Traditionally a journal printer, Wakefield-based Charlesworth Press also operates as trade binder Hammond Bindery. Last year the business had a management restructure and has since refocused its portfolio of services and expanded into personalised book production.
Among the firm’s customers is a personalised book publisher which, during its busiest period in Q4, can generate orders of anywhere from 500 books per day to 6,000 to 7,000 books per day.
Charlesworth had previously been managing the peak times using existing kit including a Kolbus binder and a seven-clamp Horizon SB-07, as well as a Horizon HT-30, but wanted a way to quickly finish the personalised books.
The BQ-470 was supplied by Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS) and installed in May. The machine, which cost around £80,000, will work alongside the SB-07, which is currently being refurbished to further expand Charlesworth’s production capacity.
The BQ-470 is suitable for mid-range soft-back book production due to its high production speeds of up to 1,350cph and instant makereadies for runs of one. It can bind up to 65mm thickness and offers fully automated setup through an icon-based LCD touchscreen.
Operations director Lee Hewitt said: “Personalised book orders vary in length depending on the recipient’s name. Because the BQ-470 has an automatic caliper it can quickly be set up ready for each book block.
“This also means we can get the work for all jobs out of the door faster. We’re going through a really busy period at the moment. Part of our core business is school diaries and planners and that’s a massive part of our work between May and September.”
The business looked at a range of alternatives on the market before ultimately opting for the BQ-470.
“We liked how easy it was to set up and we had seen it demonstrated at various shows and open houses,” said Hewitt.
“We were also happy with the Horizon kit that we already had and the machines are competitively priced for what you get.”
Charlesworth Press, which has 60 staff and a turnover of £5.5m, was established in 1928. It produces litho print on an eight-colour KBA Rapida 105 and a five-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster 102 and digital print on a recently installed HP Indigo 7600 and HP Indigo 7800.
The company is also looking to purchase new casemaking equipment in the next two months.
