Offset Printing
Vale adds additional press after strong trading year
Wednesday 12. January 2011 - Following a year of growth in 2010 Vale Press near Broadway has placed an order for an additional Speedmaster SM 52-4, a B3 four-colour press. It will be delivered in March.
To house this press and its burgeoning finishing facilities the company has acquired an adjacent 3,000 sq ft warehouse.
Director Tom Stowe says: “At Ipex we bought a more automated Stahlfolder, the TH 56 model, and now we need to increase our litho capacity. We have a five-colour press which handles the special colours and seals silk and coated papers but it is running flat out 16 hours a day, six days a week. This four-colour press will handle the straightforward process colour work.”
For Vale Press it was “inevitable” that it bought from Heidelberg because the company likes the reliability and productivity of the Speedmaster. The company offers an integrated digital and litho service and at Ipex entered the large format inkjet market with a Fuji Acuity for posters and exhibition materials.
“In readiness for this latest litho expansion we have added to staff numbers over the past 12 months and now employ 20 staff. We have over 1,000 customers and we share our investment plans with them and listen to their requirements. The combination of litho and digital services has worked well for us and enabled us to expand in what for many has been a difficult market,” says Mr Stowe.
Matt Rockley, B2 and B3 product manager, says: “This press is perfect for any company looking to increase capacity without breaking the bank. It is highly price competitive but delivers Heidelberg high standard quality and service. Heidelberg offers many solutions in the B3 arena, covering all of the needs of the customer.”
The SM 52 is a scalable press which can be supplied with different configurations, speeds and with standard or anilox inking. This means it can be adapted to a range of markets and different budgets. The Vale Press model is a basic machine running at 13,000sph but still featuring the automation and press controls needed for very fast makeready and high output. It can handle thin papers through to 0.4mm stocks on sheet sizes from 105 x 145mm up to 370 x 520mm.