GE07: Binding and Finishing — Quest for Automation

THE ROLLER coaster twisted from one side of the Muller Martini booth to the other, an improbably long snake piercing the air in an exhibition hall mostly filled with floor-dwelling equipment. This machine was certainly no bottom feeder—more specifically, it was a top feeder, the Topveyor 365 overhead conveyor.

At times an overhead conveyor was needed to circumvent the crowds choking the aisles during Graph Expo 2007 in Chicago. But the patron flow was volatile, and there were periods where one could walk down some of the back aisles of the McCormick Place South Hall without bumping into a poster-toting gawker. . .of which there were plenty.

There are two sets of attendees at Graph Expo. The first type has done his/her homework, knows all the primary players for a given product, has whittled down the choices to a short list, and is at the show to see the machines in action. This person is on a mission.

The second type has been to all the booths offering freebies, has three or four posters, two flash drives, one guitar and assorted other tchotchkes. For him, this show is a two-day reprieve from work. He left the floor at noon on Sunday to catch part of the Packers game, then spent an hour at the 4Over booth playing the card game “guts.” This tire kicker doesn’t really have an agenda.

“You can tell the ones who aren’t really buying anything,” one booth jockey said. “The first question out of their mouth is, ‘How much does it cost?’ ”

An educated shopper, or a potential buyer seeking more information, is the best friend of the booth holder. Those who crave knowledge want to learn about gaining efficiencies, cutting makeready and turnaround times, perhaps reduce manpower or find gear that is simple enough for the recent high school grads to handle. And the bindery/finishing department is that area most in need of automation—that part of the workflow where many companies are using older equipment.

Pleasant Surprise

Werner Naegeli, president and CEO of Muller Martini, pointed out that his company generated a good deal of business during the 2006 edition, with a nice two to three month hangover. On the third day of the show, Naegeli reported that 2007 appointments were double those of last year.

“Many of the customers I’ve talked to said they were very busy work-wise,” he said. “Someone from RR Donnelley noted that they were getting work that usually doesn’t come in this time of year.”

With shorter runs and reduced makeready times continuing to dominate the needs of customers, bindery automation and the ability to easily integrate systems is a frequent inquiry from booth visitors, Naegeli reports. Scalability and modularity aren’t far behind on wish lists for equipment traits.

The desire to update with the latest technology is tempered by recent economic factors. Naegeli noted the credit crunch being experienced by Americans has spilled over into Europe, and the housing slump stateside isn’t helping matters. It’s a cause for concern, he remarked, “but I’m no economist.”

For Naegeli, it’s all about seeing those printers and trade finishers that already have the Muller logos on their shop floors. “New leads are interesting, but my goal is to meet current customers,” he said. “Traveling is cumbersome, so this is a great opportunity to talk about current challenges, our current machines, and how we can help them going forward.”

The Recmi log stacker and Elettra blanket washers from IMC America drew much attention, according to company President Ward Walsh, with the washer prompting 10 presentations on the first day. “New presses are wider and faster, so automation is a high-ticket item for us,” he said.

Bill Schoenbauer, sales representative for Sitma, felt that with the USPS regulations fully realized, clients are being more aggressive in their purchasing habits for equipment such as the W15 B-Wrap film wrapping system. Graph Expo, he believes, was the ideal venue for connecting customers with machinery.

“Most people know about our wrappers. They need to see the equipment running,” he said.

Another polywrapper drawing attention was the Buhrs 4000. According to Buhrs America President and CEO Michael Aumann, the ability to perform high-speed co-mailing is quite coveted by printers. And, with the passing of postal reform, “it should really explode.”

As for transactional purposes, Aumann prefers doing business in Chicago. “This is where we build relationships. It’s convenient to meet with vendors. And, printers are not getting pulled away by their production people.”

Dan Mauer, director of postpress product management at Heidelberg USA, is a newcomer to the company. Mauer was quite impressed with the flow of Heidelberg’s booth, and felt its performance resonated with clients. “Our goal was to demonstrate the breadth of our solutions, while stressing our focus on automation and the value that it creates for the customers.”

