Customers Gain Market Opportunities by Investing in Heidelberg Equipment

KENNESAW, GA—Aug. 31, 2010—Heidelberg has announced new prepress, press and postpress product installations at NPG Printing Co., Seidl’s Bindery, Southeast Mail Service, Little Folk Visuals and Fisher Printing.

NPG Printing Steps Up to Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 74

NPG Printing Co., St. Joseph, MO, recently replaced an aging, competitive 6-color press with a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 74 5-color perfector with aqueous coater and extended delivery. Since the installation was completed in mid-July, the company has had an opportunity to marvel at the many automated features of the new press, including the continuous feed and delivery, ink key presetting via Prinect Prepress Interface, Axis Control color measuring system, and automatic blanket washers, as well as to benefit from its larger sheet size (the new press joins a 4-color, 20” Speedmaster SM 52 on NPG’s shop floor), higher run speeds, faster changeovers, and dramatically reduced startup waste. Likewise, NPG’s newfound one-pass perfecting capabilities and associated cost benefits also have been a major factor in increasing the company’s efficiency and productivity.

“We chose Heidelberg based on a combination of its superior service and support, comprehensive Systemservice 36Plus coverage, and the outstanding capabilities of the press itself,” McCarthy said, noting the fast response time and ready availability of Heidelberg technical personnel.

Best of all, said production director John McCarthy, the addition of this workhorse press will enable NPG to sharpen its competitive edge to become a true one-stop shop for its customers, who will enjoy access to the company’s in-house design, printing, finishing and mailing capabilities. “We’ll be able to provide it all,” McCarthy said. The company is so confident that it stands to attract additional business that it plans to hire another full-time salesperson.

The company plans to “introduce” the new press to the regional market with a November ribbon-cutting, in addition to spreading the word via direct mail, bill stuffers for the region’s PIA affiliates and area Chambers of Commerce, and by showing customers and prospects a variety of printed samples.

In addition to its sheetfed offset capabilities, NPG also operates an offset web press, on which it prints a variety of newspapers and specialty publications. The company employs a total of 80 employees across both operations.

Seidl’s Bindery Trades Two for One with Highly Productive TH 82 Stahlfolder

As part of an ongoing program to upgrade its equipment lineup, Seidl’s Bindery in Houston, TX, has replaced a pair of aging folders with one three-station Stahlfolder TH 82 buckle folder with feeder and stream delivery. Installed in June, the new folder does the work of its two predecessors—and then some, according to company president Bill Seidl. “It was time to upgrade in order to keep our quality high,” he said. “The new folder handles a wide range of two- and three-up projects from signatures to complicated brochures. It’s fast, productive, and our operators love it. Best of all, we’re not having to feed work to our competitors to meet the deliveries of high-volume jobs and keep our customers satisfied.”

The new TH 82 folder joins a host of Heidelberg postpress equipment already in operation at Seidel’s bindery, including no fewer than three POLAR cutting systems and six additional Stahlfolders. In business for 35 years, Seidl’s Bindery serves a regional clientele and employs a staff of 70.

For Bill Seidl, the choice of Heidelberg is a perennial no-brainer: “Heidelberg’s word is gold,” he said. “I never have to worry that something will get fixed, because I know it will, period. Over and over again, Heidelberg customer service and support proves they’re in it for the long haul.”

Southeast Mail Service Expands into Short-Run Commercial Market with SM 52 Anicolor Press

Thanks to its newly installed Speedmaster SM 52 4-color press with Anicolor inking, Southeast Mail Service in Lexington, KY, is enjoying better quality, faster turnaround times and vastly improved reliability over the color digital printer it had previously deployed to handle short-run commercial jobs. “We were plagued by breakdowns on all but the shortest runs with our digital machine,” said vice president Jeff Fraley. In contrast, he added, “The first day we ran the SM 52 we finished four or five jobs—a total of 26,000 impressions—completely trouble-free.”

The $3.6 million company, which since 2001 has specialized in large web print runs for a variety of regionally based nonprofit organizations, purchased the Speedmaster SM 52—its first sheetfed press—in order to move into higher-margin, short-run commercial printing. Now, said Fraley, “Anything over 300 impressions we run on the Heidelberg. The SM 52 comes into color so fast and produces a salable sheet within five or six sheets. It’s an astonishing piece of equipment, as well as a reliable one. We look forward to using it to help us grow our business.”

Southeast Mail Service employs a staff of 22.

Little Folk Visuals Takes the CtP Plunge with Suprasetter 105 and Saphira Plates

Little Folk Visuals, a producer of materials for early childhood education, churches, schools and parents, reports the installation of a Suprasetter S105 computer-to-plate device with MetaDimension RIP.

“We do so many reruns that we put off going direct-to-plate for many years,” said Dixie Firman, owner. “However, there came a time we needed to do it, and we’re amazed by the time and effort we save, compared with dealing with film and stripping.”

Although the company specializes in making high-quality, heat-transfer felt sets used for teaching, it also does a fair amount of litho printing of manuals, postcards, product catalogs, lesson guides and “bright, colorful” retail packaging using its 4-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 press. With the productive new Suprasetter in place, and its print quality enhanced by the use of Heidelberg Saphira plates and chemistry, Firman hopes to extend a broader range of litho services to local businesses.

Thanks to support from Heidelberg, the company’s late transition to a computer-to-plate workflow presented few problems. “It’s been an absolutely wonderful experience,” Firman said. “Heidelberg personnel came out as many times as it took to get us up and running. I can’t say enough about how well we were treated.”

Founded in the early 1960s, Little Folk Visuals has a staff of 10-12 employees and annual wholesale revenue of $1.5 million.

Fisher Printing Relies on POLAR to Finish Jobs Precisely

Fisher Printing in Bridgeview, IL, has taken delivery of a POLAR 78 X high-speed, programmable paper cutter to serve the needs of its growing digital printing business. According to company president Brian Fischer, the company originally bought a competitive machine but became increasingly frustrated with its lack of reliability. Fisher cuts a variety of products using the new POLAR machine, including postcards, shelf-talker cards, in-store signage and related items. After its experience with the competitive cutter, Fischer appreciates the POLAR advantages, including speed, reliability, and resale value. “Given its reputation for quality and reliability, it was worth it to go with Heidelberg,” he said.

Third-generation, family owned Fisher Printing operates manufacturing facilities in both the Midwest (Bridgeview) and on the West Coast (Orange, Calif.) and is engaged primarily in the production of free-standing newspaper inserts (FSIs). The company’s 300+ employees serve a regional client base and several national accounts.