Flexpress Expands Bindery With Horizon Spend

Leicester operation invests in book production and lamination capabilities

Flexpress, Leicester, has bolstered its bindery capabilities following investment in a Horizon BQ270V perfect binder and a Foliant Taurus 530 laminator from Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS).

Steve Wenlock Managing Director of the 24 year old general commercial operation that counts universities, hospitals and charities among its clientel explains: “We had a small laminator in house but were sending out the larger jobs which meant extra time and costs. Now we can be faster and more responsive.

“We chose the Foliant Taurus for a number of reasons. It is versatile, handles lightweight paper and has a compact footprint. Plus it was available virtually immediately.”

The fully automatic 30mpm Foliant Taurus 530SF has a rising pile back separation stream feeder and a suction paper feed head. It combines a feeder, laminator, and a sheet separator in a compact design.

Mr Wenlock adds: “It is as simple to operate as any of the other systems out there. We had three people trained up on it straight away.”

Flexpress’s Horizon BQ270V has a cycle speed of 500cph and, as well as completing the entire set-up and fine-tuning, its intuitive icon-based colour touchscreen also accesses the on-board 200-job memory store. There is a controlled two-stage book drop to protect heavier books and it offers CIP4 JDF connectability via Horizon’s pXnet system.

“We trust IFS, their expertise and openness, and we knew of a few customers who had installed the systems and were happy with them,” says Mr Wenlock.

“With the investment we can improve our pricing, productivity and our relationship with our customers.

“We can be more competitive.”