Kolbus America

WHAT IS this strange-looking thing? Bob Geier wondered aloud, when a customer stopped by (circa 1987) and handed him a small, round piece of plastic. “I’d never seen anything like it before,” recalls Geier, owner of Farmingdale, NY-based Mid Island Bindery. “The customer said it was a compact disc, and that it was going to be huge someday. “That was a milestone year for us,” Geier notes. “We worked hard with our customer to produce the books that accompanied every compact disc at greater speeds then they were currently being produced and hold all the specifications required by the final assembler.” Mid Island produced

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—01/22/08—Four months before the start of drupa 2008, print media trade fair, the exhibitor registration reflects the international market situation and industry developments. Consequently, the leading technology producing nations will be the most strongly represented countries at drupa 2008: Germany (745,100 sq. ft.), Italy (148,200 sq. ft.), the U.S. (142,600 sq. ft.), Switzerland (130,500 sq. ft.), Netherlands (99,100 sq. ft.), Japan (89,200 sq. ft.), the UK (80,000 sq. ft.), Belgium (70,800 sq. ft.) and Spain (68,600 sq. ft.). Exhibit space booked by emerging industrial countries such as China and India has increased considerably: by 300% for China (84,700 sq. ft.) and 60% for

THE ROLLER coaster twisted from one side of the Muller Martini booth to the other, an improbably long snake piercing the air in an exhibition hall mostly filled with floor-dwelling equipment. This machine was certainly no bottom feeder—more specifically, it was a top feeder, the Topveyor 365 overhead conveyor. At times an overhead conveyor was needed to circumvent the crowds choking the aisles during Graph Expo 2007 in Chicago. But the patron flow was volatile, and there were periods where one could walk down some of the back aisles of the McCormick Place South Hall without bumping into a poster-toting gawker. . .of which

Stitch in Time Saves Nine NORWELL, MA—Smith Print, a full-service commercial printer in the greater Boston area, recently installed a Vijuk 321-T saddlestitcher equipped with six pockets plus cover feeder. The new stitcher was sold and will be serviced locally by Pasquariello Graphics. Frank Stanley, bindery foreman, and Tom Plourde, lead bindery operator, were involved in the final decision-making process and worked closely with Vijuk technicians during the installation and operational training. Open House Showcases UV Special Effects Options SAN RAFAEL, CA—A first-of-its-kind UV Special Effects open house, sponsored by KBA North America, was recently held at Paragraphics Inc., a

Curtis Picks Up Landmark Diecutter SANDY HOOK, CT—Curtis Packaging has installed the first Heidelberg Dymatrix 142 CSB diecutter in the Western Hemisphere. It replaces a 30-year-old machine. The massive, 60-ton diecutter was shipped from Heidelberg Postpress production in Manchengladbach, Germany. From there, the machine was dismantled, then shipped via freighter to the United States. Upon its arrival in New York Harbor, the Dymatrix 142 was sent to Curtis Packaging, becoming the first piece of Heidelberg equipment the company has ever owned. Now in full production mode at Curtis, the Dymatrix 142 CSB (cutting, stripping and blanking model) with automatic pallet feeder has met or exceeded all expectations,

New Stitcher Speeds Production PITTSBURGH—Since installing a Muller Martini BravoPlus-T saddlestitcher, Geyer Printing, a Consolidated Graphics company, reports it has gained noticeable improvements in setup times and overall production speed. “We’ve only had the new BravoPlus-T running for a short time, and the ease of makeready has already proven to be a big advantage,” notes Scott Barthelmes, president of Geyer Printing. “The faster run time and operator-friendly print finishing functions also offer great benefits.” Geyer Printing has been a user of Muller Martini finishing machinery for several decades, which lead to the decision to step up to the BravoPlus-T. “Our previous Muller stitcher operated efficiently for

Bobst Providing Bindery Direction ROSELAND, NJ—Intrigued by barbecues under the stars, a car show and rally—and yes, let’s not forget binding and finishing gear—roughly 450 people from 171 different plants made their way here for the Direction ’06 Open House sponsored by Bobst Group USA. The show, held September 21-26 at Bobst’s Demonstration and Training Center, showcased the company’s folding carton and commercial printing solutions for customers and prospects alike. A total of nine Bobst technologies were on display. On the commercial printing end, diecutters such as the SPanthera 106-LER, SPeria 106-E and the SPrintera 145-PER drew attention from visitors, along with the SPeria Foilmaster 102. Jerry

Stitcher Makes Debut at Steffy BROWNSTOWN, PA—Steffy Printing, a full-service commercial printer, recently installed a Vijuk 321-T saddlestitcher to keep up with its customers’ quicker turnaround needs. Bindery Upgrade Made in Northwest KENT, WA—ESP Printing updated its bindery equipment with the addition of a Bravo-T saddlestitcher from Muller Martini. Bobst Group USA Plans Open House ROSELAND, NJ—Bobst Group USA has set September 21-26 for its Direction ’06 folding carton open house, conference, seminars and trade fair. “This will be our biggest Direction event yet,” promises Chris Raney, Bobst vice president for folding carton. “We’ve added a number of new features including some very topical breakout session seminars. We

Installation Helps Bring in More Work MANCHESTER, MA—Cricket Press recently installed a Vijuk 321-T saddlestitcher. As a result of the new equipment, the full-service printer reports it is no longer outsourcing large jobs and is now taking in binding work from other printers. Customer Event Held on Long Island HAUPPAUGE, NY—Muller Martini hosted an open house March 22nd, providing an opportunity for customers to experience the high-speed Corona perfect binder in action. The event, held at Muller Martini’s Corporate Training Center on Long Island, was attended by printers and binders from throughout the country. Attendees learned about the Corona’s features, including: menu-guided operation and

Show Shines for Manufacturers ORLANDO—With 150 exhibit spaces of machines and services at Orlando Graphics 2005, held in April, enthusiasm for 2006 has already been expressed with 98 percent commitment by this year's exhibitors. "The quality of visitors, not the quantity, is what generates business for us," says Hans Max, president and CEO of MBO America, an exhibitor at the show. "We were extremely satisfied not only with the immediate sales, but the followup sales and leads produced by Orlando Graphics." MBO ran demonstrations allowing visitors to see more than 20 multiple-machine configurations bringing improved production to the pressroom or bindery. There was excitement over MBO's