Finishing & Screen Printing

Orchard adds folding power to meet long perfector output boost

Friday 09. May 2014 - The productivity of The Speedmaster XL 102-10-P with Inpress Control at Orchard Press only underlined the need to bolster its folding productivity to prevent bottlenecks. In December, shortly after the press was delivered, it added a Stahlfolder KH 82 automated combination model with pallet feeder and now it has returned to Heidelberg to order a TH 82 buckle machine with a round continuous feeder.

The Stahlfolder KH 82 replaced a smaller KH66 and the TH 82 a seven year old MBO buckle folder. Now the company can take printed work direct from press to the folder and know that the finishing operations will proceed speedily and turnround times will be rapid.
Having the mix of combination and buckle machines means jobs can be directed to the best technology in each case and it offers the flexibility and breadth of folding options the company requires to effectively service its customers.
In the UK generally Heidelberg has found that automated Stahlfolders have become popular and across the range combination folders have outpaced buckle machines in B1 while the reverse is true in B2
“We looked at MBO. It’s good to compare machines but the latest generation Stahlfolders are much more automated and productive and Heidelberg’s service is very convincing across all machines. It is very responsive, reliably same day not two or three days which it can be with some suppliers,” says Adrian Williams, co-owner of the business with his father Bob.
The Tewkesbury company says that space is now an issue and it envisages expanding the building to provide more production space before making any more machine investments.
The new ten-colour is handling a wide range of commercial jobs for a national client base. Academic and technical books, catalogues, leaflets and promotional materials are typical of the products but it is flexible in what it handles. Run lengths vary greatly but is some instances can be as high as 200,000 plus.
Although new media as well as the recession has pegged back print volumes in the UK, Orchard Press has been encouraged by the uplift in the first quarter of 2014 and the slight upward movement in pricing. It currently runs double days shifts to ensure it offers excellent print, responsively.