SEIZ PRINTING — NATIONAL CONTENDER

LOCATED IN Acworth, GA, just outside the bustling metropolis of Atlanta, Seiz Printing resides in a renovated thread mill that was originally constructed in 1905. Steeped in Southern tradition and hospitality, the highly successful, family owned business has been serving corporate clients, advertising firms and graphic design houses in the Atlanta area for more than 34 years.

Recently, the company set its sights on becoming one of the top high-end commercial print shops in the nation and increasing its revenues from approximately $15 million per year to the $20 million to $25 million range.

The shop’s latest installation of equipment represents the first step toward fulfilling this ambition. Seiz Printing recently installed a 12-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 perfecting press with CutStar roll sheeter, a six-color Speedmaster CD 102 with coater and Heidelberg’s off-line ultraviolet (UV) coating unit.

The new acquisition is consistent with the company’s aggressive strategy to expand its capabilities, improve quality and invest in employee training in order to gain national recognition.

Seiz Printing was originally established as a Kwik Kopy franchise in 1972 by Emil Seiz. Emil’s three sons—Charlie, Ed and Bill—helped their father run the small copy shop during their college years. Eventually, the Seiz brothers took over the business and exited the quick printing industry to capitalize on the burgeoning commercial market. Each brother assumed a role that would be inherent to the company’s success: Charlie became president, Ed became CFO and Bill assumed the CEO title.

Larger Goals

Following the decision to enter the commercial market, the shop moved from its original 15,000-square-foot facility in Smyrna to the 75,000-square-foot thread mill in Acworth. Seiz Printing began conducting business in the new building with three six-color, 40˝ presses and a half-size four-color press.

Over the years, the shop upgraded its equipment to remain at the forefront of technology. Today, Seiz Printing’s facility includes a prepress department complete with computer-to-plate technology, an all-Heidelberg pressroom and a fully functional bindery that includes a diecutter.

“We strive to complete the largest amount of work with the fewest number of employees, and our equipment must be extremely efficient to make that goal achievable,” says Charlie Seiz, president. “Heidelberg offers printing solutions that increase our bottom line, expand our capabilities and improve the quality of our work.”

Acquisition of the 12-color SM 102 perfecting press with CutStar was a natural next step for Seiz Printing in terms of expanding its capabilities. Two years ago, the Seiz brothers began visiting other print shops outside of the Atlanta area to look at long perfectors.

“We realized that we needed a press with perfecting technology and at least eight printing units to gain the efficiency we needed to succeed in the high-end market,” notes Charlie Seiz. “We also wanted to keep our costs down so we could continue to offer customers competitive prices as our business grows. The CutStar was the perfect solution. Our new press is the first of its kind to be installed in the Atlanta area. In addition to contributing to our national growth, it differentiates us from the local competition.”

The biggest advantage of Heidelberg’s CutStar roll sheeter is in the ability to buy less expensive paper rolls rather than more costly pre-sheeted material. The technology is easy to use and brings many benefits to commercial print shops like Seiz Printing, including higher production speeds and the ability to print efficiently on lightweight stock.

Seiz Printing’s new SM 102 prints a maximum of 22,000 iph and allows the printer to compete for short-run jobs in the web offset market, as well as longer runs of sheetfed jobs. Since the installation, the shop has completed several high-end jobs for automobile manufacturers.

Along with its first long perfecting press, Seiz Printing also installed an off-line double coating UV unit to fulfill existing customer demand for UV jobs. This technology allows the company to apply high-quality UV matte gloss effects on different substrates. With the new machine in place, Seiz is able to keep all of its UV work in-house and even produce its own coating plates for spot UV jobs.

In terms of its equipment, Seiz Printing has an innate knowledge of when to buy and when to sell. The company does not pay off its presses. Instead, the shop identifies the most advantageous time for resale, sells its used equipment and upgrades to a new machine.

“We believe survival in this industry is dependent upon investing in cutting-edge technology and that shops that continue to run outdated equipment will go out of business,” adds Charlie Seiz. “That’s why we have made a conscious effort to upgrade our prepress, sheetfed and finishing equipment over the years.”

The company’s new six-color Speedmaster CD 102 press with coater replaced two existing six-color Heidelberg presses. The new Speedmaster CD 102 Preset Plus generation has been redesigned to include a number of ergonomic refinements, such as a new feeder, delivery system and coating unit.

The future certainly looks bright for Seiz Printing. Currently, the shop is printing 24 hours a day, five days a week, producing the same volume with the two new Heidelberg presses as it did with the four previously installed presses. Charlie Seiz predicts that production will increase to 24 hours a day, seven days per week within the next six months. If all goes as expected, says Seiz, the future could see subsequent installations, including another long perfecting press with CutStar and a system with in-line UV capabilities.

“Our shop has a reputation for handling certain types of work that other printers have to outsource,” he concludes. “The capabilities of our new equipment are such that we will continue to stand out in the Atlanta market and extend our reach across the country.”