Bluestar Print Finishers has doubled production capacity with the addition of a Horizon HT-300 iCE Trimmer running nearline with its existing Horizon BQ-500 iCE Binder from IFS.

The Ilford print finisher’s investment completes the production vision of Managing Director Lee Harvey that began with the installation of the Horizon BQ-500 iCE Binder in 2023. He explains: “We always planned to have the trimmer. It was just a case of making the space and sorting things out. The BQ-500 really advanced production and we knew there would be a bottleneck which is why we were always going to add the trimmer. From the moment the trimmer was installed it has doubled our capacity.”

As a result, Bluestar Print Finishers can confidently offer next day, and in some cases, same day deliveries. Lee states: “Our customers are under greater pressure to meet tighter turnaround times. For them to outsource that work they need to be sure they can meet their clients’ expectations. Now that we have the trimmer completing work straight off the binder, we are much more confident in our ability to turn work around faster.  We can offer 24 hour turnaround times and even same day deliveries for some orders.”

He continues: “The other day we had a 3,000 run and five minutes after coming off the binder the trimmer completed the final book. It allows us to complete two production stages almost as fast as one. It also frees up our guillotine to concentrate on other work.”

The Horizon HT-300 iCE Trimmer is a next generation single knife three side trimmer with fully automated setup features. It has a maximum production speed of trimming up to 1100 books per hour or 300 cycles per hour for increased productivity. New auto book thickness measuring and table angle adjustment help achieve accurate and clean cuts with precision automation.

It features cloud-based iCE LiNK workflow that provides access to an intuitive easy to use dashboard. It reports real time production analysis for improved efficiency and profitability, remote update capabilities and scheduled maintenance resulting in less downtime. The information is accessible via smartphone, tablet or desktop PC and the software is designed for simple integration with MIS systems using open APIs. It enables up to the minute reportability and fully automated workflow using JDF/JMF data.

Concludes Lee: “It has been really good. We always knew this is the set up that we needed, and IFS helped us achieve that.”