
and we were particularly impressed by the demonstration of the new
Prinect products, Business Manager MIS and Web2Print, which could
open up opportunities for selling to the private or self publishing
markets," says Jonathan Lewis.
This year Gomer Press celebrates its 120th anniversary and
John Lewis will launch a history of the business, the family and
the town at an open day for customers and authors in September.
For further information please contact:
Diana Thompson, Plus Point PR Ltd, on +44 (0)1494 817 178; or
Mark Hogan, Heidelberg UK, on +44 (0)844 892 2010; or
Jonathan
Lewis, Gomer Press, on +44 (0)1559 362371.
Click here to visit their website.