BINDERY matters

January 2010

multipage

Stitcher Answers Client Demands for Error-Free Finishing

SAN RAMON, CA—K/P Corp., a provider of commercial offset, digital variable printing, finishing, direct mail, fulfillment and distribution services to consumer brands, has installed a Muller Martini BravoPlus T.

The new saddlestitcher is configured with six pockets plus a cover feeder with ASIR (Automatic Signature Image Recognition), SEMKO side caliper, small booklet attachment and center cut knife for two-up books.

David Bates, vice president of operations for K/P's central region, says the new unit, "allows us to maintain the highest manufacturing quality standards and efficiencies with maximum flexibility to accommodate our customers' many sizes." Its touchscreen operation allows production to be controlled and monitored centrally. In addition, the stitcher is JDF-capable and can be integrated into a digital workflow.

Already a Muller Martini customer, K/P went with the BravoPlus T on the idea that less training would be required since employees were already familiar with Muller products, as well as the unit's fully integrated signature recognition.

Proactive Investing Yields Range of Capabilities

PAWTUCKET, RI—Packaging Graphics (a division of the Matlet Group) has installed a Bobst Expertfold 110 A2 CS folder-gluer. The high-speed, computer-set folder-gluer is the most recent finishing department addition to the printer's 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility here.

"When it comes to equipment and technology, we invest proactively in anticipation of market trends and customer requirements, but we also needed the extra capacity that the Expertfold has brought to our operation," says Brad Lopez, finishing manager. The new machine gives the operation the versatility to produce a wide variety of products including pocket folders, CD and DVD sleeves, and boxes ranging from small cosmetic and pharmaceutical boxes to "family-sized" retail containers.

Trade Printer Increases Output With New Folder

MONTEBELLO, CA—GR Print, a gang-run trade printer, reports a 35 percent increase in folding productivity since it replaced an aging machine with a small-format Stahlfolder USA B20 pile-fed combi-plate folder.

The printer employs a staff of 19 and is using its new folder to produce tri-fold brochures, bi-folds and letter folds up to 11x17˝ on 100-lb. gloss stock, in runs of up to 5,000 pieces.

"It's fast, flexible and a lot more accurate," says Production Manager Paul Pillen, citing the folder's micro-adjustable combination buckle plates. "The ease of use is just outstanding," he adds, "so much so that an operator with no experience with automated equipment could walk right up to it and get comfortable with no problem whatsoever."