PERFECT IN PORTOBELLO
Perfect Binder investment offers vast potential for new business at Portobello Press
London's leading commercial printer, Portobello Press, has installed a CP Bourg BB3002 Perfect Binder and CMT130 single-knife trimmer recently in direct response to a new contract and a steady rise in other orders. The decision to bring perfect binding in-house has impacted on cost and offers a bright future for new business opportunities.
Operations Director Iain Story explains, "The overall run-volume was large but we found that at times some of the individual run-lengths were as little as ten copies at a time. We therefore needed something that was flexible enough to cope with both."
The purchase was made at NorthPrint through Bourg's UK distributors Terry Cooper Services, and although rival products were carefully examined it was the sheer ease of use and exceptionally good set-up options that impressed Iain. TCS delivered and installed both systems, provided training and back-up support to ensure Portobello Press were in production as quickly as possible.
The capabilities of the BB3002 Perfect Binder are already evident. Storey says, "The system fits in well with our core products which are both digital and litho. We are producing both digital and litho covers and have recently run off some excellent samples of padded sets with wraparound covers. The result looks extremely neat and tidy.
"Admittedly there is an exciting learning curve, especially when having to determine the number of creases and length of covers you can put on the machine etc; it can make all the difference to cost and end result of an order when you are fully aware of what this binder can do."
The Bourg BB3002 is totally automated and available with EVA or PUR gluing options. Full colour touch-screen and no tools required for operator adjustments ensures ease of use. It features a built-in Jogger unit, padding mode, can produce winged books and binds up to 60mm thick at speeds of 400 cycles per hour. It is the only binder in the world with an integrated cover-creasing unit and is supplied, as standard, with fully automatic book stacker cooler.
The company has also already experienced the benefits of CMT130 single-knife trimmer. Storey says, "We wanted greater control over the finished product and decided to bring this in-house as well. It was perfect timing. A shift in deadlines by a customer recently meant that we were able to meet it with relative ease, something not possible when you rely on out-sourcing."
Looking ahead, the opportunities to produce booklets and manuals for clients, is potentially vast! Portobello Press has already received positive feedback from customers and they are confident that they can build up new business as well as continuing to exceed the expectations of their existing customers.