First SPICA Press In Ireland Meets Demand

Collins Print has installed Ireland's first Komori SPICA 429P perfector at its premises in Cork, replacing a four-colour B2 Heidelberg Speedmaster perfector.

Collins Print has installed Ireland's first Komori SPICA 429P perfector at its premises in Cork, replacing a four-colour B2 Heidelberg Speedmaster perfector.

The installation is a response to the demand for fast turnaround of four-colour work, which has significantly increased over the past 10 years.

The company's managing director Patrick Collins said: "We were receiving such a high volume of requests for four-colour jobs that we were often turning work away or sub-contracting to other printers.

We realised that we were in need of a high quality press to handle this increasing workload, which would be efficient to run and provide a quick turnaround.

We explored all makes of press from leading manufacturers, however, having put the SPICA 429P through six hours of trials, we realised that it was exactly what we were after.

We put a wide range of jobs through the machine with a variety of substrates, including lightweight recycled paper and heavyweight cover board and were so impressed with the output quality that the machine sold itself." He continued to say that the SPICA offers the benefit of automated plate and perfecting changeover, together with other fast make-ready features and its overall size is a great deal smaller than the Heidelberg press, which he saw as a definite advantage for the operator and which provides the company with more space.

Collins also added that since the installation, Collins Print has considerably increased productivity.

"Jobs which previously took 15 hours to complete on the Speedmaster, now take us less than eight on the SPICA.

In addition, make-readies, which used to take on average up to an hour, can now be done in just 10 minutes, even when switching back and forth from 90gsm stock to 350gsm carton board.

Around 95 per cent of four colour jobs are in fit immediately and our paper wastage has been cut in half," said Collins's press operator Aldan Keohane.

The SPICA has allowed Collins Print to handle a higher volume of work in a shorter time period whilst simultaneously reducing outsourcing bills, commented Komori.

It has also given Collins the confidence to accept and look for jobs from agencies, publishing houses and even other printers.

Patrick Collins added: "The amount of multi-colour print has increased so much that the pressures have switched from the factory floor to our design and platemaking departments, which is a welcome change and much more easily solved.".

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