Product category:
Print Finishing (Binding, Folding, Inserting, Stitching, etc.)
News Release from: Graphic Arts Equipment | Subject: Horizon VAC Turbo Powercollating line
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 10 October 2006
Collator Answers Trade Binder's Need For
Speed
The need for speed was the reason for the Ark Group's investment of a four-tower Horizon VAC Turbo Powercollating line from Graphic Arts Equipment (GAE).
The need for speed was the reason for the Ark Group's investment of a four-tower Horizon VAC Turbo Powercollating line from Graphic Arts Equipment (GAE) Ark Group made the investment at its Billingham trade binding division near Middlesborough (UK)
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 7 May 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Senior partner at Ark Group, Tony Matterson, explained: "Most end users now operate on a just-in-time basis, and our customers expect same-day or next-day delivery as the norm.
We simply have to meet our deadlines.
We found ourselves in the situation where there were two big orders coming our way at the same time - one for a laminate, cut, collate and drill job at half a million sheets, the other a collate and bind job at two million sheets.
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It was obvious we were facing a big bottleneck at the collating stage using only our existing 16-station horizontal collator." He said that Ark's new Horizon system offers more than just increased capacity and added: "Having 40 stations means I can produce two and-a-half times as many sheets in one pass., but we have also set the Horizon up with stackers at both ends, so we can split the run and collate two sets of 20 simultaneously in opposite directions.
Also, because Horizon offers programmable split bin production, we can be collating one set and loading the next simultaneously so, when the first is finished, the second starts automatically and production is continuous." The flexibility of the Horizon is evident in other areas too, according to Matterson.
He said:"As a trade finisher we need to be able to handle a wide variety of jobs and our collator needs to be comfortable with all kinds of stocks, including laminates.
Although speed was a big factor, versatility is just as important.
It's useful to know we can expand the system in future if we want to, for instance, by adding a stitch-fold-trim line.
Other points in the Horizon's favour were ease of use, fast automated set-ups, and a space-saving vertical design." He added that the company also knew that Horizon has a good reputation within the trade, and Ark Group was impressed with GAE which has kept in touch for years and is clearly committed to Ark's sector.
The Ark Group Ark Laminating and Ark Presentation Services, as well as its trade bindery arm, offer a full range of finishing services to printers in the north east of England and, according to Matterson, never compromises on quality.
He observed: "We are an honest, down to earth family firm that keeps its promises and builds good long-term business relationships.".
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