Vale Press is making a move up to B2 production to offer its customers more options and to reduce the outwork bill. In future the Speedmaster SX will be its offset platform.
It retains a five-colour SX 52 installed last year and will have its new SX 74-5 with Easy Control spectral measurement commissioned and running on 10 April. A Speedmaster SM 52 will be replaced. The upgrade will take the Cotswolds-based company's turnover from £2.7m to £3.5m in the next 12 months.
"We need to keep up with the workload. Our two B3 presses are running 24/7 and we still need more capacity. We have been turning work away," says Tom Stowe, commercial director. "The Speedmaster SX 74 will allow us to keep more work in-house and create new opportunities, including folder production. We like the print efficiency, quality, high running speed and the staff appreciate working with known technology."
The company has grown fast with Heidelberg over the past three years, moving from Printmaster to Speedmaster SM and now to Speedmaster SX technology. The company has vision and its plans include a second B2 press within two years and a Heidelberg Stitchmaster saddle-stitcher and Stahlfolder.
"We have Xerox and Konica Minolta digital technology as well. Until now jobs up to 500 or 600 sheets might have gone the digital route but this latest litho technology brings the breakpoint down to 200 or 250 sheets. Litho will continue to represent 90% of our turnover. It still has the quality edge," says Mr Stowe.
Enhancing that quality and speeding up makeready is Easy Control, Heidelberg's entry level spectrophotometer which can read and retain for re-use Pantone colour data which is very helpful for special and brand colours. The company uses Pressroom Manager for data transfer.
Half of Vale's work is from the demanding trade sector (printers and agencies), 25% from the quality-minded fine art galIeries and 25% from local commercial work. That means that it must have press technology with the right quality as well as the right output.
The new press at Vale Press will be run 24 hours a day. Both Speedmaster SX machines will be fed by the new Suprasetter A 75 CtP device with Auto Top Loader installed at the beginning of the year.
Tom Stowe is to marry work long-time partner and work colleague Rachel Harris at the end of the year and both attended the Heidelberg 20/20 Vision open house in Brentford last week.
