Elanders has bought Duplo System 5000 Pro finishing systems for its UK site in North Tyneside. These serve the fast turnround needs of the site’s three HP Indigo digital presses.
Previously its use of separatel bookletmaker, separate creaser and guillotine meant that finishing digital books was a laborious process, with multiple run-ons required to setup the job. With multiple global sites, Elanders UK has the benefit of sharing experiences internally with their other subsidiaries. The business’ German plant already uses three Duplo Digital System 5000 Pros.
Production manager Shaun Du Randt said: ‘Previously, our print had to go through numerous processes before it was finished. Each of these added to the time and cost of finishing that job, as well as increasing the risk of errors. Our German facility had already tried and tested the Duplo System and from a single visit it was clear that this solution would make our digital bookletmaking more efficient. With the ability to not only crease, but slit and trim the finished work, we are now able to simply load and run the job direct from Indigo’s.’
Elanders uses the barcode capabilities of the Digital System 5000 Pro to help run variable data work. ‘With the addition of a simple barcode, we are now operating a system where we can be 100% confident that the right job is finished and in the bo,’ said Mr Du Randt. ‘Previously, we had to crease our covers on a separate system and hand-feed these into the line. With a built-in cover feeder and in-line creasing, we can literally load and go.’
Previously, Elanders ran large volumes of jobs and then offered a storage service, however, with the capabilities of the digital division, now operate just-in-time production for these applications, significantly reducing the need for warehouse space.
Mr Du Randt concluded: ‘With a change in customer demands, we have evolved to run a high variety of small volume work, which is perfect for our digital setup. As for the future, we seek further integration with our order processing systems and we are currently looking into a JDF workflow for the division.’
Contact: www.duplouk.com
