Gemini Print Group has installed an iSaddle Pro twin-tower bookletmaker from Duplo UK. The printer, based in Shoreham-on-Sea, traded in its decade-old iSaddle for a new version in order to cope with a predicted post-lockdown surge in demand.
Founded in 1971, Gemini employed approximately 180 staff and a boasted a turnover just shy of £20million prior to the pandemic. It produces a range of print work on an HP Indigo digital press, two Kodak Nexpress machines, a Kodak Digimaster and Heidelberg B1, B2 and B3 presses.
‘As expected with the lockdown easing, we’ve found that much of the fold, trim, stitch work that fell away last year has started to come back,’ explained Gemini managing director Steve Cropper. ‘We were in need of all the improvements the new iSaddle Pro had to offer. We didn’t need to look elsewhere for a replacement because our operators were just so happy with the old one. The new iSaddle is faster, more accurate, more intuitive to use, easier to set up, it’s highly accurate and incredibly versatile – and it builds on the same principles that we’ve trusted for 10 years.
‘The versatility of the iSaddle helps our goal of always keeping our customers at the forefront of our minds. At Gemini Print we don’t tend to have a typical customer profile; all are unique and have their own challenges. Our job is to help with solutions, and these will vary on a daily basis, making the iSaddle’s versatility indispensable. We love working with Duplo, and Adam especially, they deliver on what they say they will deliver. During the installation of the new iSaddle, there was very little disruption to the business and their service has always been good.’
Gemini operates several other pieces of Duplo equipment, including a DC-746 multi-finisher and a DBP 500 binder, which Mr Cropper says were integral to keeping the company operational during the worst of the pandemic. ‘With the automation and the fact that they are so easy to use, we can have minimal operator touchpoints throughout our finishing, and this meant that we could socially distance safely while still being productive and taking care of our customer jobs,’ he explained.
