The business, part of Zenith Print Group, will take delivery of a B1 Speedmaster XL 106-8-P Push to Stop press at its 6,225sqm Pontypool premises at the end of May.
The new machine will replace two existing straight Speedmasters – a CD 74 and an XL 106 – and will run alongside two other straight XL 106s that the firm will retain.
Zenith Print Group special projects manager Lisa Blackmore said: “We're probably looking at a 35% increase in output and the perfector gives us the capability to take on different work that we can't do at the moment but that we will now be able to produce.
“We've got a good working relationship with Heidelberg and they supply all of our consumables as well.”
The new press will handle a variety of commercial work including corporate brochures, holiday brochures, local government literature and information pamphlets.
The Push to Stop capability on the press enables it to intelligently prepare and print jobs uninterrupted unless an operator chooses to intervene.
Central to this is the Prinect Intellistart 2 software which calculates the shortest makeready so that the machine works to maximum productivity.
Autonomous printing also requires the user to have Inpress Control 2 spectral colour adjustment and one of Heidelberg’s automatic plate changing systems.
“Push to Stop will increase our efficiency and allow us to exploit the potential for greater productivity moving forward. We have frequent job changes, short runs and we will benefit from this autonomous printing method,” said Zenith Media studio manager Carl Smith.
“Prinect Inpress Control 2 makes Zenith Media’s production cost-effective and, combined with ink pumping, ensures reliable quality with consistent inking throughout a run and from run to run. Plate-changing with Autoplate Pro allows us to be 50% more efficient, freeing our staff to get on with other work as the plates are loaded.”
Zenith also bought a Suprasetter CTP device from Heidelberg last year and two Stahlfolder TH 82-P buckle folders in 2016.
Comprising Zenith Media, Zenith Print & Packaging and C3 Imaging, Zenith Print Group employs 250 staff, 100 of which work at Zenith Media.
