Speedmaster Heralds B2 Market Attack For Masons

Masons Print Group is re-organising its factory layout to maximise workflow efficiency, adding an extra shift in the bindery and taking delivery of a new press and guillotine system from Heidelberg.

Masons Print Group is re-organising its factory layout to maximise workflow efficiency, adding an extra shift in the bindery and taking delivery of a new press and guillotine system from Heidelberg.

The company is taking delivery of the new Speedmaster CD74-5L, a B2 five-colour press with coater, in April.

It will replace a B3 five-colour and will run alongside its existing four-year-old SM74-5.

Those moves will ensure it can compete in the price-sensitive market of on-line Internet bidding and facilities management as well as providing commercial printing products to its customer base.

"We are finding we are very competitive in the B2 format.

The new press will give us a 30% improvement in productivity and we will get better quality and better turnround.

It is easier to handle and quicker to make-ready.

If we shave off five or 10 minutes on every job it will make a big difference," said managing director Tim Leaman.

"We bought the SM 74 five-colour at a time when a lot of work was four-colour and we could use the fifth unit for seals.

Now five colours are quite standard and a dedicated coater will allow us to meet customer demand for aqueous coating and to move work through to finishing more quickly.

The CD will handle heavier stocks and, as we have chosen the commercial format, plates can easily be switched between the two presses," added Leaman.

To increase the capacity of the bindery to handle the increased throughput another Polar 115 System 2 guillotine 2 to be installed alongside two existing guillotines.

It will have lifting, jogging and stacking materials handling around the cutting bed to maximise output and reduce operator strain.

It will be delivered shortly before the press.

Already running double day shifts in the studio and pressroom, Masons will extend this to the bindery during March 2004 and take on two new operators.

The bindery is being moved to give a more logical front to back production workflow through the 19,800 square foot plant.

The company handles leaflets, booklets, brochures and a range of other general commercial work.

Its average run is about 15,000-20,000 so it typically handles about 10 jobs a day on each press.

Based on the English-Wales border near Chester, it is well placed to serve a UK-wide customer base although, as a family company that has been running since 1908, it has loyal local support as well.

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