BINDERY matters

ROSELAND, NJ—Hundreds of converters, trade finishers and printers from across the country attended Bobst Group’s Direction ’08 open house and mini trade fair held over several days in early October. Aside from being able to see several Drupa introductions in action, visitors were also on hand for the world premiere of the Bobst SpeedWave and LocPack systems designed for crash-lock carton production.

SpeedWave eliminates the use of crash-lock hooks in the folding process, thereby reducing setup time and increasing operating speeds. At the delivery end of the folder, LocPack automates and simplifies the process of packing crash-lock cartons into boxes for shipment.

Direction ’08 also featured numerous Bobst Autoplaten diecutters, foil stampers and folder- gluers, with 13 machines running on the floor. New diecutters included the Novacut 106 E, Expertcut 106 LER and Commercial 106 E. Foil stamping machines featured the Expertfoil 104 FR and Steuer Foiljet 104 FBR. And Bobst’s new Masterfold 110 G+S with a Gyrobox unit, Visionfold 110 A-2 CS, Expertfold 110 A-2 CS with AccuBraille and Starfold 170 folder-gluers were also on hand. The mini trade fair included representatives from 33 related industry suppliers.

“Our Direction open house is only held every two years,” notes Chris Raney, vice president, Folding Carton. “So, we’re quite pleased to have so many running machines on the floor and so much that’s brand new to the marketplace.”

Displaying its commitment to sustainability, Bobst also sponsored a contest for graphic design students at nearby Rutgers University. More than 50,000 themed pocket folders featuring the winning student’s design were then diecut, folded and glued during the open house demonstrations, and then donated to Rutgers for free distribution to its students.

Above: One advantage of a mini trade fair over a large trade show is the ability to spend more one-on-one time together. 

 Left: Bobst open house visitors were able to watch demos of the manufacturer’s new Masterfold 110 G+S folder-gluer.

Stitcher Techs Set Winning Pace

LAS VEGAS—Creel Printing has qualified for the Goss Pacesetter Club, a program recognizing crews that achieve the near-maximum specified net productivity with Goss saddlestitchers. A Creel crew recently finished 206,000 magazines in an 11-hour shift, averaging more than the required 18,000 books per hour with a Pacesetter 1100 system.

“The Pacesetter Club is a well established incentive, and we’re proud to add our name alongside some of the most proficient finishing crews in the industry,” explains Robert Southwood, bindery department manager. “Qualifying highlights the important combination of high-caliber operators and equipment at Creel.”

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