"You have to take showroom demos with a pinch of salt," says Breary. "In a showroom, they have practised, practised, practised and it is the perfect job on the perfect board. To actually see it in someone’s factory, in full working order, is much more useful – you get to see how it runs and how quick changeovers are in reality."
Profitable sideline
These are the words of an experienced man from a company that has been around since 1970. Back then, Hugh Jarvis, still at the helm today, set up the company with a single-colour Solna printing machine, a small Pivano guillotine and a Somoto gluing machine. It has remained a privately-owned family business since, but the business has gone through a few names (it was originally called Offset Productions and Technical Services) and a few transformations over the years.
Today, the company is predominantly a packaging printer for both food and non-food products, but it also has a profitable sideline.
"A third of our business is greetings cards now, and we start from February with that so you can be pretty fed up of seeing Santa come November and December," says Breary. "The majority of our work, though, is packaging and our clients include both design agencies and the clients directly."
To better serve the latter, the company embarked on a five-year investment programme in 2008 to update its kit line-up. It was much-needed, says Breary.
"The company has been changing extensively," he explains. "If we are honest with ourselves, by today’s standard, we were a bit Stone Age and so we have brought in kit including three presses, two cut-and-crease machines and a window patcher."
This process upped production significantly, but the firm didn’t feel the full benefit, as the inevitable bottleneck appeared at the area yet to be invested in extensively: gluing and folding. So Breary set about finding a folding and gluing machine.
He narrowed his search to Bobst and Heidelberg because the company was already running machines from both manufacturers and Breary liked what he saw. After looking at what was on offer from both in detail, including the obligatory ‘real-life’ visits, he ended up deciding on the Diana X 115 folder gluer from Heidelberg.
"The Bobst machine was good and it was slightly cheaper, but to be honest we did not feel it was quite as good," he explains. "We have a lot of Bobst kit and we are really pleased with how it all performs, but in this instance this particular machine just looked a bit cheap."
The Diana X 115 folder gluer was launched at Drupa 2008. A modular machine, so able to be customised for specific configuration requirements, it runs at speeds of up to 650m per minute. The Offset Print and Packaging model was supplied with the automated Diana Prefeeder and Diana Packer.
Massive advantage
"The automatic packing is a massive advantage," reveals Breary. "When we looked at other machines without this function, we foresaw having to have two people on the packing end of the machine. That would have limited the speed the machine could run because a person can only work so fast. With an automatic packer, however, you can obviously increase the throughput."
The machine was installed in November last year and is housed in a newly-built 1,400m2 gluing room at the Offset Print and Packaging site. Breary says it took the Heidelberg engineers around a week to get the machine up and running.
"They build and test the machine at the factory, so it is really a case of bolting it together and getting going," he explains.
The company then had two weeks of training on the machine and, despite initial fears from some of the operators at being left to fend alone on the new kit, the company was in full production mode straight away, with little hassle.
"We had two weeks of training and then, when the demonstrators first left, you always have that element of doubt and our guys were obviously a bit worried," says Breary. "But they were fine and the machine ran without a hitch."
Indeed, the only problem encountered has been a small electrical fault – a "niggle" rather than anything serious, according to Breary. Nonetheless, Offset Print and Packaging was impressed to discover that the good service relationship it had enjoyed with its XL 75 was now being extended to the finishing kit.
"Heidelberg fixed the niggle straight away, but we expected this, as service was a major factor of why we went with Heidelberg," he explains. "We have an XL 75, and so we knew how good Heidelberg’s service and support was."
Since installation, Breary reveals the machine has performed "perfectly", having been successful in allevating the bottleneck while also increasing production. He admits to not "banging the drum" about the new weapon in the finishing arsenal to clients too much, but suggests that the high quality achieved at high speeds speaks for itself.
Higher quality
"We are getting a higher-quality product," he reveals. "There is a great quality assurance detection system on there, with pharmacode reading and glue line detection and inline rejection. The benefit of this is that you are able to run at full speed without fear of quality suffering. You are always guaranteed a superior product at the end of the line."
The Diana X 115 install has been a real success, then, and Breary says he and the company could not be happier with the outcome. He would recommend the machine to other companies without hesitation, but says he will not be needing another Diana himself for some time, as there is still a lot of spare capacity on the machine for the business to grow into.
He will, however, be looking for some extra staff in this area.
"Our aim is to be double-shift in all departments by the end of the year," he explains. "At the moment, we are only double shifts in printing and cutting. Before, we did not have the kit nor the inclination in the other areas, but now we have the machines and we are looking at bringing in new staff, so that our double-shift aim can be met."
The company is not simply resting on its laurels elsewhere, either. This year, Breary expects to add sheet foiling options and is also considering further press investments. He admits that Heidelberg are currently in the hot seat after the success of the Diana 115 when it comes to manufacturers, but he challenges competitors to knock it off
its perch.
"We see Heidelberg as a key partner. That does not mean the door is shut to everyone else, but it is up to others to match the service we have had from Heidelberg," he says.
SPECIFICATIONS
Max speed 500-650m/min depending on model
Stock weight range 200-900gsm / Max product size (wxl)
Straightline: 1,150x900mm
Lockbottom: 1,143x1,100mm
Four/six-corner collapsible: 1,150-1,100mm
Double-wall: 900x980mm
Price: The Diana X is a modular machine with prices starting from €300,000 (£251,000)
Contact: Heidelberg / 0844 892 2010 www.uk.heidelberg.com
Company Profile
Offset Print and Packaging is based in Aylesford, Kent, and was set up by owner Hugh Jarvis in 1970. It operates predominantly in the packaging sector, dealing both direct with clients and with agencies, but also has a successful greetings cards business. It produces both food and non-food packaging.
Why it was bought…
As part of a five-year investment programme to update the company’s entire fleet of kit, a bottleneck appeared in the folding and gluing department. Hence, operations director Vince Breary set about rectifying the issue with a new purchase, narrowing the options to Bobst and Heidelberg. The Heidelberg Diana X 115 got the nod.
How it has performed…
"It is fantastic," says Breary. "Everyone who has seen it has been very impressed and we are very impressed. The QA detection system means we can run at full speed without fear of quality suffering. You are always guaranteed a superior product at the end of the line."
