Further investment at Route One

Print Solutions

Route One Print is to take delivery of a Speedmaster XL 75-10-P this month, a press that will enable the online trade printer to expand its 24 hour service as well as increase capacity and maximise efficiency. The new press gives it the opportunity to print double sided work in one pass with a sealer to ensure that work can rapidly be cut, batched and delivered to the tightest deadlines.

This is part of a £4 million investment in new kit this year which has also included a CutStar reel to sheet device and an IST (UK) LE-UV retrofit, both for its Speedmaster SX 102 long perfector, and installation of a Heidelberg Cylinder for die cutting. The company has enjoyed strong growth over the past year, particularly seeing a rise in demand for booklet work and it is that which led Route One Print to invest in this B2 press.

‘We do review press suppliers but Heidelberg does have a technical advantage, particularly in its closed loop colour management and quality consistency,’ said Adam Carnell, managing director. ‘The support is excellent and that is peace of mind when you are working around the clock to stringent deadlines.’

With Inpress Control, the company has a spectral measurement and adjustment tool which will allow it to achieve sellable print within 25 to 30 sheets and ensure colour is consistent within a run and also from run to run which is important given that 90% of Route One Print’s business is repeat work.

‘We have made huge efforts over the past year to ensure that our growth does not come at the expense of the quality of our work,’ added Adam. ‘Inpress Control has ensured we are achieving top colour quality at all times and it cuts downtime significantly.’

The press will also feature Autoplate XL which can change all plates in one minute, 40 seconds and blanket wash up takes just 30 seconds so job changeovers can be achieved in in under two and a half minutes as standard. Heidelberg claims the lowest cost per copy of any supplier because of in line automation with tools like Inpress Control and Autoplate XL.

Such is the speed of the press that plate logistics is seen as one of the challenges and it is the task of the minders to ensure the press is constantly fed and running.

‘Six months ago we launched a 24 hour service and it has really taken off. Features like Autoplate XL 2, which cuts make ready and keeps our press running at maximum efficiency, is great. Because most of our work is small format items like business cards we handle up to 60 make readies a shift on each press; that means there’s a lot to be gained with these on press automated tools,’ said Adam.

Brand manager Jack Wilmott explains the timing of the press installation: ‘We are gearing up for even more growth (the autumn is a peak period) and our main focus right now is to improve the efficiency of the factory so we can keep our pricing stable and competitive without compromise to our high quality standards.’

The company is also installing a bulk ink system from technotrans that will feed conventional process colours and seals to its two B2 presses. It will not feed the B1 press which has recently been converted to LE-UV (although technotrans can supply UV inking systems).

‘The cost justification for bulk inking is the increase in output and reduced manual intervention rather than in the materials costs, although bulk buying does shave something off the ink price,’ said Adam.

‘Over a typical 12 hour shift 5 to 10% of the time is spent on ink filling and checking the system. When we visit companies using bulk ink systems the benefits are obvious. It will free up our operators to focus on what’s important, the quality and productivity.’

Route One is taking a five drum system, each drum having a capacity of 200 kilos. The sealer is 35% of the ink used on most jobs so was an obvious candidate for the system. Route One uses Heidelberg’s Saphira inks and coatings, which are matched to the Speedmaster technology.

The company has used technotrans before for its chillers and a reverse osmosis system, installed when it moved to its current site a year ago.

Work on the pipework for the bulk ink system has begun and it will be operational from the end of July.

Pictured: Peter Benton of technotrans (left) with Adam Carnell of Route One.