Bishops Printers is taking another Stahlfolder, this time a TH 82. When it is delivered to the 85,000 sq ft Portsmouth, England plant next month there will be 15 folders in the company’s plant portfolio.
“The automated models do give reduced makeready times and are right for many companies but at Bishops we prefer to run 15 workhorse folders, each one dedicated to a specific format which means zero set up. We have about 12 folding operators per shift, running a 2x12 hour continental pattern, who work across all machines, taking work to whichever is set up for the product being finished,” says Gareth Roberts, managing director.
This battery of Stahlfolder folding machines handle a very wide range of print from the 81 Heidelberg Speedmaster press units and its digital printing operation. Although Bishops is known for its work on football programmes those represent only 11% of its turnover; the remainder covers a very diverse range of general commercial print.
Bishops’ sales are growing and it will reach its year end on 31 January 13% ahead year on year, a result that Mr Roberts attributes to giving the market a great customer experience. That means getting both production performance and communication right reliably and consistently. Having the best machinery is key and the company is a regular investor.
“We choose Stahlfolder because they last and perform brilliantly if they are well maintained, which they are here. We are a committed Heidelberg house because the equipment is first rate and the partnership works well and is mutually beneficial,” he says. “Our customers expect us to be well equipped and to produce good value print to a consistent quality on time and that is what we offer.”
