Quad/Graphics — Finishing First

BY ERIK CAGLE

Quad/Graphics has installed the latest design in Ferag gathering/stitching/ trimming systems at its plant in Lomira, WI, marking the third such system installation for Quad. The new system includes six log-fed feeders, which transport signatures to a rotary gathering drum, then to a shear-cut trimmer.

According to Frank Arndorfer, Quad/Graphics' vice president of finishing operations, adding the third Ferag unit bolsters the company in a number of ways. The Ferags are the workhorses on the shop floor.

"We lean toward Ferag because we have an application for production that requires more of a Gatlin gun approach—high volume and relative ease of use," Arndorfer says. "The real beauty and strength are their speed, the ability to produce a specific profile or product. It allows us to take relatively simple, high-volume work off of our conventional saddle stitchers and free those machines up for the kind of work they're designed to produce: custom, highly selective, variable page count and inside-outside personalization."

The high-speed Ferag gatherer/stitcher/trimmer was first introduced to the North American market several years ago, with the installation of two 10-pocket units in Quad/Graphics facilities in 1992 and 1993. Since then, Quad and Ferag have worked together to customize the system to meet Quad's needs. As a result, the existing units, as well as the new installation, make it possible to change format sizes in a matter of minutes, keep maintenance to a bare minimum and achieve production speeds as high as 40,000 copies per hour, officials say.

"Quad helped redesign the trim drum," notes Mike Paschall, vice president of commercial products for Ferag Americas. "It's basically still the same unit; Quad suggested design modifications. They've been instrumental in how they feed with logs and the gripper design, to be more effective for glossy papers.

"Quad's maintenance and engineering departments are amazing with their team play," he adds. "They didn't beat up the vendor—they worked in concert with us. They were quite instrumental throughout the process. I can't overemphasize their positive benefit to us and with the product development."

In announcing the installation, Arndorfer notes that Quad was initially impressed with the system's speed and reliability, as well as the initial design.

"This system is truly a different approach to the standard saddle-stitch systems we have," Arndorfer remarks. "In a multiple-system environment like ours, Ferag showed a willingness to grow with our specific needs. We asked for customization and speed, and Ferag responded, which eventually led to this third system.

More Than Meets the Eye
"The Ferag is unique in that there really isn't anything else out there like it today," Arndorfer adds. "You can plead a case for installing three conventional saddle stitchers that basically would have the same throughput that you could have with a single Ferag. But considering the issues of floor space and manpower, Ferag made more sense to us."

According to Paschall, the unit's speed may be the initial attention grabber, but users soon find it has much more to offer.

"Its speed catches everyone's eye at first, but then they realize it's not only high speed but convenient format changes," Paschall stresses. "You've taken a product standing still to a 40,000 per hour maximum speed and still know where the custody of each specific signature is. Quad is also very happy about the trim drum because it provides a shear cut on all three sides. And their help with the design changes produced higher net speeds, and the format size changes in minutes. Maintenance is greatly reduced from the original version."

Paschall also points out that waste is greatly reduced: less than 1⁄10 of 1 percent. It translates to roughly a dozen bad books in a 500,000 issue run. "That's how the caliper factor is on this unit," he says.

Bill Graushar, head of corporate finishing development for Quad, points out that his company can now "out-produce all other conventional stitcher-trimmers 2-to-1 on the Ferag system, especially in the specific catalog markets on which we focus. And that's with less manning."

Speaking for Ferag Americas, Vice President of Technology Roger Honneger says, "This design required a completely different approach than the standard American approach to bindery equipment. We at Ferag are grateful that Quad understood the uniqueness and stuck with us now into a third complete system."

Paschall feels it is difficult to compare the unit with like systems on the market, mainly because the similar competing systems utilize "stop and go" technology. In effect, he feels the Ferag offering is one of a kind.

"When you speak in terms of total throughput, this system is completely unique to the industry," he remarks. "The Swiss designed it about six years ago and developed the drum design from existing insert technology. This is not a 'stop and go' technology like the conventional saddle-stitcher designs, but a system geared for 35,000 to 40,000 copies per hour.

"Our system is not for everybody," Paschall adds. "Machines from Heidelberg and Muller Martini have the standard stop and go mentality, but it's a linear system—you stand in front of it and feed it. Our system is a different type because of the drum and it doesn't utilize the same feeding mechanisms they use, so it's not a good comparison. You wouldn't put the Ferag system into a medium-sized, $10 million printer with busy bindery work. The other technology would be more cost-effective and flexible for that type of operation."

Not Just Gravure
Paschall feels there is a popular myth about the Ferag being geared only toward gravure runs. "That's just not true," he says. "It changes formats and sizes fast, and it's flexible for versions in web offset. People with many version changes can use it. When Quad was investigating the Ferag, they went for the speed on long-run gravure products, but after a while they realized they can run some web offset on it, and it doesn't have to be for long runs in the millions. They're doing shorter runs, in the 75,000 range and up."

This recent Quad installation brings the total of Ferag gatherer/ stitcher/trimmers now in operation to nearly 60 in 15 different countries. Five installations have taken place in the United States.

Paschall notes the system will be undergoing some modifications over the next two years to add versatility. "We're working on it now to include forms of selective delivery and possibly some form of selective binding," he says.