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ESP’s Sixth Sense that ST450 is the Right Move |
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ESP Colour in UK will save £6,000 to £7,000 a month of stitching work when it replaces a Muller Martini Prima with a Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST450 in January 2007.
Operations director Anthony Thirlby says, ‘This investment is a direct result of the impact of our Speedmaster SM 102-10P and the volume and quality of work we are producing. We need to be more efficient to a guaranteed quality with our stitching. At present we know that some of our competitors are more efficient than us, we need improvement and the ST450 gives us that efficiency and quality with complete automation.
‘Also the cycle speed of 14,000cph will increase the throughput by 40 per cent whilst enabling us to run with one assistant instead of an operator and sometimes two assistants at present, this is possible as the ST450 has been specified with signature recognition cameras. Another feature that we specified is the 3-up trim attachment kit; this will enable us to be more competitive on miniature work, which at present we do not win due to the limitations of our current line. We have looked extensively and believe that the ST 450 is the best machine on the market today.’
The company has specified four-stations (three with vertical feeding and one with flatbed feeding) plus two cover feeders, the second enabling it to produce inserts in line on the run.
Mark Hogan, marketing manager from Heidelberg UK who is responsible for finishing, said, ‘There is a false perception in the market that Heidelberg only sells finishing kit when it sells a press. This is not so. Our finishing lines stand or fall on their ability to perform at speed, reliably and flexibly. We are delighted that ESP has recognised just how great the ST450 really is.’
Thirlby and new post-press operations manager Nigel Cuming both have ST / Heidelberg experience, but for all three supervisors this marks a change in stitching system, but there is a great willingness to learn and move forward. It is envisaged that assistants will eventually be able to run the stitcher because it is so easy to operate.
The quality aspect of the ST450 was also critical, quality comes as second nature to ESP as at present they produce all coated sheet work at 247# on triple coated paper to ISO 12647 standard.
For ESP, JDF-compatibility is a prerequisite because it is committed to having prepress to finishing links in place for cutting, folding and stitching by mid 2007. Steering this project alongside Anthony Thirlby is prepress manager Simon Evers (pictured above). Heidelberg’s Prinect workflow solutions are very open and linking finishing in with a Tharstern MIS system at ESP will present no difficult as ESP has already developed its own bespoke data capture system on existing post press equipment.
The ST450 was launched at IPEX earlier this year. Proving that the Australian and New Zealand market is as advanced and leading edge as any, HAN secured an order for two ST450's destined to be installed early in 2007. Once up and running these stitchers will be part of substantial commercial web operation working within a networked CIP4 workflow sharing production data. More details on this installation in the New Year.
Further Information:
Rudi Kolbach
Tel. +61 2 9318 5224
Email: Rudi.Kolbach@heidelberg.com
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