Moquin Press Sets World Record with HEIDELBERG 21K Speedmaster XL 106

Moquin Press, one of the West Coast’s leading label and packaging providers, set a new world record producing 452,755 net sellable sheets (455,709 gross sheets) on its Speedmaster XL 106 in only 24 hours. With speeds up to 21,000 sheets per hour, Moquin’s seven-color press with inline coating, installed at its Belmont facility, is the first in the world from HEIDELBERG specially designed for label production. Central to this accomplishment were numerous press modifications tailored to meet the demands of high-performance label printers, including special sheet travel adjustments in the units and the delivery and the new fourth generation CutStar – all optimized for production of thin materials at higher speeds.

(Left image) from left: Bryan Moquin, vice president of sales; Robert Razura, press operator; Daniel Robertson, production manager; Aung Aung Thu, press operator. (Right image) from left: Tiago Magalhaes, pressroom project management; Marcio Ribeiro, general manager; Lam Ngo, press operator.

“Quality first, speed second,” was Moquin’s mantra as it aimed to complete its new world record – producing a 60 lb. C1S wet-glue label. Thanks to the Speedmaster XL 106’s built-in Prinect Inpress Control 3 color control technology, the company achieved impeccable color consistency across three shifts and six different operators, achieving an average Delta E of 0.6. “Maintaining the highest print quality is still our number one priority,” said Bryan Moquin, Vice President of Sales for Moquin. The industry-leading inline spectrophotometer also helped the company create less than 3,000 combined makeready and waste sheets (0.6%) throughout the entire run.

With press speeds of 21,000 sph, operators would need to pull sheets every 3-4 minutes to check color offline. “Maintaining this kind of color consistency without Inpress Control would be an impossible task,” said Marcio Ribiero, General Manager for Moquin. “It is the press’s most important ally for quality control.” With real-time press reporting, Prinect allowed Ribiero to easily access data on color and other production metrics any time during the twenty-four-hour press run. He noted the quality and productivity of the job remained consistent across all operators, who all had varying levels of experience.

“Previously, we would have seen changes in run speed or quality variance due to shift changeover, but it worked seamlessly,” said Ribierio. “Our operators really embrace the press’s technology, which was an essential element to achieving this feat.”

With the Speedmaster XL 106’s advanced Push to Stop technology, processes intelligently start on their own, and the operator only interrupts when necessary. Throughout the world record production, the press team performed seven plate changes (to ensure quality of the plate and dot integrity) and changed thirteen rolls of material on its CutStar inline sheeter. Despite these historically “efficiency zapping” moments, Ribiero said, “There wasn’t a moment that wasn’t productive. While the operators changed rolls, the machine automatically started changing plates or washing blankets.”

He added that the “real star” of the Speedmaster XL 106 is its redesigned non-stop delivery, which ensures uninterrupted production on long runs, even at top speeds. Every 10,000 sheets, the machine automatically started the process to change out the stack in the delivery; fifty pallet changes were performed, but there were zero jams or interruptions. Additionally, the movable belt table system assists with reliable pile separation and smooth, precise placement of the auxiliary pile, which meant even very thin 60 lb. label stock was delivered in perfect stacks.

According to Moquin, “To achieve a world record with virtually flawless execution, you need to not only have the best equipment in the world, but you also need to have the best operators in the world. We cannot thank our team enough for the amazing feat they have accomplished.”

“A big congratulations to the team at Moquin Press for this incredible achievement,” said Clarence Penge, EVP for Sales, Product Management, and Marketing for HEIDELBERG USA. “Their enduring success underscores the importance of continuously investing in the best people and latest technologies to stay competitive and adapt to changes in the market.”

With the Speedmaster XL 106 installed less than nine months ago, Moquin is aiming to beat its own record on future runs. “The more in tune our operators get with the technology, the more efficient we become,” said Riberio. “We know we can get even better.” Moquin added, “The customer is the real benefactor here. We can turn projects around with more agility than our competitors yet still maintain extremely high-quality standards.”

Source: Heidelberg

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