Heidelberg Customers Report Significant Increase in Productivity Since Adding New Folders

KENNESAW, Ga.—January 6, 2016—Recent installations from Heidelberg’s Stahlfolder portfolio prove that upgrading postpress technology will lead to drastic increases in productivity and lasting customer benefits.

Keeping up the Pace
After years with a competitive machine, Hopkins Printing, a commercial printer in Ohio, was searching for a solution that would increase production and folding capacity in the 75,000-square-foot shop. The Stahlfolder KH 82 with PFX feeder was the ideal match for Hopkins Printing to aid the production of its two Speedmaster XL presses.

“Our Speedmaster presses both run 18,000 sheets per hour, so we needed a folder that could keep up,” said Terry Remaly. “With our Stahlfolder, we’re expecting to increase our productivity by 40 percent. We’ve already reached a 30 percent increase since our installation.”

The KH 82 is the workhorse of the Stahlfolder line running at high speeds with optimum automation. The Stahlfolder KH 82 is designed to drastically increase customers’ average output and reduce makeready time by up to 80 percent.

For Hopkins, the addition of the PFX feeder makes a substantial difference in terms of production. “The speed of the PFX feeder is at the root of our increase in productivity,” added Remaly. “The design is similar to that of an offset feeder, which allows us to feed much more efficiently and run our Stahlfolder at a much faster pace.”

Hopkins Printing provides an extensive mixture of creative solutions for their customers in offset, digital and wide format printing. While focusing on their core business of printing, the company will also expand its offerings to provide additional services for its customers and continue to provide exceptional service from concept to delivery.

The Perfect Fit for Production
When Capital Printing (Austin, Texas) was looking to increase the capacity of its shop, the Stahlfolder TH 82 from Heidelberg was a perfect fit to increase speed, volume and productivity. Since its installation, Capital Printing has seen faster makeready times and reduced overtime costs throughout its shop.

“We’re producing around 10,000 signatures/hr.—making us 40 hours more productive each week,” explained Sib Deliberato, production manager. “The capabilities of the machine have reduced our makeready time to less than 15 minutes and improved our efficiency.”

The ability to run the machine simply and efficiently translates to top folding quality and few interruptions throughout the folding run. Just this month, the company was able to run eight-page signatures at 17,000 signatures/hr.

Although it has been six years since its last folding purchase, Capital Printing is familiar with the quality of the Stahlfolder line with two 30-inch machines already installed in the shop. After testing competitive machines, the Stahlfolder TH 82 proved to be the top choice to improve their bindery department and help grow in sales from $10 million to $15 million.

With over 80 years of experience, Capital Printing specializes in a wide variety of services including magazines, mailings, publications, folding and stitching. The company serves a diverse range of industries from real estate and retail to food service and technology.

Source: Heidelberg.