The single-clamp machine, supplied by Intelligent Finishing Systems, was bought to meet a growing demand for short-run reports and perfect bound books. One of the first jobs was a 7,600 run for Oxford University’s Brasenose College. “We used to send finishing to local firm Overload but that stopped trading, which left a bit of a hole in our capability,” said managing director Ben Burrows. “We wanted to respond immediately to short-run requests. The quality of the kit is very, very good, nice square backs and fast. “But I also wanted to be sure the quality of the Horizon matched the quality our customers were used to. We didn’t want a compromise in the quality of the book or for our customers to notice any difference between jobs,” said Burrows. He also liked the intuitive touch screen set up of the 500bph system, which cost around £30,000, and the variable software enabling the single clamp to be pre-set for the next book block in the job queue. Burrows’ 12-staff company was launched in 1890 by his great grandfather Harry Burrows. Clients include Oxford colleges, medical and IT sectors and local businesses, helping the business to clock up an annual turnover of £800,000. Other kit includes a Xerox 770 bought two years ago and litho machines including a five-colour Sakurai 575, two-colour Heidelberg MOZP and a two-colour Speedmaster 52 B3 machine. The investment in the binder prompted Burrows to consider the provision of online ordering, he said: “A lot of our customers still like us to go and see them but with an online service we can also cater for those that prefer to upload work themselves.” “The new addition gives us flexibility on price and turnaround times. Minimum order costs were creeping up and we had to consider transportation times to and from the finisher. Now we can more easily offer a same-day service.”...

The new Polar N 115 is aimed at packaging companies with straightforward board cutting needs and commercial companies with a limited product range and a more basic cutting requirement, said the company. The115cm-wide basic N model joins the N Plus and N Pro versions and will be available from this September. It will cost under £50,000 but still feature a large touch screen, Formica air tables and a strong programming capability, said marketing director Mark Hogan. “Over the years we have added many features to the cutters to make them more suitable for the complex world of modern print and finishing. But a lot of customers like packagers or smaller commercial set ups just need to trim down sheets. “Many of the features therefore aren’t necessary, so we have created a machine properly targeted at that type of customer. Even big printers sometimes don’t have cutting as an integral part of their offering.” Heidelberg product manager for Polar in the UK Paul Thompson said the “budget-conscious machine” would fulfil the needs of companies requiring a limited range of cuts with little need for automation. “But it retains the core features of the Plus range including the 18.5in touchscreen. So for buyers that do not need extensive storage and programming features or all the proven options of the higher specified models it is going to be a very productive machine,” he added....

The new Polar N 115 is aimed at packaging companies with straightforward board cutting needs and commercial companies with a limited product range and a more basic cutting requirement, said the company. The115cm-wide basic N model joins the N Plus and N Pro versions and will be available from this September. It will cost under £50,000 but still feature a large touch screen, Formica air tables and a strong programming capability, said marketing director Mark Hogan. “Over the years we have added many features to the cutters to make them more suitable for the complex world of modern print and finishing. But a lot of customers like packagers or smaller commercial set ups just need to trim down sheets. “Many of the features therefore aren’t necessary, so we have created a machine properly targeted at that type of customer. Even big printers sometimes don’t have cutting as an integral part of their offering.” Heidelberg product manager for Polar in the UK Paul Thompson said the “budget-conscious machine” would fulfil the needs of companies requiring a limited range of cuts with little need for automation. “But it retains the core features of the Plus range including the 18.5in touchscreen. So for buyers that do not need extensive storage and programming features or all the proven options of the higher specified models it is going to be a very productive machine,” he added....

The machine, which was ordered though supplier Esko, is due to be installed at the East Kilbride company at the end of August. The XP44 will help produce the company’s portfolio of large-scale graphics products, including wall and window graphics, displays, signage and floor graphics. Operations manager Alan Marshall said: “It is easy to use and that helps us be more creative, productive and turn work around faster. We also liked the size of platform it offers. There are no longer lots of 500 to 600 sheet jobs. Plenty are only three or four sheets and we need to handle them cost effectively.” The new machine will replace two older Kongsberg tables. Marshall added: “We have four Kongsberg tables that are more than 25 years old and they still work well.” The XP44 is designed to cut packaging and POS displays from CAD drawings and includes automatic loading and unloading. It can handle a wide range of materials including foam, foamboard and plastic corrugated. “One of the main considerations was to be able to work with coarser and thicker materials. We currently handle a lot of film but nothing above 5mm,” added Marshall. “We work in a lot of niche markets and design and develop every project to fit the customer’s requirements. That means we need to innovate continuously to help them achieve market differentiation. The table will help us become slicker with our production,” he said....

The machine, which was ordered though supplier Esko, is due to be installed at the East Kilbride company at the end of August. The XP44 will help produce the company’s portfolio of large-scale graphics products, including wall and window graphics, displays, signage and floor graphics. Operations manager Alan Marshall said: “It is easy to use and that helps us be more creative, productive and turn work around faster. We also liked the size of platform it offers. There are no longer lots of 500 to 600 sheet jobs. Plenty are only three or four sheets and we need to handle them cost effectively.” The new machine will replace two older Kongsberg tables. Marshall added: “We have four Kongsberg tables that are more than 25 years old and they still work well.” The XP44 is designed to cut packaging and POS displays from CAD drawings and includes automatic loading and unloading. It can handle a wide range of materials including foam, foamboard and plastic corrugated. “One of the main considerations was to be able to work with coarser and thicker materials. We currently handle a lot of film but nothing above 5mm,” added Marshall. “We work in a lot of niche markets and design and develop every project to fit the customer’s requirements. That means we need to innovate continuously to help them achieve market differentiation. The table will help us become slicker with our production,” he said....