Offset Printing
Fuller Davies switches to Heidelberg with CD 74-5 purchase
Monday 18. February 2008 - Fuller Davies in Ipswich is switching from MAN Roland to Heidelberg, buying a Speedmaster CD 74-5 which it believes will give it a 30% increase in productivity over the R-300 it replaces.
The press has been installed with training underway currently and full commercial production anticipated within days.
“The CD 74-5 will be a lot more productive and more operator friendly,” says Kevin Davies, managing director. “It is a well built, well designed machine. It is an obvious thing to say but to thrive in todays market you have to be productive and to do this you have to give the operators the right tools and this press is it.
“We were looking for fast make ready and quality of output. This machine is really accessible; there is only one tool to set all the ink rollers, for instance. The detail is just fantastic. Someone has thought about all the little foibles printers moan about and has addressed them all.”
The company handles B1 and B2 work, primarily in runs of 2-20,000. Most of the work, which is drawn from a wide regional base including East Anglia, London, the south east and the midlands, is multi page corporate literature and direct mail, where it offers a design to mailing / delivery service.
“We need to be able to handle anything that comes through the door so the CD with its ability to handle a very wide range of stocks and its high rolling power is ideal. The installation was fast and easy and we know the service Heidelberg offers is reliable and comprehensive,” says Mr Davies.
The company operates 12 hours a day, six days a week generating a turnover of £2.5m with a staff of 25. Mr Davies says he would a add a night shift if work dictated it but in the short term he feels the additional capacity the new press provides will reduce the pressure.
The company operates from a 15,000 sq ft building which it moved to three years ago. This gives it potential for more expansion in future and Mr Davies sees this press as the start of a new supplier partnership long term