The CCM Premier 435 single clamp automatic perfect binder with Higham Press operator Steve Riley
Higham Press chose a Premier 435 fully automatic perfect binder from Terry Cooper Services to expand its services and speed up the work it produces, 80% of which is for dog shows.
Established in 1945, the company has three Heidelberg presses and two Konica Minolta Bizhubs and required a binder that could improve the handling of shorter, faster turnaround work.
The Premier 435 Auto single clamp automatic perfect binding machine is capable of binding books up to 58mm in thickness. It has an automatic suction feeder with built in cover creasing which speeds up production allowing 300-450 books per hour to be processed. Once perfect bound, books are then automatically delivered into the vertical delivery allowing for the books to dry in the correct position.
‘We needed something that could handle the mix of work and varied run lengths from our digital and litho presses,’ explained Susan Smith, director. ‘Our old binder was three clamps but a bit of a pain to set up.’
The Premier 435 is ‘more economic’, Ms Smith reported. ‘The quality is very high too. We also liked the fact it was PUR which will make the bind much stronger. It also makes cleaning up simpler and faster and that helps ensure our operators are happy.
‘It is touch screen and that means we can change jobs easily,’ Ms Smith added. ‘This will be especially beneficial in busy periods. We can also use the creaser as a stand alone process which means we can crease covers separately.’
ROI is also looking promising for the company. ‘So far jobs that would have taken half a day are now taking just half an hour,’ said Ms Smith. ‘It will help us expand our services and have the confidence to take on more work.’
