Business Forms Express (BFE) has installed an AutoFold Pro and an EBA6660 guillotine, both from Morgana, in order to better provide a new mix of applications. 

The new machines join several other Morgana products at the company’s Bristol site. This includes an AutoCreaser Pro 33A, now connected to the new AutoFold Pro.

‘Our team are used to the high quality of equipment that Morgana provide,’ said Sam Winsor, sales director at BFE. ‘We had an ageing Morgana folder – this needed updating to the new model in line with the changes to our product mix. We are seeing the demand for folding work growing with the increase of leaflet printing, folders, and brochures. 

‘We were also keen to add a new guillotine – we have a larger model that is suitable for chopping down large A2 sheets, but we needed something a bit more nimble for the growth in our digital print sales. That is where the EBA came in. It is very operator friendly and ensures that we can keep up with our cutting requirements.’

The AutoFold Pro is an automatic folding machine designed specifically for printers needing to fold precreased sheets. The unit is capable of folding up to 6240 sheets per hour, and takes stock of up to 0.4mm thickness and sheets of up to 630 x 385mm with the optional long sheet conveyor.

The EBA 6660 is a compact guillotine with a cutting length of 650mm, and an electro-mechanical blade drive and clamping system. It incorporates the latest IR safety guards and comes with its own stand complete with storage shelf.

Talking about how the pandemic had impacted BFE, which runs one Konica Minolta digital press and another from Oki, Mr Winsor continued, ‘Whilst we have seen a downturn in sales, from £300k per month pre-Covid to £220k currently, our plan is to invest and try and sell through the current pandemic rather than sit still and wait for something to happen. 

‘We focus totally on being a trade house, so rely on the orders from third parties. Our extensive customer base includes printers, print managers, and office supplies companies. Our printer clients feel 100% safe in sending work to us.

‘Adding digital to our portfolio gives us another avenue to explore and win more trade customers. Short run work or jobs requiring variable data are typical of the work coming our way from printers who are either too large to focus on the small jobs, or not suitably equipped or skilled to handle them yet.’