Is It Time to Update Your Bindery?

Maintained well and on schedule, bindery equipment can last a long time in a printing service provider’s shop. Yet there comes a point when it becomes apparent that it’s time to upgrade or replace equipment.

Roland Ortbach, manroland web systems’ vice president of sales, says the only way to keep equipment current is to make sure one’s operation has the required versatility and efficiency “to produce a large range of products for your own market and parallel markets. This will ensure your system is being utilized to its greatest potential for the long term.”

A commitment to a preventative maintenance program is the most effective way to extend equipment life, says Anthony Quaranta, head of Muller Martini marketing. “This should include a regular maintenance schedule, proper interim maintenance by on-staff personnel and by having the machine inspected by an OEM specialist who can recommend ways to restore the equipment to near-new capabilities,” he says.

Joe Bondonna, Spiral’s product manager, notes a common problem is printing service providers not doing basic service on punching dies, which should be lubricated weekly.

Keeping dies sharp also is a good practice and should be done when punching holes start looking jagged. “Dull dies make equipment work harder and over time lead to larger, very costly repair issues,” he adds.  

While most older machines remain dependable with ongoing maintenance, efficiency is a primary consideration over time, says Ryan Manieri, MBO marketing coordinator.

“If getting the job done is all that is required of a bindery, then 10-year old machinery is a valid option,” Manieri says. “However, if you’re looking to meet tight deadlines and earn money in the process, it might be time to invest in new finishing equipment because the machines of yesteryear are woefully inefficient by comparison to what’s available today.”

Advancements in the past five years have led to the development of new solutions demonstrating superiority in modularity, variability, and accessibility, allowing printers to offer a wider variety of products and utilize variable data print technology while simultaneously reducing make-ready time, says Manieri, adding “modern post-press finishing equipment can do more, faster, with less user input.”

Sometimes, old equipment “is not worth the investment as parts are scarce and qualified technicians are limited,” notes Si Nguyen, vice president of sales for Duplo USA.

In ascertaining any finishing needs, Keith Zub, Relyco’s senior vice president, advises printing operations to “stay out of the commodity print for pay business. Understand clients’ needs and be prepared to provide them a product or service that helps them accomplish their goal.”

In the print services arena, that means helping them make money, Zub adds.

“How can you provide the most effective piece for your client? Is it personalized? How many color sand what colors will be most effective? What type of envelope is needed?”

The answers may lead to a need to update equipment.

Many printing service providers don’t update finishing equipment until it is “down and out and mission-critical,” notes Bob Flinn, Standard Finishing’s director of business development.

“Smart management bases the decision on key business factors such as increased down time, under-capacity, lack of flexible scheduling and increased overtime or manpower required to meet deadlines,” he says.

Duplo USA recommends upgrading equipment after five to eight years of use because current equipment is more efficient and features increased automation, says Nguyen.

Ortbach concurs. “In many upgrade cases, finishing equipment should be considered before the selection of the print engine because of the format versatility, speed and efficiency required to stay current and keep up with the growing demand,” he says.

Repeated down time and service calls affecting timely production of finishing jobs signals the need to update, notes Bondonna, adding that larger throughput requirements than existing equipment can handle and needed increased capacity are other factors to ponder.

Additional capabilities or speeds that offer competitive advantages need to be considered, notes Zub, adding that printing service providers should consider local equipment service when making choices.

“Whether you are looking to maintain a competitive advantage, gain a competitive advantage, or turn around a sinking ship, having the right post-press finishing solutions in place can play a significant role in realizing a printer’s profit-earning potential,” says Manieri.

Factors he suggests considering:

• A bindery that is a cost center, not a profit center.
• The printing services provider hasn’t considered new finishing equipment in five years.
• Following a new press installation. “Ink on paper isn’t sellable without finishing; having the right finishing solutions in place can greatly impact a printer’s profit-earning potential,” he says.
• Market expansion and growth plans in the current niche.

David Spiel, co-owner of Spiel Associates, suggests printing service providers conduct Internet research to make comparisons before making new investments.

“People used to call up their local bindery guy and buy whatever he was selling,” he says. “Now, with a click of a button, you can watch videos of all of the different machines.”

When updating finishing solutions, a one-to-one replacement with equipment or systems of similar capabilities is not a wise investment, Flinn says. Consider instead growth plans and the volume of work sent outside the company due to lack of equipment capabilities that is being done at increased cost and with loss of control, he adds.

Another consideration: the continuing increase in digital print and decrease in run lengths.

“Minimizing set-up time through automation can greatly increase efficiency and profitability while at the same time make operator training much easier as we are all facing a declining pool of skilled bindery professionals,” says Flinn.

In increasing productivity and revenue and reducing costs, focus on updates that expedite make-ready time and increase the running time of the machine at maximum speed, advises Quaranta.

In addition to automation, open software architecture, product flexibility, and ease of maintenance and performance are keys to selecting finishing equipment that not only takes into consideration formats being printed now and in the future, but ensures a robust automated workflow system to manage it, adds Ortbach.

 Bindery Choices

 For those looking to upgrade finishing equipment, there are many choices.

Duplo’s latest finishing solution is the UD-300 Die Cutter. Its most popular product is the Slitter/Cutter/Creaser line.

Manroland web systems’ latest and most popular equipment is the digital inkjet folding and finishing solutions FoldLine – a finishing system designed to be fast and efficient – and FormerLine, a book finishing/book-block machine.

MBOs newest finishing equipment includes the Unwinders and Rewinders, Fully Variable Book Block Production Solution, High Speed Letterfold System, M80 Flexible Folding System, High Speed Folding Cartons, pharmaceutical web finishing, automated card production system, the SVC Sheeting Systems 20- and 30-inch digital web solutions, the K8 RS Folder, the M8.40 Miniature Folder, and the KL45 Miniature Folder.

Muller Martini’s latest and most popular equipment is the Vareo bookbinder, based on the company’s motion control technology and provided as an option for print-on-demand, short-run batch and true one-off books.

Relyco’s pressure sealers are the company’s most popular units with in-plants and mail houses.

Spiel Associates’ Sterling Digibinder is one of the company’s most popular equipment pieces. The newest is the Stirling Looper, a semi-automatic table-top double loop wire binder that can bind up to 500 books an hour.

Spiral’s latest offering is the James Burn Lhermite DocuPunch PLUS, with automatic punching speeds of up to 76,000 sheets per hour, adjustable cycle speeds of 50, 60 or 75 cycles per minute and an adjustable pick thickness from 0.4 to 1.0 mm.

Standard Finishing’s latest products:

• The Standard Horizon SMSL-100 SmartSlitter, an all-in-one smart sheet processing system designed to slit, gutter cut, edge trim, cross-cut, perforate, and crease all in one pass.
• The Standard Horizon RD-4055 Rotary Die Cutter can die-cut, kiss-cut, crease, perforate, slit, hole punch, and round corner on a wide range of substrates in one process for digital and offset prints.
• The Standard Horizon SmartStacker converts a B2 size / 20x29-inch sheet into as many as 28 individual cut sheets with intelligent accumulation and stacking. The system performs up to seven double-slits in one direction and four in the other for full bleed trimming.