After a tour of five finishing solutions providers at drupa 2016 Salisbury Printing Company chose a Horizon SPF-FC/200L landscape feed bookletmaker, supplied by IFS. The deal was signed on Horizon’s Hall 6 stand.
It will replace a single tower SPF-20 that was 12 to 15 years old. Explains Director Paul Dible: “This will be the third generation Horizon bookletmaking system that we have invested in. Our existing solution has been in operation for many years and it was time to upgrade. The fact that this is our third helped make the final decision. We know and trust the reliability and consistency Horizon deliver.”
Before the decision was made a thorough review of solutions on the market was undertaken. Says Dible: “We decided to come to drupa and test other options on the market. Some were more entry-level than we wanted and in the end it came down to two. We liked the Horizon’s ability to handle landscape A4. This is something we are currently sending out so now we can keep that cost inhouse ad save time.
“We also liked that fact that Horizon has obviously listened to some of the points raised by customers and updated the SPF-FC200L to reflect that. New blowers have been added to aid the feeding, the knife fold is now gear driven, deflectors prevent books from coming out at an angle and sensors have been fitted to ensure smoother running.
He adds: “With all these benefits and the increased capacity we expect ROI in around two years.”
Capable of 4,500bph, the Horizon SPF/FC-200L combines all the highly automated features of the successful SPF/FC200A bookletmaker with the ability to feed A4 landscape sheets up to 640mm in length. JDF-ready, the system offers instant set-ups via a large icon-based colour touchscreen for user-friendly operation. The screen can be used for on-the-run fine tune adjustments as well as the store and recall of up to 200 jobs.
As for the longstanding partnership with IFS he states: “The good relationship we have with IFS was also important. We have never had any problems and the phone service has always been great. It is a good company to work with.”
