What is it?
The KAS Mailwrap is an automated polywrapper. The Mailwrap has similar feeders to the Mailmaster 465HS range, giving greater flexibility and value for money than other systems because it is possible to purchase machines where the feeders are interchangeable between the polywrapper and the envelope inserter.

Why did you choose the Mailwrap?
We offer a full range of direct marketing services from lists to mailings and from data analysis to telemarketing, primarily for the leisure industry and B2B clients. Historically, we provided mailing and fulfillment services to about two thirds of our customers through a KAS Mailmaster enveloping machine and three hand-fed Lara polywrappers, also supplied by KAS Paper Systems. More recently, there has been a trend towards film wrap to reduce mailing costs. The increased volume led us to look for an automated polywrapper, which met our requirements. We wanted a machine that was easy to set up and that could handle short-run, fast turnaround jobs with inserts of different shapes and sizes, including books, mousemats and Post-It notes. Our average run length is typically 5,000 to 10,000, but we do have longer runs – for example, we have just completed a 350,000 run.

Did you look at any other machines?
We had three manufacturers’ polywrappers on trial for between four and eight weeks. At the time, KAS could only supply a prototype. None of the models did exactly what we wanted. However, we thought that the KAS machine was right for us and they assured us that they would modify their machine to meet our specifications. As we had worked with KAS for many years, we had faith in them. This turned out to be the right decision.

What features do you like about it?
Its ease of set-up, reliability and good service support. The operators are used to running the KAS Mailmaster enveloper and the basic principles are the same, so they were able to figure out how to work the Mailwrap very quickly. We specified it with six stations, including a hand-fill station, so that we can add very small coupons. The nature of our work is very varied and it has handled everything we have thrown at it so far.

Are there any features you dislike?
No, but we should have specified the Mailwrap with an integral folder, which is now available. Due to the introduction of Pricing in Proportion, more customers are asking us to fold their material to C5 and we are doing this off-line as a separate process. KAS say that they can retro-fit a folder on our machine.

How fast is it?
It can handle from A5 up to larger than A4, with a maximum speed of 5,000 A4 packs per hour.

How much time has it saved?
The Mailwrap can do the same amount of work as the three Laras. The big saving is in manpower, as each Lara requires two operators. This makes a big difference when we are very busy and under pressure to get a job out quickly.

Has it won you any new work?
As we haven’t specifically promoted the Mailwrap, we couldn’t say that it has actually won us any new work. However, it has enabled us to be keener on our prices while retaining our margins.

Who is the machine right for?
The Mailwrap is ideal for companies that need the versatility and ease of set-up of a mid-range, fast turnaround, well engineered machine. I would say that it is a good choice for printers and direct mail companies that want to upgrade from lower-speed equipment, such as the Lara Route Express, without having to invest in high-speed polywrap­pers at much greater cost.

Would you buy another?
We would definitely buy a second machine if we needed the extra capacity.