Healeys Printers has increased the range of products it can deliver with installation of an Aster EL sewing machine.
The company has been n the lockout for something suitable for more than a year says managing director Philip Dodd. This machine was found at a defunct business in Prague where all the equipment was purchased by a German dealer, which in turn delivered the machine to Ipswich. “It looks stunning, in excellent condition,” says Dodd.
The company has produced its first few sewn jobs, including some exposed spine notebooks as a promotion to be sent to customers to introduce them to the new service.
The Meccanotecnica machine is being shared with Hipwell Bookbinders, a craft binding business that occupies part of the Healeys site. “We don’t have enough volume to fill the machine and I have known David and Vicky at Hipwell for years. They were up for it as it can do longer run work for them,” says Dodd. “I think collaborations like this are a good idea.”
The Aster EL is the entry level machine produced by the Italian manufacturer and is designed as a standalone machine rather than as part of a full gathering and sewing line.
It will offer Healeys scope for different styles of sewn product able to offer customers high impact products.This is the sector that the company is addressing. “We’re great admirers of companies like Micropress or PrintedEasy – they are stunningly good at what they do – but that is not what we do. One of the great things about the printing industry is that it can support so many different companies,” he says.
The investment follows installation of a second Heidelberg Versafire LP in November, its second new digital press within a year. That is it for additional equipment says Dodd. There will however be investment in integrating a Hubspot CRM into the company’s PrintIQ MIS system.
