Whites has chosen a Horizon BQ-270V perfect binder supplied by Intelligent Finishing Systems to replace their BQ-260 and to create a more cost effective binding service.
The Ludworth third generation family run business made the investment to handle a broader variety of run lengths.
Explains director of print production Iain Glendenning: “Along with our ‘everyday’ binding work we have been asked to complete one-off dissertations by students at the nearby university up to 50mm thick. Previously completing these runs of one took too much time with the manual setup of the BQ-260. With the BQ270 it is much much faster.”
“Before we would have to separately crease work. A particular job that would take four hours now has been more than halved. Now we can take on extra work and get more work out of the door.”
The 500cph BQ270 completes the entire set-up and fine-tuning via an intuitive icon-based colour touchscreen that also accesses the on-board 200-job memory store. An automated, sensor-activated digital caliper system consistently measures book block thickness and automatically transfers this data to the binder for quick, automated set-up with no cycle lag time for books of different thicknesses.
Says Glendenning: “We just got to the tipping point where automating the process and adding inline creasing required investment in a new perfect binder. We have been in discussion with existing customers whose jobs we have traditionally wire-bound to change over to perfect binding and with the capabilities of the BQ-270 for short run lengths they have been more than happy with the results that perfect binding gives them.
“The BQ270 ticked all the boxes. It is quick and easy to set up and reduces the amount of time it takes to complete work. Overs and make-ready is reduced and there is less waste. It has all come together at the right time
“The investment made sense and it is already paying for itself. It means we can complete work a lost faster and that expands our capacity.
“It has performed exactly as we expected,” he adds. “We can produce twice as many books now.”
