UK Printer Stephens & George to Take Delivery of the Worldwide First Speedmaster XL 106 with Perfector
05/08/2012
- This Speedmaster XL 106-8-P prints 15,000 sheets per hour for the customer and will be equipped with CutStar reel to sheeter, Prinect Inpress Control automated register and colour control and Autoplate XL simultaneous plate-changing
- A second Speedmaster XL 106 will follow in August
- At the same time, Heidelberg ISO 12647-2 certified company is upgrading its folding capacity with two Stahlfolder TH 82 buckle machines
Stephens & George will be the first company in the UK and the
world to install the new Speedmaster XL 106 perfector since it went
into serial production. In a 15,000sph configuration the
eight-colour press will be delivered to the Merthyr Tydfil plant
within days of the end of drupa and will be followed by an
18,000sph version, a straight five-colour with coater, in August.
"Within six months we will have 14 units of Speedmaster XL 106 and 20 units of XL105," says Andrew Jones, whose company celebrates its centenary this year. It has had a history of technological firsts and his thirst for innovation appeared unabated at this drupa.
The new Speedmaster XL 106-8-P will be equipped with a CutStar reel to sheeter, Inpress Control automated register and colour control and Autoplate XL simultaneous plate-changing.
"When we moved from Speedmaster SM 102s to Speedmaster XL 105s with CutStar and Inpress Control we increased our output by 50%. When we installed Autoplate XL for the first time in 2010 we found that, with 17,500 makereadies a year saving us five minutes a makeready, we had created an additional month's worth of production. It is staggering. We now makeready our presses in just five to ten minutes. This will only be equalled or bettered by this latest press," adds Andrew Jones.
Stephens & George holds Heidelberg ISO 12647-2 certification already and the reputation for colour control and consistency it has is underpinned by the use of Inpress Control. It has closed loop colour and can run accurate colour across a full gamut of papers, producing top quality and saving waste. It was the first UK company to adopt the Net Profiler software to recalibrate four of its long perfecting presses online.
The specialist five-colour and coater will be Stephens & George first 18,000 sph XL machine, an increased press speed that will give it 20 % higher output. This is a specialist press that will handle a high volume of covers for the magazine printer. The coater can switch between UV and conventional finishes so that top gloss levels can be achieved with ease. Andrew Jones says that at current growth rates it would be quite feasible for a further XL 106 long perfector to be ordered for installation early next year.
At the same time the company is upgrading its folding capacity and taking two combination machines out in favour of two Stahlfoder TH82 buckle machines. These machines are networkable and Stephens & George will now introduce Prinect Postpress Manager to run in tandem with its existing Prepress Manager and Pressroom Manager workflows. Production manager Paul Enoch uses the iPhone App that enables him to monitor production remotely, even from drupa! The new finishing products will be delivered in July, just ahead of the second XL 106. "We will be able to monitor the productivity of the machines and review discrepancies between the pressroom and folding department. It will give us valuable production data," says Andrew Jones.
Spear-heading the company's centenary celebration is Vanessa Jones, his wife and the company secretary of Stephens & George. In addition to a Staff Wayzgoose on the Thames, a Customer Celebration Day and a Family Day with a Marquee and a range of activities the company is also marking this major anniversary by launching the Stephens & George Centenary Charity Trust which will provide literacy schemes and bursaries (covering sport, academia and arts) for underprivileged children. The company has even challenged its 230 staff to each raise £100 which could contribute a further £23,000 to the newly created fund.
Figure: Celebrating the upcoming worldwide first installation of a Speedmaster XL 106 with perfector at drupa 2012: (from left) Jim Todd, Sales Director Heidelberg UK, Vanessa Jones from Stephens & George, Gerard Heanue, Managing Director Heidelberg UK, Stephens & George Managing Director Andrew Jones and Heidelberg CEO Bernhard Schreier
For further information about the company and image material, please visit the Press Lounge of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG at www.heidelberg.com.
Heidelberg at drupa 2012
Today's print media service providers are faced with a dynamic and challenging market. Companies that want to achieve success in an environment of this kind need to optimize their business models by seizing on market trends in the industry and using them to their advantage.
