Automation Equals Speed and Ease

Today's saddle stitchers require a lot less effort to operate and offer much higher productivity. Find out how they can help you keep work in-house.

TRENDS COME and go in any industry. But in printing, automation is one trend that has staying power.

Take saddle stitchers. Many models boast features like faster makeready, easy operation and quick changeovers for booklet making. Quick set-ups and the ability to handle short runs also provide efficiency. Add user-friendly bells and whistles and production runs even more smoothly.

"People that are hired to run the machines are not as skilled as in previous years," points out Jim Gould, president of System Finishing. "No one wants to train someone for six months anymore because there is such a high turnover rate due to low pay. Machines have to be automatic."

That seems to be the sentiment of many in-plant managers who just don't have a lot of time. Their customers are clamoring for quick turnarounds and shorter runs. They can't be ignored.

"Today, in-plants are required to do shorter and shorter run lengths," notes Richard Trapilo, executive vice president and general manager of C.P. Bourg, "and saddle stitching will help with that."

Computerize And Simplify

When it comes to which features are important to you, Walter Langley, Baum U.S.A.'s product manager, says that no printer should even consider purchasing a stitcher that doesn't have a computer-controlled interface.

"Experienced operators are hard or impossible to find, and a computer-assisted makeready makes it possible for any competent employee, with the proper training, to set up a stitcher," Langley explains.

Gould agrees with Langley; with auto settings, the operator basically just has to push the right button.

But to get the most out of your stitcher, he continues, "you have to be able to set up faster. With shorter runs of 1,000 to 2,500, easier set up is required. No one has the time to set up a stitcher for half a day when they get a job that's due at 4 p.m."

Saddle stitching according to David Spiel, owner of Spiel Associates, has really not changed, aside from automation and increased speed.

"Saddle stitchers have the same options as 10 years ago—they just do it faster," he says. Spiel Associates manufactures the LQD8D Combined Saddle Stitching line.

Graham Leonard, director of marketing at Heidelberg Finishing says that makeready is very important for in-plants that want to produce efficient work and increase productivity.

"Eliminate some of the makeready adjustments for easier and faster operation, so that job-to-job turnover will happen quickly," Leonard says. "To go from a single product to a double and a triple in a fast amount of time will triple production time for the in-plant."

For some in-plants, saddle stitching is used mainly for stitching thick manuals or thick bunches of paper together. For others, however, it provides a valuable option to offer customers. Bottom line: owning a saddle stitcher aids in preventing work from being outsourced.

Printing Services Manager Robert Smith can attest to that. He says that without the capabilities of stitching, he couldn't have completed a project that proved successful for his shop.

Smith, who runs Marriott International's Reprographic Center in Beltsville, Md., uses the C.P. Bourg Suction Tower Collator BST 10. On that, he says, he can saddle stitch just about everything—including 1,000 booklets for the Colonial Beach Virginia Rock Fish Tournament.

"They were very pleased with our work," he says. "The BST 10 runs most any stock we have very easily—and we can do print-on-demand work. We can run covers on our press, run the text on the DocuTech and stitch it on the Bourg."

The ability to saddle stitch is essential to Duplication Services at Hills Department Stores in Canton, Mass. Supervisor Tim Fox says if his shop didn't have the Baum 310, he would have to outsource much of the work.

"We put about 10,000 sheets per month on the machine because of a monthly company newsletter," he says, "so it wasn't that hard convincing management on the importance of this purchase."

Fox says he eventually would like to upgrade to a model that provides higher volume with better input.

Managers Know What They Want

Even with the aforementioned praises of saddle stitchers, there are still some features managers would like to see on their machines to make their lives easier.

"I believe if I had the opportunity to have a vertical collator that's a space-saver, that would be great," says Charles Mannino, supervisor of the print shop at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. "Like a 10-station tower instead of the 30-station we have. But I don't know how many people would actually be able to reach a 10-station tower," he admits.

Fox would like to see a stitcher offered at a "middle of the road" sales price. "Say about $50 to $60,000," he recommends. "Now, you can only get one like the one we have [$30,000] or a high-end one for $120,000 or so. There's no middle ground, and if there was one, we would definitely purchase it."

"I would like to see an attachment that lays the books flat after folding them," says Smith, of Marriott. "A feed system that feeds similar to a copy machine with belts above the paper so it's able to feed all types of stock."

Though managers all need to finish jobs fast, speed itself should not be the highest priority, cautions Leonard, of Heidelberg Finishing. "High productivity should be. I think most in-plants are worried about how fast the machine can produce good books, and how many books are in the box at the end of the day."

Gould agrees, saying unless runs are over 20,000, speed should not be as important as makeready.

"A 15-minute savings on makeready is equal to 1,000 books per hour run speed advantage on a 20,000 run," he notes. "The question should not be how fast does it run or even how fast is the makeready but, 'what will it cost me to makeready and run my jobs?' "

Manufacturers advise in-plants to look for durable, solid machines that produce high-quality results.

"Make sure [the stitcher] is reliable and proven," says Mark Hunt, marketing manager of Standard Finishing. "Quick, simple changeovers are mandatory."

"Again, automation and simplicity of operation are what are important to in-plants," adds Trapilo, of C.P. Bourg.

When making that final selection, it's important to look ahead at what your shop will be producing in the future.

"In-plants should invest in equipment that is both modular and has the capability to change as their needs change," says Gould. "Expansion with attachments and/or additions is important, even if it's only one bin."