UK trade finisher Bluestar Print Finishers has doubled production capacity with the addition of a Horizon HT-300 iCE trimmer running nearline with its existing Horizon BQ-500 iCE binder from IFS.
The investment completes the production vision of managing director Lee Harvey that began with the installation of the Horizon BQ-500 iCE binder in 2023. He explained, ‘We always planned to have the trimmer. It was just a case of making the space and sorting things out. The BQ-500 really advanced production and we knew there would be a bottleneck which is why we were always going to add the trimmer. From the moment the trimmer was installed it has doubled our capacity.’
With customers under greater pressure to meet tighter turnaround times, the company can now offer next day, and in some cases, same day deliveries, said Mr Harvey. He added that the new purchase allows Bluestar to complete two production stages almost as fast as one, whilst also freeing up its guillotine to concentrate on other work.
The Horizon HT-300 iCE trimmer is a single knife three side trimmer with fully automated setup features, boasting a maximum production speed of trimming up to 1100 books per hour or 300 cycles per hour for increased productivity. New auto book thickness measuring and table angle adjustment help achieve accurate and clean cuts with precision automation, explained Horizon.
It features cloud-based iCE Link workflow that provides access to a dashboard and reports real time production analysis for improved efficiency and profitability, remote update capabilities and scheduled maintenance resulting in less downtime, said Horizon. The information is accessible via smartphone, tablet or desktop PC and the software is designed for simple integration with MIS systems using open APIs, concluded Horizon.
