Offset Printing
GPS to take delivery of highest specification Eurobind Pro in UK and Ireland
Thursday 14. February 2013 - In-house binding 24/7 sets company apart from competitors
Reduction of carbon footprint and considerable time saving due to in-house binding
One of Ireland’s largest printing companies, GPS Colour Graphics (GPS), will this month install its first industrial standard perfect binder, a Eurobind Pro 19 clamp perfect binder from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). The EB Pro will be the jewel in the crown of the company’s impressive post-press department.
Derek Bell, GPS owner, says: “We reached a stage where there was no option other than to bring binding in house. Our strong growth in recent years and evolving client base meant we needed binding facilities that complemented our other production capability. We are a 24/7 printing business so it is imperative that we have the flexibility to be able to bind during the night and at weekends to meet client’s demanding schedules. It will allow us to save time, have more control over schedules, quality and cost. Great finishing is all about detail; six of our staff will be given intensive training to ensure we will get the very best from the machine. We are excited about this new technology and confident about the fresh opportunities that it will bring.”
Another positive aspect for GPS, a carbon-neutral company, is the eradication of significant transportation associated with outsourcing binding work, reducing the company’s carbon footprint and saving valuable time. GPS also believes that investing in in-house binding of this calibre will genuinely set them apart and they will be better placed to meet their client’s growing needs.
GPS looked at binders from three suppliers but found that the EB Pro was 50% faster than a similarly priced machine from a rival supplier. Its compact and flexible build also means it is more space efficient.
This will be the most technically advanced perfect binder to be installed in the UK and Ireland to date. It features Heidelberg’s 3D spine glue camera system which can detect any problems before the book is bound, helping to ensure high quality products are produced. The side glue nozzle application system allows the side glue to be applied to the cover rather than the book which gives a higher level of accuracy and quality between the side glue and cover material block. The binder is equipped with a criss-cross delivery for book block production, which is vital for work that will subsequently be sewn and the EB Pro is also linked to a Heidelberg ET trimmer. The EB Pro at GPS will also handle both hot melt and PUR glues. PUR adhesives continue to gain in popularity, in part because of the incredibly strong bond where resilience matters but also because they work well with printed products that use digital fuser oils.
Last year GPS celebrated its 100th anniversary as an incorporated company and had a major image revamp. Despite the recession, GPS has doubled its turnover, a result of increased productivity, unrivalled investment in the latest technology and not forgetting faith in the power of print. At GPS quality print means so much more than just ink on paper. At every stage of the process GPS’s aim is to deliver a printed product of unsurpassable quality, delivered on time and on budget, with maximum efficiency.