Elle Media to take advanced ‘push to stop’ press

Print Solutions

Elle Media Group calculates it will gain one minute, 20 seconds in reduced make ready per job and that will translate to an additional one and half weeks production per year when it installs its comprehensive ‘push to stop’ Speedmaster XL 106-5+L at the end of January.

This will be a very comprehensively specified Speedmaster. It will feature Wallscreen XL, Intellistart 2, Inpress Control 2, Autoplate XL, automated tabbing and a full Prinect 17 upgrade.

‘We are replacing a 2012 press with the same number of units and a coater. We have upgraded software where we can but we have now reached the point where improvements are only giving us marginal productivity gains. We are also keen always to upgrade at a point where we can secure a good second hand price and we are selling this press via Heidelberg,’ said James Cuthbert, managing director.

‘We visited drupa and saw the demonstration of the push to stop concept and it absolutely suits our approach. Elle Media Group already has one of the most advanced workflows connecting all areas of production to our Tharstern MIS and we push all our machines and assets very hard. We always try to output from one machine what others can produce on two or three and that enables us to provide competitive pricing without discounting and disrupting the market.’

Elle Media Group is a £8 million turnover business operating with just one five colour press which is producing 45 million sheets per year with very low run lengths, with the new press equipment it hopes to achieve a £10 million turnover, AutoPlate XL2 which will give the company the extra potential turnover will contribute to the performance of the equipment by simultaneously cleaning printing blankets when the printing plates are changed.

The company handles a high volume of short run, high quality section work. Its operators are already geared up to be high output focused manufacturers rather than ‘printers’ (the press taking care of the printing and quality is a given) and, with the training and support planned, will adapt to the mindset change of ‘push to stop’.