Precision Proco Group enhances production flexibility with StitchLiner MKIII

Finishing Solutions

The Precision Proco Group has chosen an IFS supplied Horizon StitchLiner MK III to expand production flexibility and enhance responsive print on-demand capabilities.

The new system will support production at the group’s Sheffield site that produces litho print on two Ryobi 920s – one with five units and one with four units – and digital print on two HP Indigo Series 4 presses and two Series 3 presses.

Graeme Parry, Sheffield site production director, said: ‘We already had a Horizon StitchLiner 5500 for short to medium runs. It was supported by a Muller Presto for longer folded section work. We identified a load balancing issue between the two pieces of equipment with a disproportionate amount of stitching volume leaning towards shorter runs than the longer Muller type of work. We needed to address this with a system that would give us flexibility to cover the capacity shortfall.

‘The MKIII had been on the radar for investment into the Sheffield site for some time. We had seen numerous marketing pieces and spoke to our Dagenham site about the benefits the system had delivered there.’

Graeme had also seen a number of demonstrations highlighting the StitchLiner MK III’s ability to quickly, and easily, move between job sizes. ‘It really impressed me,’ he said. ‘Also seeing how the design improvements compared to the StitchLiner 5500 made it really stand out as a game changer, not just to what we had been used to but also over what else was in the market place from other equipment manufacturers.’

He continued, ‘The ability to produce A4 landscape was a massive selling point. Not only this, but the differing collation towers over the StitchLiner 5500 had clearly been thought about and redesigned with the operator and productivity in mind. We produce large quantities of personalised stitched brochures so to have the barcode read and verification capability was vital to the specification and output of the kit. Underpinning all of the system though is great build quality and efficiency.’

He added, ‘We did look at other options on the market, but, in our view, the Horizon StitchLiner Mk III suited our needs better. Needless to say, it was a pretty easy decision to make when the opportunity arose to place an order.’

As for return on investment he said: ‘What the kit now gives us is a solid platform to drive the volume of short run work. We can also increase productivity in stitched brochure work that previously was a pinch point for the site. It will give the site scale. We can now grow this sector of the business by not having the constraints on volume. We can expand on the throughput but also improve on our service level agreements for our customers. This is something that we are using to help customers rethink how they are procuring print. We can help them migrate towards a more print on demand model so they can get their products and services out to their customers quicker. We should be seeing a return on investment on the kit in the next two to three years.’

The next generation StitchLiner runs at 6000 booklets per hour. Its fully automated set up delivers improved production efficiency and functionality, A4 landscape capability and professional quality.