While a tourist's impression may focus on the relaxing, laid back atmosphere, the business community in Honolulu is highly active and robust. Electric Pencil is one of Hawaii's leading Commercial printers servicing advertising agencies, graphic designers and other customers. When faced with a situation affecting the back end of their operation, a decision to add an Accutrim HD1680 three knife trimmer from Colter & Peterson has spiked productivity: the work is getting done significantly faster than before.
"We cut all our perfect bind books on it," informed Manfred Nagel, Electric Pencil's VP of Print Production. "It cuts a stack of books on all three sides at the same time, which speeds up the process tremendously. Since we installed it three months ago, our productivity is 60% faster."
The Accutrim HD1680 is one of the fastest machines of its type and offers benefits not typically associated with off-line, on-demand three knife trimmers. Flexible, efficient and operator friendly, the computer-controlled make ready allows for through feed or one-man operation. The HD1680 is designed with a 5-degree swing angle, assuring a high quality cut while at the same time extending the life cycle of the knife by reducing wear and tear. It's also the first piece of equipment Electric Pencil has purchased from Colter & Peterson
"I was happy to connect with C&P because it was important for us here on the island to have a trustworthy partner. With Vince Payne from C&P, we found the right person to work with us," indicated Nagel, who began as an apprentice in Germany before moving to Hawaii in 1985. He's now in his 14th year at Electric Pencil, a Heidelberg shop with 6-color presses and aqueous coating capability. The company originally had service bureau roots and was known as HONBLUE until 2001. It now primarily services customers on the islands, with some work from customers on the mainland west coast.
Prior to the HD1680, Electric Pencil relied on a guillotine cutter.
"It took a long time to finish each job and the quality of the trim was nowhere as good as what we have now with the HD1680," said Nagel, who noted the machine's speed. "The changeover to different sizes is very quick and easy. It's a reason why we only need to run the machine for an 8-hour shift, five days a week."
Minor format changeovers with the HD1680 usually take less than one minute; complete format changes often are performed in less than three minutes. Maximum book thickness is 3.5" with a maximum trim size of 11.8" x 16.5". The minimum trim size is 3.15" x 3.15".
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