Product category:
Print Finishing (Binding, Folding, Inserting, Stitching, etc.)
News Release from: Graphic Arts Equipment | Subject: Horizon Stitchliner, VAC-Turbo Powercollator
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 23 May 2007
On-Demand Bindery Produces Examination
Papers
The development of an automated on-demand bindery for producing examination papers and for serving the educational market has been key to WJEC/CBAC Services.
Graphic Arts Equipment (GAE) responded by supplying a Horizon Stitchliner with 24-station deep VAC-Turbo Powercollator, a BQ270 automated single clamp perfect binding system and an AFC-544A four-plate combination buckle and knife B2 folder All the equipment is i2i and JDF ready
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 7 May 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The option of JDF and i2i networked equipment was also important because it is gives the operation the opportunity to make the most of the technology when the time is right.
WJEC/CBAC prints exam booklets, specimen booklets, teaching aids, results slips and more than 300,000 certificates.
The company's director of ICT and print services, Bob Rees, said the investment was welcome as the existing equipment was past its best.
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He commented: "There are three main reasons we wanted to upgrade.
First we wanted to improve the quality control of the output to make sure the question papers looked pristine.
Secondly we wanted to eliminate any possible errors in collation and finally we wanted to improve the speed of production.
The work is whizzing through now." Angharad Marczak, print manager at WJEC/CBAC, was involved in the selection process and she said the Stichliner's reliability was crucial.
She explained: "It eliminated any doubles and missed work, which is very important when printing the question papers.
Doubles are not such a problem but we cannot afford to have question papers with pages missing.
The Stitchliner also gives the booklet a different finish because it creases before stapling." Bob Rees added: "It improves the look and feel of the finished product.
I am hoping it will assist us in winning new business and it will certainly help us keep existing customers.
We often gain new customers through recommendations and we hope this will be the case through the improved quality of the product." As for the folder Rees observed: "This really now gives a nicer looking product." And Marczak continued: "The main advantage was the different folds that we can produce now with consistent quality of the fold and little set up waste." And the benefits since the installation are already being felt according to Rees: "We have been able to reduce costs because we can produce all the work internally and not send out as much out when we are busy.
The bottom line looks better and that is what it is all about." WJEC has worked with GAE before and that was a big factor in the equipment choice, as Rees pointed out: "We obtained an extremely good deal.
Because of our financial regulation we have to invite several alternative applications and the Horizon package from GAE clearly represented the best value for money." WJEC/CBAC was established in 1948 and ran steadily under the older A-level and O-level structure with calligraphers employed to hand-write certificates.
Things changed in 1988 when GCSE's were introduced.
Rees explained: "The market became an extremely competitive situation.
We did lose 10 per cent to 20 per cent of our Welsh business because so many centres opened up.
Now 60 per cent of our business is Welsh and 40 per cent comes from England." He predicted that before long there will be a 50/50 split and added: "Ironically we are market leaders in English Literature and English Language.
That is because we offer a traditional type syllabus and schools like that.".
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