Finishing & Screen Printing
New POLAR Cutter Boosts Packaging Capability at Windward Press
Wednesday 18. February 2009 - Windward Press, Seattle, Wash. has a passion for packaging. Although though the company provides full-service printing and lends its graphic design expertise to customers throughout the northwestern U.S., it specializes in complex, eye-catching packaging for the music industry.
“The work that we do is multi-faceted,” said President David Livingston. “Customers are requesting more and more complex packaging options, and our equipment has to deliver on those demands.” For that reason, the company recently replaced an aging POLAR cutter with a new POLAR 115 XT with Autotrim from Heidelberg. The new cutter has increased the shops productivity by at least 30 percent, thanks to its automation, programmable options and an automatic waste removal feature. “The POLAR 115 XT has improved our quality, speed and throughput,” Livingston said. “This upgrade has transformed our shop and made us more productive on the back end.” Windward Press runs additional Heidelberg equipment in the bindery, including another POLAR cutter and jogger. In prepress, the company operates a Heidelberg Prosetter violet platesetter and uses Heidelberg Saphira Violet plates. A Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified company, Windward Press takes its environmental responsibility seriously. “We strive to stay aware of and embrace new technologies that will not only benefit our customers, but ultimately our company and the community in which we live,” Livingston said. Founded in 1982, the company currently employs a staff of 12.