Micropress has installed a brace of CoBo Stack automated stacking machines at its plant at Southwold, Suffolk.
The two MBO robot stackers were delivered at the start of December and have quickly proved indispensable.
“Like all other print companies, we have been under greater pressure during the last year due to Covid-19,” says director Paul Coby. “We traded throughout the pandemic and were busy again towards the end of the year.
“As a result, we were looking for greater automation in our print production to help workflow. The CoBo Stacks were the first pieces of kit we invested in since the first lockdown last year and we had to ensure we got it right.
“Despite having only been running for a couple of months, we have seen some benefits already, with the CoBo Stacks freeing up staff to look after other work.”
The company becomes the first in the UK with two of the stacking arms. They collect a pile from the delivery of the folder, lifting and placing each in the ideal position on a pallet for the next phase of production. It reduces the manpower load on a folder, allowing an operator to concentrate on the feed end while automation takes care of offloading tasks.
The company currently runs three MBO folders, alongside one Stahlfolder from Heidelberg, supplier of its three B1 Speedmaster presses. Micropress also runs Palamides stackers.
The company tries to supply all services from its own plant, including perfect binding, UV varnish and foiling. Earlier last year it began to offer clients the option of paper wrapping, part of an environmental ethos that has included a vast array of photovoltaic panels on its roof.
The CoBo Stack robots are what is known as cobots, working without guards alongside human operators. Safety systems prevent any unwanted accidents while in operation. And that has proved reliable, says Coby with the devices operating as smoothly as anticipated.
“December was a very busy month of the year for us and we were really pleased that the CoBo Stacks were able hit the ground running,” Coby said. “They have been running well. We have had no major issues and we have also got an update booked in to further improve performance.”
