One of the first Promatrix 106 CS die-cutters in the UK is due to be delivered to the Buckingham company by the end of the year.

The Promatrix, the first die-cutting product resulting from the joint venture between Chinese manufacturer Masterwork Graphic Equipment and Heidelberg, will replace a Heidelberg Cylinder and a Heidelberg Platen to improve throughput and eliminate bottlenecks. 

Over Christmas BCQ Group is due to take the final Stitchmaster ST 500 supplied by Heidelberg UK, said managing director Chris Knowles.

The upgrade will enable the company to beef up its JDF workflows to include all post-press equipment, with Postpress Manager, and to install a new Tharstern MIS.

“The Promatrix is purely to relieve bottlenecks and the Stitchmaster to give us added capability and offer more automation,” Knowles said.

“We are loosening the purse strings to put us at the pointy end of the stick in terms of technology. This investment puts us right there.”

His company, which employs almost 130 staff and makes £11m turnover hopes the new technology will put the business “north of £12m” by next Christmas.

“We have a long-term relationship with Heidelberg and trust their sales and service,” said Knowles. “The Promatrix is an affordable option for commercial printers. We saw the machine in Germany and were very pleased with the test results.”

One tested job featured a large kiss cut in the shape of a phone. At BCQ such a job took two hours to make ready and generated about 100 waste sheets.

At Heidelberg, the same job was set up in 15 minutes and output at 7,500sph with only two waste sheets and to an improved cut quality.

“It was amazing,” said Knowles. “It is fast and productive, just what we are looking for. We have cleared a space and anticipate delivery by the year's end.”

The Promatrix can run stocks from 90gsm paper up to 2,000gsm solid board and 4mm-thick corrugated.

The quick makeready is enhanced with a quick-lock chase and the maximum running speed of 8,000sph. A gripper opening device ensures easy sheet removal in the stripping section.

In the cutting section the thin plate and micro adjustment are standard features, with no hand tools required to unlock the cutting tools, making handling and set-up faster.

Shortly after the Promatrix 106 is bedded in at BCQ, Heidelberg will deliver an ex-demo Stitchmaster ST 500 to replace BCQ’s ST 350.

Heidelberg sold its stitching and binding portfolio to Muller Martini earlier this year, following the company’s decision to move out of non-core areas, so this will be the very last Stitchmaster delivered by Heidelberg UK.

Of the Tharsten MIS, Knowles said: “The MIS will allow us to monitor and manage work with ease and transparency, leaving us free to focus on the more complex work.

“We are quite progressive with our JDF links and the enhancements we are making will include folders and all our post-press products.

“Digital workflows are critical to fast machine set-up, accurate job data transfer, reduced waste and good management data.”

His “Heidelberg-heavy” company runs two Speedmaster XL 75s, one SM 74 and one SM 52 as well as two Printmaster 46s and a GTO. It also operates two HP Indigos, Canon Océ high-speed copiers, and wide-format kit including an HP 6300 latex machine and a Mimaki solvent machine.

BCQ attributes 60% of its print sales to commercial clients and 40% to the print management and agency market.

BCQ, formerly Buckingham Colour Group, merged with Colour Quest Group nearly nine years ago to become BCQ Group.