GPS Colour Graphics boosts productivity with Speedmaster XL 106

Print Solutions

GPS Colour Graphics has levelled up its printing capacity and productivity replacing two long perfecting machines with a new Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106-8P.

The Belfast based commercial printer is one of Ireland’s largest commercial printing companies, specialising in printing books, magazines, leaflets and much more. The company needed a new press to help keep up with increased customer demand and stay ahead of the competition.

GPS has used B1 perfectors since 2008, but this is its first Heidelberg press in 40 years. The company found that the XL 106 offers reliability and the best value sheet on the floor to meet its clients’ demands.

‘Heidelberg makes bold claims about the XL which we didn’t quite believe the press would live up to! However, looking at the market, we believed Heidelberg was the only option,’ said Lorraine Bell, director at GPS Colour Graphics. ‘It has been a game changer.’

The XL has impressed the printroom staff at GPS, as the automation makes it much easier to operate and more intelligent than any previous press they have worked with.

As a commercial printing company, it runs a wide range of substrates, and the XL can run 90 g/m2 coated at top speed. As a result, paper waste and powder contamination have dramatically reduced in the press hall, making for a much better working environment.

‘At its peak,’ said Lorraine, ‘the XL 106 has given us a 43% productivity boost, and we still have capacity for another 20% at least! It has done more runs in a year than any other machine we have had before, with capacity to spare. To complement this capacity increase, we have invested in a new binding line, capable of much higher speeds than our previous machine.

‘With this new binding line complementing the firepower of the XL, we are keen to see just how much work we can throw at these machines. The sky is the limit! Our growth plans have continued in 2025.’

This series of multi-million-pound investments and installations is expected to result in significant productivity gains. Previously, the post press team would remain idle, waiting for sheets to come off the press. Sheets are now printed in good time before the finishing processes need to start. The company also owns two TH82-P Stahlfolders which perfectly support the press. The relationship with Heidelberg has developed further over the years, with GPS Colour Graphics using Heidelberg service and Saphira consumables.