Book Production System's Faster Job Turn-Rounds

One of Horizon's SPF/FC-200A book production systems, with its speed and quick set-up has enabled Educational Printing Services to achieve faster job turn-arounds.

The Blackburn (UK) specialist printer of school books, diaries, teachers' resources and educational literature tested equipment from a range of suppliers to the test before finding the integrated JDF-ready SPF/FC-200A suitable, said the system's supplier, Graphic Arts Equipment (GAE).

The Horizon SPF/FC-200A is said to run at 4,500 book per hour and it includes a 200-programme job memory for recall and set-up of jobs and external waste removal that can save downtime.

Educational Printing Services' investment also included three 10-station VAC-Turbo Powercollators and a long delivery conveyor.

Martin Philbin, a director of the GBP1.5 million annual turnover Educational Printing Services, explained: "Our Bourg system was getting long in the tooth and we decided it was time for an upgrade.

We first saw prototype system at Ipex and visited one being run at a local print operation we know and respect.

Straight away I could see that it had superior build quality and was simple to use.

Our operators love it because it makes their life a lot easier." Philbin added: "The Horizon system is faster and the set-up takes just a couple of minutes instead of the hour or so we were used to on the earlier machine.

We tend to finish three sizes of book on a regular basis and before we would wait and run all the same size jobs together.

We would work on a size one day and move on to the next size once all the work was done.

That meant more planning and reduced turn-around times.

But now we don't need to pick and choose what work we run next." He added that Educational Printing Services can store the set-ups in the Horizon system's memory in a few minutes and it can switch from one size to the next.

That gives the company greater flexibility and the freedom to turn work around much quicker.

And he said: "I am sure this faster operation will enable us to open up more avenues of work in the future.".

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