The Polar Pace system was well received in the Windy City, notably for its ability to take one operator out of the equation, as with the new Varimatrix 105 diecutter.

Klaus Beckbissinger, executive vice president of MBO America, called Graph Expo “a true success in every sense of the word.

“For the first time in years, it was hard to distinguish day one from day three—there was so much attendance,” said Beckbissinger, who noted that MBO’s Super KTZ 800.2 combination folder grabbed the attention of many booth visitors.

Joe Vijuk, president of Vijuk Equipment, relishes the opportunity to see clients in person. That face time allows him to get input from printers and trade binders regarding technologies and innovations for future product developments. On the product end, Vijuk touted its Model 321T saddlestitcher.

Videojet trumpeted its BX 6000 series, the existing 6600 with a 2? print head and a new user interface. Jason Lund, product manager/graphics, pointed out that Graph Expo afforded Videojet the opportunity to show a broad base of current and potential customers its latest product releases.

Happy Anniversary

Over at the Spiel Associates booth, company President David Spiel popped the champagne cork on the 10th anniversary of the automatic coil inserter. The cork promptly landed on the Coilmaster Jr., which debuted in 2006. On the new product front, the company rolled out the Rilecart TP-340 double- loop wire binder.

“The first day was very busy,” Spiel commented. “We see the show as more of an educational experience for customers. The smart buyers ask the right questions.”

Sometimes the vendors get the answers they are looking for and act upon it quickly. For example, G.F. Puhl owner Greg Puhl exhibited at Graph Expo for the first time to display a small version of the company’s scrap paper recycling system. Early on the second day of the show, he signed up for a booth at the 2008 show.

“We’ve been impressed by the qualified traffic coming through here,” Puhl said. “I had been on the fence about what to expect. But there seems to be a lot of activity for what we do.”

Among the products at Duplo USA’s booth was the fully automatic Ultra 205A UV coater. According to Si Nguyen, marketing director for Duplo, Graph Expo mainly provides the opportunity to reach out and acquire new customers.

“Our resell business with existing clients is great,” he said. “Our growth needs to be with gaining more exposure with new clients.”

Ironically, some felt Sunday—traditionally, the weakest day of the show from a foot traffic standpoint—was a smashing success. Count the president of Technifold, Andre Palko, among the people who didn’t think the opening week of the pro football season negatively impacted visitor levels.

“Sunday was the best opening day we ever had,” said Palko, who was demonstrating creasers suited for Muller Martini and Kolbus perfect binders. “It definitely exceeded expectations. Monday and Tuesday were nearly as busy. We’ve sold more off the show floor than we ever had.”

Around the Horn

Among the other highlights on the binding and finishing side:

• Domino held a press conference to trumpet the release of its L400, the first offering in its new L-series of thermal ink-jet mailing solutions.

• Standard Finishing Systems showcased its new Standard Hunkeler CS6-II rotary cutter with chip-out, which was shown as part of a solution producing full-bleed, trimmed, color self-mailers.

• Brandtjen and Kluge rolled out eight products at the show, including the EHG series half-sheet foil stamping and diecutting press.

• MBM touted the Triumph 4205 manual and 4215 semi-automatic paper cutters.

• Among the products promoted by Rollem was the Jetstream solution for slitting digitally printed business cards.

• RIMA-System saw plenty of interest in its RS 610 log stacker and RS 51 lift stacker for vertical bricks.

• Böwe Bell + Howell held a press conference to trumpet several new innovations, including the Turbo Premium high-speed inserting system and its Document Fingerprinting application for tracking customized documents without barcodes.

• Direct mailers were offered a new tool for 2007, courtesy of Pitney Bowes and its FlowMaster RS Flex inserting system, which processes at speeds up to 16,000 pieces per hour.

• At GBC, the 8500 Cyclone laminator was showcased with the Mabeg feeder and Gremser stacker. On the new product front, GBC rolled out the 6028os and 730os laminators for print-on-demand applications.

• Nordson Corp. showcased spine and side gluing technologies, displaying a Standard Horizon BQ-270 binder equipped with a Nordson EP48 VL PUR spine gluing system. PI