The machine runs 3,000sph faster than previous generations of the XL 106 – an uplift of nearly 17% – and was configured with CutStar 4 sheeter and the world’s first PowderStar XL Duo powder sprayer.
And while Heidelberg has installed two of the latest XL 106s in Europe as packaging presses, Stephens & George’s machine claims another world first, as the first installed exclusively for commercial print applications.
Calling the eight-colour machine “the last piece in the jigsaw,” managing director Andrew Jones told Printweek that the XL 106-8-P has been running at high speeds since it was signed off on 3 May.
“It’s been running for about a month now, and we’re getting good results. We’re very pleased that we did spend the time to send out the four printers that would be running the press to Germany for training.
“We’re very pleased with how it’s going so far – Heidelberg will be happy as well.”
Jones said that the press – touted as a folding carton printer at its well-attended unveiling in late 2022 – was quite comfortable reaching its top speed of 21,000sph even on paper substrates, though on lower weight substrates like 70gsm best results were achieved at around 18,000sph.
“That’s why we went to Germany last year – we needed to know we could run paper through the press at high speeds. We demonstrated that we could, so we decided to make the jump and order the press.”
The new press has replaced one of the firm’s fleet of 18,000sph XL 106s – installed just five years ago, in 2018.
Paul Enoch, Stephens & George production director, added: “[The new XL 106] could allow us to produce over eight million additional sheets per year, which makes the new Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 the most productive and efficient machine we have ever had.”
The newer model, while faster, is also significantly quieter.
Enoch added: “The operators commented on how quiet the press is, and with the new direct drive feeder, the press is noticeably reducing makeready times.”
The machine’s brand-new powder-sprayer has likewise acted as a sort of beta-test for Heidelberg, with Stephens & George the first printer to run the technology.
While results at the Welsh printer are too soon to tell, Heidelberg’s factory testing saw the PowderStar XL Duo cut powder contamination in and around the press by nearly 50%.
Over 60% of Stephens & George’s business is in short-run magazines, so the firm uses plenty of powder to keep production rolling; further speeding production, the firm has also invested, in February, in a pair of ECO3 platesetters capable of 60 plates per hour.
“With the installation of this press, the oldest press in our stable is from 2020 – we won’t be looking to replace another for some time. This is the final piece in the jigsaw: it puts us in the ballpark to achieve £40m turnover, and really increases our capacity for short turnarounds,” Jones added.
Stephens & George, which is the key sheetfed partner of Printweek publisher Mark Allen Group, employs around 170 across its 15,000sqm factory in Merthyr Tydfil, and offices in London and Glasgow.
