The Midlands printer is due to take delivery of the five-colour-plus-coater XL 75 in June to replace a Speedmaster CD 74. The press cost around £1m and runs at 15,000sph.
“With this press we expect higher productivity and, with that, the ability to meet the increasing pressures on turnaround times,” said director Jonathan Smith.
“Speed of makereadies and associated benefits made this a no-brainer. For us it’s not all about run length but makereadies.
“They currently take 20 to 30 minutes and we have been quoted seven to eight minutes with this new kit. Being realistic if we could halve our current makeready times it would be fantastic.”
He added that the machine would give the company a lift in B2 capacity, while customers would gain a faster service, top print quality and value for money.
“The new XL 75 will be a godsend for our type of work: high-end commercial work such as reports and accounts and jobs for engineering, manufacturing and grocery sectors.”
The new machine was specified with Inpress Control inline spectral measurement and has the ability to tap into the existing off-press image control facility.
Pyramid Press in Nottingham chose five printing units and a coater. It said a change in demand meant that the six-colour CD 74 was no longer cost-justifiable.
The company also runs a B1 Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 and a B3 Heidelberg Anicolor. Digital kit includes an HP Indigo 3050, a Xerox iGen3 and an iGen4.
Pyramid Press has 45 staff and a turnover of around £4m. Smith hopes to add £1m in a “relatively short period of time”, he said.
Smith helped launch Advanced Imaging in 1996, which bought Progressive Printers, and in 2012 snapped up Pyramid Press in Nottingham.
“Pyramid had a very good reputation in the area and the sector and we wanted to preserve that reputation," he said.
“We are a quality outfit and don’t chase the work every man and his dog is after. We have seen year-on-year growth, have taken on apprentices and are looking to recruit more.”
Smith added: “Heidelberg is a known entity. We know we are buying the best and customers know the Speedmaster reputation for quality. Buying this machine is a solid investment.”
The press will run two shifts a day to meet demand at Pyramid, which runs primarily FSC chain-of custody papers and which works in collaboration with the World Land Trust to carbon balance papers if customers require it.
