Pair of Sanden Web Presses Now in Production at American Direct
BALTIMORE—September 01, 2011—American Direct, a sister company to Tidewater Direct, announced that the pair of Sanden 1500 web offset printing presses it acquired in May are now installed and fully operational. The new presses allowed the company to retire one of its five-color Harris forms presses, increasing the total press count to four in its Baltimore facility and 13 company-wide. This duo, original reported as a single press, are complimentary eight-color presses specifically designed for direct mail printing and continuous forms printing.
The presses were acquired from two separate web offset printing facilities that recently ceased doing business. The duration of the installation took about 60 days from start to finish for both presses, with the first press in production after 30 days. Tidewater Direct supplied transportation on its company owned and operated trucks, as well installation expertise to facilitate the moves in such an aggressive timeline. American Direct also called on the expertise of an independent installer to make sure the project went smoothly.
The Sanden 1500s are fully equipped to run high-end direct mail component parts including continuous forms, lithographic envelopes, and pharmaceutical printing. With one of the most robust ink trains in its class, it’s built to put down heavy coverage while mitigating ghosting and mottling. This is fortified by a pair of movable double lamps (10 UV lamps total on each press) and chilled vibrator rollers which keeps temperatures low as paper passes at up to 1,500 feet per minute.
A fully complementary four-section bindery, including cross and magnetic perforation units, is included inline on both machines. Inking is handled remotely by remote inking systems, while video inspection and automatic registration use CC1 interfaces. These presses can finish as sheets, rolls (continuous forms and litho envelopes) or fanfold.
Ken Boone, president and CEO of the Tidewater Direct companies, set forth the aggressive timeline for these printing presses to be installed. “Buying machinery like this is stressful but can be quite rewarding. The presses had no value to us until they were installed and producing billable work; and we recognized that fact every step of the way. We were able to accomplish these installations within the budget we set forth, allowing us to get much more for a capital investment dollar than if we had purchased new. Most importantly, we did so with minimal interruptions to our clients.”
Jeff Dean, pressroom superintendent, helped oversee the installation and has played a primary role in getting the presses into production. “We are putting a lot of work through this plant right now. The new equipment really adds to the excitement that everyone is feeling—it’s electric in here. I’m proud to be part of the management team that oversaw the implementation of the new presses.”
About American Direct
American Direct and its sister company, Tidewater Direct specialize in the efficient, quality web offset print production of high volume direct mail component parts and packaging inserts. With 3 locations in Maryland and Iowa and a production footprint of 200,000 square feet, the companies are equipped to meet the tightest deadlines and highest volume demands.
Source: American Direct.
