Offset Printing
B&D beefs up its B2 output with a Speedmaster XL 75-5+L
Monday 20. April 2009 - Switching to the latest press generation has enabled B&D Print Services in Leyland to return to 16 hour days and cut out most of the additional weekend and night overtime.
“Our staff were great, with lots of people working lots of hours but at the end of the day you have a responsibility to people looking pale and thin who havent seen their kids for three days,” says John Fry, business development director.
Increasing the capacity to meet demand was the key motivating factor behind the companys decision to trade in a Speedmaster SM 74-5+L in favour of the XL 75-5+L.
“The XL will give us at least one third more capacity and potentially even double what we were producing on the older press,” says Mr Fry.
The company had viewed a secondhand press of less than 12 months but when it compared the price with a new press the decision was clear cut. Mr Fry is a Heidelberg zealot, trained originally on an S line press and valuing the technical knowledge of the supplier and its experience in offset as well as its continuing innovation.
The five-colour plus coater is the right configuration for this general commercial printer because it generates a lot of work with a corporate spot colour and their turnrounds tend to be very tight so coating enables these deadlines to be met.
B&D Print Services not only has Prepress Interface but is very JDF minded and is in the process of connecting up its Tharstern MIS system. It will eventually link up everything in the building and new investment in finishing in the future will be made with connectivity in mind.
The new Speedmaster XL 75 is part of a larger investment which also includes a Xerox Nuvera 144 mono digital line, a Kodak Nexpress colour line and workflow. The company produces a broad range of print including periodicals, magazines and brochures for companies throughout the UK and abroad, most recently Canada.
“We live in a small world today in part because of the Internet but also because people will travel further for value for money,” says Mr Fry. “With the new press we can offer greater efficiency.”
The company has a Total Quality Management strategy and is FSC accredited.