Bristol commercial printer Philtone will take delivery of a five-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106in July, replacing a five-year-old Speedmaster CX102 and matching a four-colour XL106 that was installed last year.
It will end problems associated with producing plates for one press and having to remake them to fit the company’s other press, says managing director Phil Mercer. “There is nothing worse than planning a job and having to remake the plates because the size is different and the grips are different,” he says. “It is easy to waste a lot of plates.”
The investment will not deliver a vast impact on production volumes. The CX102 is a 2011 press fitted with Inpress Control control and running at 16,000sph so is already an efficient platform, he says. The XL106 will have Inpress 2, so will lead to a time a sheet saving, but the 2,000sph difference in running speed will not be significant, says Mercer. “We would not be spending this amount just for 2,000sph more,” he says.
“We were offered a very good deal for the CX102, so it would have been foolish not to invest. It is the best deal I have done in 30 years,” he adds. It will probably be the last as he will step down from full time work at the end of the year while remaining involved on the finance side and on planning for the business.
“The investment was spurred by theRegional Growth Fund and our desire to increase productivity and work to a common plate size,” Mercer says. “Our business is growing 20% a year and we know how productive the Speedmaster XL106 is.” Funding was arranged through Close Brothers Asset Finance which has had access to RGF funding.
There is no need for immediate investment on the finishing side to cope with the extra productivity, having installed two new folders in the last 18 months. “The biggest problem we have is finding staff on the finishing side,” says Mercer. “We run finishing 24/7 while the pressroom operates on double days, though when we are installing the new press, we’ll have to switch to continental shifts temporarily. Once commissioned it will go straight to double-day shifts.”
Other benefits the company is expecting to enjoy include consistency in the anilox coating rollers and an easier switch between presses for the four crews it operates with. “It was a decision that makes complete sense,” he adds.
Philtone directors Phil Mercer and Tony Billing have ordered a second Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106 to join a four-colour machine at the Bristol factory. The five-colour press will replace a five year old CX102.