During drupa 2012, from May 3 to 16, Heidelberg will be showcasing in Hall 1 an extended portfolio of products and solutions that have been developed specifically for the latest market requirements. The trade show presentation, held under the banner "Discover HEI", will center on lean production (HEI Productivity), green printing (HEI Eco), web-to-print (HEI Integration), short-run-printing (HEI Flexibility), differentiation through coatings and special effects (HEI Emotions), the future of packaging printing (HEI End), and gaining an edge through the latest know-how (HEI School). The company is exhibiting solutions that enable print shops and postpress businesses to meet the latest market requirements in full.
www.drupa.heidelberg.com
For further information, please contact:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Public Relations
Silke Wolf
Phone: +49 (0)6221 92-5061
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92-5069
E-Mail: silke.wolf@heidelberg.com
"Within six months we will have 14 units of Speedmaster XL 106 and 20 units of XL105," says Andrew Jones, whose company celebrates its centenary this year. It has had a history of technological firsts and his thirst for innovation appeared unabated at this drupa.
The new Speedmaster XL 106-8-P will be equipped with a CutStar reel to sheeter, Inpress Control automated register and colour control and Autoplate XL simultaneous plate-changing.
"When we moved from Speedmaster SM 102s to Speedmaster XL 105s with CutStar and Inpress Control we increased our output by 50%. When we installed Autoplate XL for the first time in 2010 we found that, with 17,500 makereadies a year saving us five minutes a makeready, we had created an additional month's worth of production. It is staggering. We now makeready our presses in just five to ten minutes. This will only be equalled or bettered by this latest press," adds Andrew Jones.
Stephens & George holds Heidelberg ISO 12647-2 certification already and the reputation for colour control and consistency it has is underpinned by the use of Inpress Control. It has closed loop colour and can run accurate colour across a full gamut of papers, producing top quality and saving waste. It was the first UK company to adopt the Net Profiler software to recalibrate four of its long perfecting presses online.
The specialist five-colour and coater will be Stephens & George first 18,000 sph XL machine, an increased press speed that will give it 20 % higher output. This is a specialist press that will handle a high volume of covers for the magazine printer. The coater can switch between UV and conventional finishes so that top gloss levels can be achieved with ease. Andrew Jones says that at current growth rates it would be quite feasible for a further XL 106 long perfector to be ordered for installation early next year.
At the same time the company is upgrading its folding capacity and taking two combination machines out in favour of two Stahlfoder TH82 buckle machines. These machines are networkable and Stephens & George will now introduce Prinect Postpress Manager to run in tandem with its existing Prepress Manager and Pressroom Manager workflows. Production manager Paul Enoch uses the iPhone App that enables him to monitor production remotely, even from drupa! The new finishing products will be delivered in July, just ahead of the second XL 106. "We will be able to monitor the productivity of the machines and review discrepancies between the pressroom and folding department. It will give us valuable production data," says Andrew Jones.
Spear-heading the company's centenary celebration is Vanessa Jones, his wife and the company secretary of Stephens & George. In addition to a Staff Wayzgoose on the Thames, a Customer Celebration Day and a Family Day with a Marquee and a range of activities the company is also marking this major anniversary by launching the Stephens & George Centenary Charity Trust which will provide literacy schemes and bursaries (covering sport, academia and arts) for underprivileged children. The company has even challenged its 230 staff to each raise £100 which could contribute a further £23,000 to the newly created fund.
Figure: Celebrating the upcoming worldwide first installation of a Speedmaster XL 106 with perfector at drupa 2012: (from left) Jim Todd, Sales Director Heidelberg UK, Vanessa Jones from Stephens & George, Gerard Heanue, Managing Director Heidelberg UK, Stephens & George Managing Director Andrew Jones and Heidelberg CEO Bernhard Schreier
For further information about the company and image material, please visit the Press Lounge of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG at www.heidelberg.com.
Heidelberg at drupa 2012
Today's print media service providers are faced with a dynamic and challenging market. Companies that want to achieve success in an environment of this kind need to optimize their business models by seizing on market trends in the industry and using them to their advantage.
During drupa 2012, from May 3 to 16, Heidelberg will be showcasing in Hall 1 an extended portfolio of products and solutions that have been developed specifically for the latest market requirements. The trade show presentation, held under the banner "Discover HEI", will center on lean production (HEI Productivity), green printing (HEI Eco), web-to-print (HEI Integration), short-run-printing (HEI Flexibility), differentiation through coatings and special effects (HEI Emotions), the future of packaging printing (HEI End), and gaining an edge through the latest know-how (HEI School). The company is exhibiting solutions that enable print shops and postpress businesses to meet the latest market requirements in full.
www.drupa.heidelberg.com
For further information, please contact:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Public Relations
Silke Wolf
Phone: +49 (0)6221 92-5061
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92-5069
E-Mail: silke.wolf@heidelberg.com
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