case study
Watkiss finishing system marks a new era for Restart Print
(view as PDF)
“It is amazing that such a
compact system can have
such a huge effect on our output."
Deane Merrick,
owner of Restart Print
Trade printer Restart Print in Tamworth, Staffordshire, has boosted
productivity in its finishing division significantly since installing a
Watkiss collating and booklet making system.
The system comprises an eight bin Watkiss DigiVAC vertical collating
tower, functioning online to Watkiss’
BookMaster, TrimMaster and
SpineMaster booklet making modules. The investment has proved so
successful that the company forecasts profitability will increase at
unprecedented levels in the coming months.
Deane
Merrick, owner of Restart Print, says: “It is amazing that such a compact
system can have such a huge effect on our output. Before we installed the
Watkiss machine, we had four separate processes in place to produce
booklets and magazines for our customers. The operation involved running
the printed material through a folding machine; collating it by hand;
stitching it with a single-head stitcher and finally guillotining down to
final size.
“For
a 30,000 run, it would take us over a week to complete the stitching
process alone, so in order to finish a job of this size we would normally
have outsourced it to a third party. The Watkiss system has truly
revolutionised our production and we are now able to complete the same job
in two days. It collates, folds, staples and trims sheets before creating
a high-quality, professional SquareBack finish with the SpineMaster module
– all in one pass. As a result, our production speeds have increased and
the quality of our output has improved.”
As a result of being the only vertical collator to adopt bottom-feed
technology, The Watkiss DigiVAC collating tower is unique in that each bin
can be loaded ‘on the run’, without the operator having to stop the
machine for loading. The system therefore allows for continuous operation
with a single bin, giving it a small footprint: a feature that
particularly appeals to Restart Print.
“We are a privately owned company of just seven employees and have
limited floor space to dedicate to our finishing department,” says Mr
Merrick. “Housing the Watkiss system meant the removal of just one bench;
as such, disruption at the point of delivery was kept to a minimum and we
have been able to retain our existing machines as back up.”
In addition to the financial benefits conferred by speeding up
production and reducing outsourcing costs, the Watkiss collating and
booklet making system has helped Restart Print identify another, lucrative
business sector that the company is now in a position to exploit. Mr
Merrick explains: “Because the system is able to process digitally printed
material, we have been able to advertise our finishing services to local
printers and copy shops.
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“The DigiVAC running online to the booklet making components has
provided us with a brand new service from which we expect to gain extra
revenue. Furthermore, its installation means we are now prepared for
expansion if we were to ever decide to complement our Heidelberg offset
services with a digital ‘print-on-demand’ facility.”
Restart Print produces booklets and magazines, mainly for design
agencies, print brokers and printing companies in the UK. It owns a design
studio, CTP system and five-colour offset press from Heidelberg, as well
as a range of stand-alone systems in its recently extended finishing
department. The company was established in 1996 and has a turnover of
£370,000 per annum.
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