One Elle of a guillotine order!

Print Solutions

One very highly specified Polar guillotine with full materials handling has replaced two guillotines at Elle Media Group and it is expected to more than double the company’s cutting output.

Elle Media Group has taken delivery of a Polar 137N Pro with stacker, jogger and Transomat unloader. It is fully connected to the company’s Tharstern MIS and Heidelberg Prinect automated workflows through Polar’s Compucut control device.

‘Having seen the productivity gains achieved on our Speedmaster XL 106-5, we appreciate the value of buying the ‘correct’ equipment,’ said James Cuthbert, managing director. ‘With the help of Heidelberg we have identified the handling equipment required to meet our productivity targets from the Polar guillotine. We will be cutting a wide range of work, including over 22 million greeting cards a year from ganged sheets. This is the type of work where we stand to gain most from the productivity gains. Compucut, linked to our fully automated workflow, will help us achieve our targets.’

Operators will benefit from the material handling which takes the strain out of a job that can involve heavy lifting, shifting and unloading. The physical pressure on the operator also influences how productive he or she can be, so in this environment health and safety and productivity go hand in hand.

James Cuthbert identifies his highlight with this investment. ‘I like the programming using Compucut. I am obsessed with automation and the fact that the operator can load a program that is determined by the estimator, simply by scanning a barcode on the sheet is great. An automated cutting program means that make ready times are reduced, almost eliminated, and no matter who the operator is, the scheme is always the same and the most efficient.’

Operators from Elle Media Group are undertaking Heidelberg training and once this is complete, the printing company’s productivity team will be engaged with the operators to ensure every gain in operation is achieved in the quest for maximum productivity.

‘Our experience with Polar guillotines has been very good. Heidelberg’s press technology, and now its finishing expertise, has helped us drive our business forward and makes us one of the leading manufacturers in the print industry,’ said James.