JBP boosts throughput with Uchida Aerocut

Yorkshire-based John Brailsford Printers (JBP) has eased congestion in its post-press operation with the installation of a Uchida Aerocut card cutter-creaser.

The machine, which was installed at JBP’s Rotherham site in July, has improved efficiency across the business by freeing up the company’s Schneider Senator guillotines for longer run work, according to director John Brailsford.

JBP offers a quick-turnaround service for on-demand card printing, as well as more commercial work, at its sites in Rotherham and Barnsley and the Aerocut is being used to cut and crease short-run jobs.

"Our volume of work is the same, but it is now being processed much more efficiently. We’ve been finding that for runs of fewer than 200, the Aerocut is the most efficient process. More than that and we put it on the guillotines," said Brailsford.

"We’ve been aggressively promoting our same-day service and this installation has really helped process this kind of work," he added.

The Aerocut is capable of handling sheet sizes up to B3 and stock weights of 120-350gsm. Speed is dependent on job complexity, but a typical A4 job, involving two cuts and one crease, can be processed at 20 sheets per minute, according to Uchida.

"It’s so easy to set up and within just a few seconds we’ve changed formats, added a crease or set up a perforation, even for run lengths as few as one and without a single waste sheet", said Brailsford.

The Aerocut, which has a list price of £18,000, was supplied by Fingerprint Digital in Newmarket. The machine was ordered at North Print and Pack but was only installed last month due to a shortage of stock.

John Brailsford Printers has a turnover of £1.1m and employs 16 staff.