Finishing & Screen Printing
Heidelberg gains a cutting edge at Robert Gordon University
Monday 30. November 2009 - Heidelberg has won the tender to supply The Design and Print Consultancy at Aberdeens Robert Gordon University with a Polar 78X guillotine.
After running a Polar guillotine for 25 years without problem, it was only the concern over long term spare parts supply that led the design, print and finishing inplant to consider reinvestment. It put its case to the universitys capital working group, staving off rival bids for funding, and was given the go-ahead to purchase a new guillotine.
Two companies fought hard for the contract, Heidelberg edging ahead because of the preference of the two main guillotine operators, the service and support levels offered and the resale value of the equipment.
The guillotine was delivered last week to the busy inplant which employs 15 staff and produces a very broad range of marketing promotional material and stationery products. The university is the core customer but the university has extended its commercial work over recent years and this too worked in favour of the funding which will eventually pay for itself from outside contracts.
“The guillotine is the most used machine in the inplant,” says print manager Bill Walker. “It will be used daily by a number of staff, cutting paper prior to printing as well as cutting print down to finished work.
“Technology has moved on significantly since the last guillotine was delivered 25 years ago. It has very critical Health & Safety features and the visual display and programmability means it will be easy to store and use a number of standard cuts. The other feature we like is its ability to cut oversize sheets to a maximum of 780 x 780mm.”
Operating flexible days to give cover of typically 12 hours the guillotine will run alongside three Heidelberg GTOs, a four-, two- and single-colour.
Robert Gordon University is named after a successful merchant born in Aberdeen in 1668 who went on to trade very successfully with the Baltic states, reinvesting in a number of buildings in this northern Scottish city and this philanthropy has ensured his name lives on.