LEP INSTALLS HORIZON ICE STITCHLINER MK IV

Major trade print operation LEP has installed a new Horizon iCE StitchLiner Mark IV saddle stitcher at its Queensland production centre, supplied by Currie Group.

The decision to invest in a new saddlestitcher was driven by a significant increase in demand for quicker turnaround times. Col Rawlings, general manager at LEP said, “LEP needed to upgrade its finishing equipment to keep pace with the growing market expectations for faster and more efficient production processes.”

LEP is a leading trade printer in Australia, offering both offset and digital printing services, specialising in a broad range of commercial printing, including high-quality magazines, brochures, catalogues, and other printed materials. LEP operates on a national level, with production facilities in Queensland and Victoria.

According to Rawlings, LEP selected Horizon for its new equipment because of “the excellent service, speed, and value for money” that Horizon’s systems provide. The long-standing relationship with the manufacturer and Currie Group’s high level of service also played a major role in the decision, alongside the fact that the Horizon equipment specifications aligned “perfectly” with LEP's operational needs and goals.

Rawlings said, “LEP’s choice of the StitchLiner Mk IV was influenced by its fast make-ready times and its exceptional reliability. These features were critical in meeting the company’s need for a machine that could maintain high productivity while reducing downtime between jobs.”

The StitchLiner Mk IV is set to replace a previous Hohner stitcher. The upgrade is part of LEP's ongoing efforts to improve production efficiency and meet increasing demand for faster finishing. Rawlings said, “For customers, the new equipment will enable LEP to offer faster turnaround times without compromising on quality, improving the overall customer experience, and increasing satisfaction.”

LEP will produce a variety of saddle-stitched products on the new equipment, including short-run landscape A4 magazines, calendars, catalogues, and other printed materials that require high-quality binding and finishing.

The StitchLiner Mk IV is handling both offset and digital print from LEP’s presses, making it, said Rawlings, “A versatile solution that can streamline LEP’s finishing processes for a range of production types.”

It was successfully installed during the first week of the year. Rawlings said, “It has been performing as expected. The machine has met the company's high expectations in terms of speed, reliability, and efficiency.”

The new iCE StitchLiner Mark IV makes booklets at speeds of 6,000 an hour. As standard it can connect to Horizon’s cloud-based iCE LiNK workflow. iCE LiNK workflow uses cloud technology to enable customers to begin with real time monitoring of the machine status to enterprise level automation including job scheduling. The intuitive dashboard reports real-time production analysis, for improved efficiency and profitability, remote update capabilities and scheduled maintenance, resulting says Horizon in less downtime.It has non-stop operation, stitches on a wide variety of substrates in both portrait and landscape with the ability to finish A5 books 2-up when combined with the double cut option. It has a 12.1” touch panel display with an icon-based software for user-friendly operation. Each finishing station is automatically setup by simply inputting the sheet size and booklet size on the touchscreen. Up to 999 job settings can be stored in memory for a quick and easy recall.

Michael Mostyn, QLD sales account manager for Currie Group said, “Horizon’s three pillars are automation, including minimising touchpoints for quick and easy changeover and accurate quality; ease of use, with icon-driven touchscreens with a common interface  And connectivity, so the equipment is able to expand and integrate with other devices, workflow and robotics.

“Decades ago, Horizon anticipated the need for automation - citing both skill shortages and the drive to continually boost productivity for profitable growth.”