What is it?
CutStar is a neat piece of kit that converts reels into sheets prior to entering the feeder.

How does it work?
Basically it guillotines the sheet to the desired length, then underlaps it, making a perfect stream for the front lays.

Why did you choose it?
I couldn’t see the point of having a long perfector without it – the cost savings were too great.

Did you look at any other similar systems?
In the B2 format, as far as I’m aware, there aren’t any other systems. Plus we were only interested in the Heidelberg CD 74 press.

What features do you particularly like about it?
The fact that the sheets are presented to the press perfectly every time – there are no doubles or misaligned sheets at all. Using the non-stop delivery means you can get up to 28,000 sheets through the press without stopping.

What features do you dislike?
We were the beta test site. There were a couple of early prob­lems, but we reported back to Germany and they addressed them immediately. There’s nothing we dislike about it.

How easy is it to use?
It’s very easy – even I can use it.

How fast is it?
It runs at the speed of the press, which is 15,000 sheets per hour day in day out.

How reliable is it?
It’s now very reliable, we had a couple of teething problems, but you would expect that as it was the first one.

What’s the quality like?
Perfect. The fact that the press is linked to the CutStar means we get perfectly cut sheets at the same time, every time, making it run better.

How much time or money has it saved?
We are saving up to 20% on paper costs. It also saves time because the sheet feeder doesn’t error. We can run 28,000 sheets off a reel, which means that the press can run three times longer than before without stopping.

Has it helped you to win new work?
Definitely. It is helping us to be competitive in what is a difficult marketplace.

Do you think it offers value for money?
It keeps the press busy and that’s what makes you money. It will have paid for itself in roughly two years.

Were there any difficulties experienced during installation?
We had the first one in the world so there were a few difficulties at the start but Heidelberg was fantastic about it.

How good has the service been?
We’ve had very good service – in fairness Heidelberg always give good service.

Who do you think the machine is right for?
Middle of the road printers like us who have B1 and B2 presses and a turnover of around £5m-£6m. We didn’t want to enter the B1 CutStar market straight away, so this seemed the right move for us.

Would you buy another?
If I bought another long perfector I would probably buy a B1 version of CutStar. In five years’ time, if someone hasn’t got one of these, they will struggle to compete.

Would you recommend it to someone else?
Yes, but not to a competitor!

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CONCLUSION
User’s verdict
Speed 4/5
Quality 5/5
Reliability 5/5
Ease of use 5/5
Value for money 4/5

Supplier’s response
Steve Cavey, Speedmaster product manager at Heidelberg, confirms that Andrew Brown’s CutStar is still the first installation in the UK, much to his surprise. “Andrew has always been a bit of a pioneer and when it was launched we expected other people to follow. CutStar is extremely popular in the B1 range and with the B2 model we always thought that it might be difficult to sell but if you have the right customers with the right client base then it works well as Andrew has proved. I agree that people who have a long perfector won’t be able to compete unless they have a CutStar.”
Price From £333,000
Contact Heidelberg UK 020 8490 3500