The perfect binding and case-making equipment of Italian manufacturer Tecnograf is becoming available in the UK this year, sold through Terry Cooper Services.
Post-press reseller Terry Cooper Services (TCS) has established an agreement to bring some new perfect binding and case binding technology to the UK. The Italian manufacturer Tecnograf has signed a three-year deal with TCS, and the co-operation has begun with the introduction of the ANT 150 PUR single-clamp perfect binder, available in the UK from August, which TCS sees as perfect for the short run and digital print markets.
The agreement means that TCS will no longer be selling the CP Bourg equipment, for which it had exclusivity in the UK for a number of years. Chris Cooper, managing director of TCS, emphasizes that the company will still be delivering spare parts and service to its existing clients for seven years. However, he professes to be ‘very disappointed’ at the end of the relationship, which has followed CP Bourg deciding to open alternative routes to market in the UK, through other dealers, press manufacturers and direct with clients.
‘That’s not really what we are about. We like to have exclusivity so that we can market and support the products in the UK and show them at exhibitions,’ he said.
Hohner stitching and booklet-making systems have been brought in to replace part of the Bourg range, and on the book binding side, Mr Cooper is naturally very much more keen to talk about the Tecnograf technology that TCS is now ramping up with. It gives the company some important advantages in the market place, he says, where there is continued interest in affordable PUR binding.
‘Printers want easy to use, high quality affordable solutions, which is why we have agreed to supply solutions from Tecnograf. We visited the factory in Italy and were impressed with the build quality, simple operation and innovative capabilities of the systems,’ he said.
Of the 200 books per hour ANT 150 single clamp binder that is now available, he added: ‘We feel its usability and affordability create a unique offering for the UK market. At less than £20,000 it is a great PUR binder for operations looking to take their first steps into perfect binding.’
TCS will show the ANT 150 at The Print Show in October. The machine can apply EVA glue as well as PUR. It is a compact, efficient, reliable and easy to use system, according to TCS, with an innovative integrated PUR gluing system. The machine can handle book blocks made of single sheets, which are fed manually by the operator. After feeding of the book block, the spine is prepared for gluing through a conventional notching station specially designed for deep glue penetration with eight insert points.
Mr Cooper continued: ‘The best feature of the system is a better application of the glue layer: thin and uniform application; low consumption and no waste. It is fast to clean and no particular maintenance is required. The traditional open tank and roller gluing system, used in other machines, can result in uneven application, high consumption and waste of glue, and long and difficult daily cleaning operation. With the Tecnograf system there is no need for wash ups after each use, so the machine can be on standby for the quick set up and completion of a job at any time. There is also no need for time consuming wash up at the end of a run.’
He said that a number of clients had already indicated that the ANT 150 could be the perfect binder they have been looking for. Tecnograf has a number of other systems that will also soon be coming to the UK via TCS. There is a four-clamp perfect binder, two machines for end papers and gauze (Pronto 1 and the more automated Pronto Plus), case-making with the 900 books per hour CUBE, and casing-in with the 400 books per hour TOWER LINE.
The case-making equipment will be available from TCS from September onwards, and TCS will be hoping to capitalise on what Mr Cooper says is a resurgence in the hardback book casing market for small runs.
‘Before, it was just the larger companies that did it, and I watched that tail off 10 years ago, but it is coming back through the machines that are available – people are making machines to cope with short runs and making them more affordable.’
He also has a good feeling about Tecnograf as a company. The Italian manufacturer operates a guaranteed buy back scheme if an existing customer upgrades to a higher specification piece of its kit. ‘They are keen to keep business once they have got it, and we will support that,’ said Mr Cooper. ‘It looks like a nice company to work for. They seem to listen to customers and act on suggestions.’
