Replacing two other Speedmasters – an XL 75 and XL 105 – the XL 106 makes up the bulk of the Norwich printer’s latest investment. Despite plans to look at updating in the next year or two, Swallowtail was convinced by a live demonstration at Basildon-based Elle Media.
The new machine is expected to be delivered in September, with the firm working on how to dispose of its two predecessors in the interim. Moving out the two machines will allow Swallowtail to optimise its space and workflow across the 1,400sqm factory floor.
Production director James Baxter said: “We were not really shopping around because we have always been a Heidelberg shop and anything new could lead to a lot of retraining.
“There are no downsides to bringing in this new machine, and we have bought it with all the bells and whistles. It will come with Push to Stop technology which will be helpful for reducing makeready times as we send several jobs down the line at once.
“If we can save two minutes on each makeready, this will add up over 200 or 300 makereadies. We are a typical commercial printer dealing with a lot of different jobs, so this will be a great benefit.”
With built-in DryStar dryer technology, the XL 106 will also limit the amount of time spent drying off jobs – according to Baxter, “drying time is dead time”.
Set to beat the new Speedmaster onto the shop floor by arriving in June, Swallowtail has also taken on a Primera saddle-stitcher from Muller Martini. It replaces a Heidelberg ST 400, which had come to the end of its life.
“It was a bit out of the blue when we had to find a replacement for our stitcher,” said Baxter. “We were expecting to look for a replacement soon as the machine is more than 10 years old but when it started breaking down our repairman could not confirm how much longer it would last.
“We could not live with the uncertainty, which could have caused a massive interruption to the business. The new Primera will likely halve makeready times compared to our old stitcher due to its capacity for quick changeover between our varied jobs.”
Taking on the more productive machines, alongside the additional space the reduced number of presses will allow for movement of staff and resources, Baxter said he hoped Swallowtail would be able to “progress” in the near future.
Currently turning over £5.5m, the firm has its sights on exceeding £6m and expanding out of the East Anglia area.
Baxter said: “Hopefully exposure from these purchases will help us cast our net wider and expand out nationally beyond the Midlands. We are looking to hire a new salesperson to assist with that.”
Swallowtail Print currently employs 55 members of staff. It also fulfils digital printing work with a Ricoh Pro C751 and Konica Minolta bizhub Press C1085, alongside a variety of finishing capabilities.
