Web to print specialist Route One Print has invested a Polar N92 Plus with the Compucut intelligent cutting system just weeks after installing a Speedmaster XL 75-4+L.
The company has invested £2.5m in equipment over the last 12 months and in the new year a Stahlfolder BH56 buckle model will also follow.
‘As a ganging printer the fully automated Compucut was vital and so far has increased our efficiency and throughput. The larger throat compared to our previous cutter also speeds up the rate we can get jobs through finishing. It has both turn around and cost benefits,’ said Jack Wilmott, channel manager.
‘We are placing great emphasis on process control and this purchase fed into that. A buckle machine will allow us to achieve faster output and to handle a lot more book work and thicker stocks. Pressure on our existing combination folder has been growing,’ added Mr Wilmott.
‘We will be more competitive on 5,000 to 10,000 runs and on lighter stocks and this will be of particular benefit with takeaway menus, a key web to print market. It means we will attain more output and won’t need to command the same margin per job to remain profitable on that machine.’
The company believes printing companies should combine three elements: run high quality, high output machines; operate efficient internal processes to reduce waste and improve quality control; and look at marketing and services that mark you out from the crowd. They are confident that having that triad is feeding its own rapid growth.
‘The market is moving away from the digital v litho debate and the online market is maturing. Web to print players need to develop the user experience. It’s a bit of a race for arms and efficiency at the moment. The companies that win at the end of the day are the ones that go above and beyond the competition in terms of usability and benefits they can deliver through their web sites as well as finding a suitable balance between service level and automation,’ concluded Mr Wilmott.
