Lamcoil Adds Finishing Capabilities and Attracts New Business

Founded in 1995, Les Enterprises Lamcoil, Inc. has always been a trade shop. For many years, the business was about lamination, wire-o and spiral binding. And it was a fine business, for it allowed the company to steadily grow – moving three times over the years, from humble beginnings in a 1,000-square-foot place to 18,000 square feet today, running 16-hour shifts, and staffed by 35 employees, according to Patrick L’Ecuyer, Lamcoil’s President.

L’Ecuyer says that the organization’s core values are punctuality and reliability, quality, customer satisfaction, and a competitive price. Ninety-nine percent of the business is derived from local and regional print buyers and producers.

Over the years, the nature of the work has changed. Digital printing is playing a much bigger role in the Quebec marketplace. L’Ecuyer recalls the early days of digital print, when the quality was questionable and the runs were ultra-short. Now, the sweet spot for digital print runs is measured in the thousands, and that’s changed the way Lamcoil works, too. For example, the company invests in better and faster lamination equipment, allowing it to laminate as many as 100,000 sheets a day.

L’Ecuyer knew that he wanted to expand the business in a sensible, complementary way, which led him on a trip to Andover, MA to visit Standard Finishing Systems’ (Booth 1923) demonstration center. After evaluating the full range of solutions firsthand, he decided to add several pieces of digital finishing equipment to the mix: a Standard Horizon BQ-280PUR Perfect Binder, a Standard Horizon AFC-566FG Folder, a Standard Horizon StitchLiner 5500 Saddlestitcher, and a Standard Horizon CRF-362 Creaser/Folder.

Investing in these brand-new post-press technologies not only opened up new types of business for the company, they were particularly well-suited to the dynamic ways in which the business was evolving. Their quality, reliability, and efficiencies were a good match – operationally, and according to what customers wanted.

L’Ecuyer says that being a trade shop is most challenging because of the variety of work brought through the front door. Jobs of all shapes and sizes, produced on all kinds of paper and media, and even a mix of offset and digital print. What he appreciates about these Standard Finishing solutions is that they allow the business to be nimble and agile, taking on an array of jobs, all the while offering notable efficiencies to move them through the workflow as quickly as possible. Ease of use while running a job is great, but he points out that the real profit margin lies in being able to change out jobs quickly, and breeze through setup. All of this equipment is very easy and fast to get up and running, he affirms.

The BQ-280PUR Perfect Binder, for example, can store up to 200 job parameters in its memory, and it automatically measures book thickness. The Standard Horizon CRF-362 Creaser/Folder – which has been in frequent use there – is adept at handling a range of printing stocks – from light to heavy, coated or uncoated. It, too, can store up to 200 jobs, and is operated with an intuitive color touchscreen controller.

“What impressed me, when I went to Standard’s facility, was the ease of setup,” according to L’Ecuyer. “That’s what sold me. The transition and installation? So far, so good. Everything went perfectly, the machines are running every day, and we’re getting busier and busier!”