When Print North East invested in a Horizon SPF/FC-200A stitch/fold/trim line from Intelligent Finishing Systems Ltd it expected return on investment to be between 18 months and two years – not as little as 12 months.

“ROI was a lot quicker than we expected,” states Print North East Managing Director Steve Gilbert. “Not only was the system faster and easier to setup than our old one, it also won us new business. We knew we would cover the cost with existing work but it has done that and more. Its ability to easily handle short-run and long-run work meant that we are able to complete a very broad range of work too.”

Print North East, Newcastle upon Tyne, produces litho print on a B2 five-colour Komori, and digital print on a Xerox Versant 2100 for a wide range of clients from Tesco Bank and Akzo Nobel to local plumbers.

The Horizon SPF/FC-200A replaced a Horizon SPF/FC-20A and Gilbert explains: “We had an older Horizon that took a little time to set up. We needed something more flexible and responsive to the wide range of run lengths our litho and digital presses were producing. Before, we would rarely stitch the big runs in house and now we do.

“The quicker make-readies made a massive difference so our short-run throughput increased significantly. In fact we had the option to add an inline finisher to our Xerox Versant but because of the capability of the Horizon SPF/FC-200A we didn’t need to make that investment.

“We looked at other systems from Morgana and Duplo,” states Gilbert. “But the Horizon SPF/FC-200A was competitively priced, reliable and had the support of the IFS team.”

The 4,500bph JDF-ready Horizon SPF/FC-200A features a 200-programme job memory storage for instant recall, an icon-based touch-screen for job set-up and a 10-station VAC-Turbo 1000 PowerCollator.

“Now the work comes in the door and goes straight out the door. We are also more competitive while saving both ourselves and our customers time and money. It is a win win.”