Heidelberg Demonstrates Sunday 4000 in France

MONTATAIRE, FRANCE—Heidelberg Web Systems welcomed more than 150 printers from Europe and the United States to its European headquarters here recently for a one-day program centered around the company's new Sunday 4000 press system.

Included in the program were presentations on market trends as well as live demonstrations of the Sunday 4000 press. Printers were divided according to country in order to facilitate communication and to focus on market requirements in individual countries.

The Sunday 4000, the first 48-page Sunday Press, is designed for printing high pagination jobs for a wide range of run lengths, officials told the group. It has a top rated speed of 2,500 feet per minute and features a four pages around by six pages across cylinder configuration.

In addition to gapless blankets, pinless folders and shaftless drives, two other innovations make the Sunday 4000 particularly suitable for short and medium runs:

* The Autoplate fully automatic plate loading system allows one operator to change eight plates simultaneously in less than five minutes by remote control, saving 25 minutes on average at every plate change.

* The Autoweb-Up device can also automatically feed the web from the splicer through each press component up to the slitting module. A single operator can now route the web during a configuration change with considerable makeready time reduction.

In addition, the new PCC-2 pinless combination folder complements the Sunday 4000 and can produce 43 different folds.

Following demonstrations of the Sunday 4000, individual seminars were held to address reelstands and dryers, customer support, Sunday Technology and folders.

The majority of the presentations were held in the Montataire Customer Support Center, which opened in 1997 and now houses fully operational Heidelberg M-600 and Sunday 4000 web press systems. Both models are manufactured at Heidelberg's Montataire facility.

Heidelberg Web Systems introduced Sunday Technology in 1992, and more than 100 Sunday Press systems are now in operation in 13 countries, officials report. The Sunday 4000 model was introduced in 1998 and 10 systems have been sold in Europe.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Journal Graphics, of Portland, OR, has completed installation of a new Heidelberg heatset web press.

The five-unit, M-130 includes a Heidelberg JF-130 combination folder equipped with a delta fold option and automatic changeover. It also has the capability of delivering flat sheets. The addition of this press allows Journal Graphics to meet its customers' needs for high quality weekly and monthly publications, Journal Graphics officials report, adding that the new 16-page press lends itself perfectly to the short- to medium-length pressruns, which are Journal Graphics' hallmark. It is the company's fourth web press

Journal Graphics has roots dating back to 1872 and is still owned by the founding family. With a reputation for innovation, it was reportedly the first company west of the Mississippi River to install a heatset web press capable of printing four colors on both sides.

Journal Graphics has remained at the forefront from a technological standpoint throughout its operation. In 1995, a complete electronic prepress department was implemented. Computer-to-plate capabilities were added in 1998. Mailing services were added in the fall of 1998 to complement considerable bindery capacity and to make the company a truly full-service commercial web printer.

Journal Graphics employs 130 people and has seen revenues increase by 60 percent over the last four years.