DSD, a commercial, mainly litho printer, installed the three-tower iSaddle 5.0 in April.
The new stitcher will handle a large range of work for the company, with a recent job requiring a run of 1.7 million magazines.
The company has a long history with Duplo, with several decades’ experience with the manufacturer.
Shaun Simpson, DSD’s managing director, said: “It all started with a Duplo DBM-120 with friction feeder, and as we’ve upgraded our capabilities and grown, so has our need for faster and more automated bookletmakers.”
From the 120, DSD moved on to Duplo’s 400 System, then the 5000, before graduating to the iSaddle which the latest stitcher has replaced.
Simpson said that while the company had looked around the market before purchasing, it was Duplo’s strong record of aftermarket care that had clinched the deal.
He added: “It’s all about how you are looked after down the line, after the purchase. We’ve known Neil Barrett, the Duplo service manager in the North, for over 20 years now.
“I trust him completely and we have a great understanding. Any issues arise, it’s Neil to the rescue.”
Barrett said: “Shaun is a straight talker and we get along very well.
“With the history we’ve both shared I’ve come to see DSD as much more than another Duplo customer. I look at their production and we talk about what they want to achieve, always keeping an eye out for Shaun’s family at DSD, because that’s what it is, everyone there is like family.
“It’s a really lively place. Their customers absolutely love them and they expect the best from their suppliers – which is fair.”
The iSaddle 5.0 is capable of producing stepped format pages from up to six different sized sheets within a booklet, and can produce covers with pockets and flaps. Its in-built DKTS-200 trimmer finishes books with a three or five-knife trim, allowing two-up layouts of small-format books.
Simpson praised its ease of use: “Duplo equipment has always been quite user intuitive, but with the iSaddle and now the iSaddle 5.0, my operators spend minimal time setting up and changing jobs.
“Everything is automated and we hardly need to do any manual adjustments. It leaves them to do more complex and labour intensive work around the factory floor.
“I’ll also put a hand in. I won’t ask anyone to operate a machine that I won’t do – except the press – I’m not touching those again!”
DSD employs 15 staff at its 420sqm production site.
