Ambitious Printers Get 'State of the Art' with Heidelberg Technology

Loftin Printing in Charlotte, NC reports the installation of a Speedmaster CD 102 6-color press with coater. The new press, which replaces the company’s existing 2-color Heidelberg GTO and Speedmaster CD 74 machines, not only has absorbed the work of those two presses, but has given Loftin the additional capacity it needed to compete on complex projects it used to turn away. Case in point: the 4-color process with coating, high-end carton, label and brochure the company recently produced for an ad agency customer, all in a single day.

“Not only does the new press come up to color within 150 sheets, saving time, material and labor,” said owner Bill Loftin, “but we’re also running 75 percent of our jobs at trouble-free speeds over 14,000 sph. We have significantly increased our sales without increasing our manpower.” Installation and training went off “without a hitch,” he noted, adding that Loftin’s press operators, who initially were “a little suspicious” of the new machine, were now thoroughly comfortable with the automated features of the new machine, especially the easy-to-use Press Center touchscreen console.

Loftin Printing also operates a pair of Stahlfolders, a POLAR paper cutter and a Heidelberg cylinder die cutting press. The company saved $600 a month by eliminating the use of alcohol in its pressroom and switching to alcohol-free Heidelberg Saphira fountain solution. As a result, it expects to receive a more favorable Air Quality Control rating and a reduction in its licensing fee. Loftin also makes use of Saphira Perfect Dot Blankets and ink foils.

Founded in 1898 and with 25 employees, $4.5 million Loftin Printing is a third-generation, family owned commercial printer specializing in corporate literature, promotional and multicolor printing for Charlotte-area ad agencies, nonprofits, as well as educational and industrial accounts.

To learn more about the versatile Speedmaster CD 102, click here.

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