The new 'Push to Stop' XL 106 replaces two older B1 Speedmasters and will be installed in February, boosting the Leicester-based commercial printer's capacity by 25% while maintaining a high quality standards.
“We are all about quality and Heidelberg make the best presses in my opinion,” said managing director Mark Lockley. “We are basically a Heidelberg house at this point.
“In the current marketplace, customers want shorter runs on quicker turnarounds. Many are short on their budgets so need to reduce their order sizes, so we need to be able to accommodate that to keep up with the trends.
“This year has been a difficult one for us, with a lack of consistency in the volume of orders, but I believe this new press will make us more cost-effective and quicker to market. We can promise great colour and quality, I hope this increases our slice of the cake.”
Streamline sister firm Jon Baxter & Sons, which it acquired in 2014, runs a five-colour Speedmaster XL 75 and Streamline was impressed by that press's inline colour measurement, which reduces setup times and maintains colour control.
Streamline operations director Alan Squire also visited Elle Media Group in Basildon to see its XL 106 in action, which also impressed. The visit also provided some useful tips for preparing for the “cultural change” anticipated by the installation of the new press.
The press is equipped with Inpress Control 2, Autoplate XL 2, Prinect Intellistart 2 and Intelliguide systems, which enable it to start and process a queue of jobs. It will go straight into 24/7 triple-shift production when up and running at Streamline in March.
Heidelberg will be providing training for the press operators at Streamline to bring them up to speed with the demands of the new press.
Streamline is aiming to reduce its environmental footprint with the switch from two presses to one and a reduction in start-up waste.
The firm has a team of 49 staff and turns over around £5m. It provides consultancy alongside its litho and digital – including wide-format – print services.
