CTP - Computer to Plate
SCREEN CTP CREATES 400% PRODUCTION INCREASE AT BROWN BROTHERS
Thursday 14. August 2008 - Business has never been better since Brown Brothers, Irvine, installed a PlateRite 4300S platesetter and Trueflow workflow package from Screen.
Plate output has increased by 400 percent; bills for outsourcing and overtime have plummeted; time making ready on press has halved due to the system’s accuracy and ability to punch plates inline; the PlateRite 4300S’ automation and ease of use means staff from other departments in the company are able to help out with plate making if other areas of the business is quiet or if the repro department is busy; and days spent imposing work have been reduced to hours.
“Installing Screen’s CtP has rejuvenated business at Brown Brothers because it is so effective at turning around high-quality plates at speed,” says Douglas Boyle, co-director of Brown Brothers. “It is capable of turning out 21 plates per hour, but we are easily hitting our daily plate making target by producing 14 plates at a higher resolution of 190 lpi, which is four times as many as we would achieve with our manual operation, even when we were running at full speed and producing adequate quality. Before we would often have to either outsource some of our platemaking during busy times or pay employees to stay on late in order to meet our daily quota; sometimes up to 30 extra hours per week! But this is no longer necessary and we have dramatically reduced our costs as a result.”
All areas across the board have benefited from the Screen system’s efficiency. The pressure has eased in the pre-press department to such an extent since installing the PlateRite 4300S, that one full time pre-press employee is now being trained to operate in Brown Brother’s finishing facility. “We have been able to put an extra pair of hands in the finishing department, so we are now turning our printed pages into saleable products at a faster rate,” says Mr Boyle.
In addition, the company’s Mac operators have found that receiving and preparing files for production is a speedy and straightforward process. The employee only needs to drop the file into pre-programmed ‘hot folders’ and Trueflow imposes the images automatically. Mr Boyle estimates that “12 hours’ worth of work can now be done in fewer than two”.
Functioning with CtP means Brown Brothers is also more efficient in the energy and power it uses in its prepress department. Mr Boyle explains: “Our fragmented set-up before the Screen installation meant we used fourteen plug sockets for equipment such as light boxes and RIPS. Now we use just three; one for the PlateRite 4300S, the conveyer belt and the processor. Because of this, we expect to reap further financial benefits from a decrease in our energy bills in the coming months.”
Brown Brothers is using Agfa chemical-free plates, which are an environmentally-friendly option in the fact that they are processed using a water based solution similar to washing-up liquid that can be poured away safely down the drain after use. By omitting the use of toxic compounds, Brown Brothers have attracted the attention of North Ayrshire County Council, which has visited Brown Brothers in order to acknowledge the company’s efforts in helping the environment.
Mr Boyle says: “Our council has been very supportive of our move to adopting a chemical-free production and have awarded us grants as part of the local government’s campaign to promote recycling and safe waste disposal. We have also had a couple of very successful open days whereby our customers, as well Council members, have visited us to see our new CtP operation in action. Such events have proved useful in helping us communicate how we are attempting to improve our service while at the same time investing in our business for the sake of the environment.”
Producing a range of four-colour commercial materials for large retailers, manufacturers and local councils, Brown Brothers has been trading for over fifty years. Today it has an annual turnover of £1million and employs 14 people in its lithographic printing, design and finishing departments.