CEC enters label market with Heidelberg

CEC, established in 1974, has gone through various business transformations over the years, from envelope manufacturer and traditional offset printer, through to a pure digital shop. Now, the company diversifies from conventional commercial print to short run labels, packaging, and wide-format printing. 

‘When we first got into digital many years ago, we used a variety of products from different manufacturers but were never satisfied,’ said Owner Amit Chokshi. ‘In 2015, we originally went with Heidelberg because of their level of support and service. Once we got the experience with Heidelberg, it went so smoothly that we never looked at other machines.’

Installed in October 2020, the Versafire EP offers an upgrade in speed, substrate range, and in-line color and registration technology over CEC’s older machine. 

‘Not only can the machine run at 115 pages per minute, but the extended stock range of the Versafire gives us a big boost in the products we can offer our customers,’ said production manager, Mike Hughes. 

Suitable for the short run label and packaging markets, the Versafire can print on up to 24 pt. board, including pre-converted material, and various synthetics, none of which were possible on the company’s older Versafire model.

While the enhanced substrate range was a critical factor in CEC’s decision to upgrade, the company also cites Versafire’s other improved in-line technology as determining investment factors. With front-to-back registration on duplexed jobs and high-precision in-line registration, which actively controls every sheet so that it is steered and adjusted through the machine automatically, CEC gains greater sheet-to-sheet consistency within jobs. 

‘This machine is opening the doors for us to be competitive in the areas where we see big growth potential,’ added Chokshi. ‘Now equipped with these enhanced capabilities, we can really go after a new customer base. Six to twelve months down the road, I see our business shifting from the traditional commercial work we do now and focusing on packaging, label, and book printing. The Versafire will help us achieve these goals.’