The 15,000sph B2 press, which was first announced earlier this year, is intended as a more compact and lower-cost alternative to the Speedmaster XL 75.
The Color Company has ordered a five-colour 750x530mm-format machine with Easy Control spectral measurement. The press will be installed at the firm’s 930sqm site at the end of December and will replace a five-colour Speedmaster SX 74, which will be part exchanged.
“We’ve hammered our SX machine. We looked at the XL 75 and then looked at the CX 75 and it looks as though it can basically do everything the XL can, but just in a more compact format,” said Ashley Wainwright, managing director of The Color Company.
“The price point was also more advantageous to us and we think we can get about 30% more throughput from the CX 75 than we do from our current machine.”
He added: “You always worry about being the first user of a new technology but, when it’s come from a company like Heidelberg, you know it will have been tried and tested properly and they’ve got the backup to support you as well.”
The new press is the latest part of a structured £2m investment programme embarked on by the 12-staff company over the past four years. Earlier this year it added a Suprasetter 75 platesetter and Prinect Cockpit workflow software, which it said has increased output of print-ready files by 30%.
“This press will open up new markets and make some existing work, such as heavy boards for promotional material, much easier to handle,” said Wainwright.
“Our customers will benefit from the wider stock choice, the heavier solids that are possible with the heavyweight inking power and a continuation of our competitive pricing which is possible because we do regularly invest in good kit.”
The circa £1.2m-turnover business will primarily use the fifth unit of the press to seal work for fast throughput. It rarely requires special Pantones for the type of work it handles, which includes magazines, brochures, leaflets and promotional materials for print farmers, public sector organisations and commercial enterprises nationwide.
