Automation on Heidelberg’s XL VLF Series Presses Achieves Systematically Shorter Makeready Times

Value of Makeready savings
Shortening each makeready by one minute might not sound significant, until one considers how fast those minutes add up. At 2,400 makereadies each year, for example, shaving one minute off each makeready represents a time savings of 2,400 minutes or 40 hours. Moreover, Heidelberg technology typically saves much more than one minute; compared with other current technologies, savings might add up to 15 to 20 minutes per makeready, boosting the time savings to 600 to 800 hours per year. At an average hourly rate of $500, that corresponds to between $300,000 and $400,000 per year.

Repeatable Savings in A Production Environment
As run lengths get shorter, Heidelberg’s VLF series presses offer systematic savings by eliminating makeready steps, automating manual processes, and by synchronizing key functions. It then locks in those savings with an unparalleled network of local technicians and remote services, and a full line of Saphira-branded consumables. The resulting gains in productivity are key to success in the folding carton market and enable the ultimate design goal of this press: Peak Performance in VLF.