DWS reports success with Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106

The company purchased the Heidelberg press, its first from the printing equipment manufacturer, at drupa 2012, aiming to expand its production capabilities and improve efficiency by introducing technology that would enable it to handle a wider variety of substrates and sharpen its competitive edge. The press was installed in 2013 and has logged more than 38 million impressions since it went online.

DWS Printing Associates opted for a configuration designed to advance its continuous improvement initiatives, and is the first Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 in the US with a combination of CutStar in-line sheeter, hybrid UV technology, and both Prinect Inpress Control and Prinect Axis Control color measurement and control systems.

Heidelberg said that because DWS Printing Associates frequently works with BOPP films and light metallized papers, it needed a press that could handle these difficult substrates without tripping, with the CutStar roll sheeter making a huge contribution to printing successfully on these types of substrates. Further, the dual color management systems are suited to the range and types of substrates DWS Printing Associates uses to produce a wide variety of cut-and-stack, pressure-sensitive and in-mold labels for the craft beer, beverage, food and household markets.

The configuration also includes the latest version of Prinect Pressroom Manager, which connects with the company's Nexus pre-press workflow, as well as Prinect Cockpit/Analyze Point to monitor production in real time and report an accurate account of waste sheets and good production.

DWS Printing Associates president Tom Staib said: ‘We did not want to catch up with the competition. We want to be a technology leader. The Speedmaster XL 106 is state-of-the-art. As far as I'm concerned, there is no better press for printing food and beverage labels.

‘Part of our mission is to be the absolute best at what we do. There's no question that the XL 106 has moved us closer to that goal.’

DWS Printing Associates invested in in pre-installation training to bring and keep its management and press crews up to speed on Heidelberg technology.

‘Prior to delivery of the press, we sent two press crews to Kennesaw for preliminary training,’ Staib added. ‘My technical director and I also attended.

‘Although we would not be running the press ourselves, we felt it was imperative that we learn the technology as best we could. Several months after the installation and initial on-site training, we had a number of additional training sessions that served as great 'refreshers' for our pressmen.’

DWS Printing Associates has retained an existing pair of competitive presses for occasions when demand warrants it, although Staib said: ‘Most work now prints on the XL 106 because it runs so efficiently, and because it enables us to run rolls instead of sheets. It just makes sense.

‘We've also seen a big difference in make-ready times and waste, compared with our other presses.

‘That's important, because we are on a continuous improvement journey toward higher productivity, enhanced quality, and improved overall equipment efficiency.’