New Bindery System Boosts Throughput at Colorado Springs School District 11

New Bindery System Boosts Throughput for School District

Since 1981, Colorado Springs School District 11’s Production Printing Department had been using a 14-bin Bourg collator to create basic note pads, carbonless forms and other items that didn’t require folding or stitching.

“It became increasingly difficult to find repair parts for our 26-year-old collator,” explains Joe Morin, manager, Production Printing. “And, as our customer requirements change, we are seeing more requests for full-color booklets, programs and marketing pieces, making the need for a more sophisticated inline finishing system apparent.”

So last summer the in-plant purchased a Standard Horizon SPF-200A stitcher/folder with three VAC-100 10-bin towers and an FC-200A trimmer. These components provide a complete in-line bindery system with a 30-signature capacity to collate, stitch, fold and face trim. The finished product exits the trimmer ready to package and ship.

“This purchase was necessary to, first and foremost, improve throughput,” says Morin. “The benefits over the previous solution are significant: improved workflow, increased efficiencies through reduced labor and setup waste, and a huge leap in technological capabilities.”

The Standard Horizon system has added the equivalent of one-and-a-half employees to the department, Morin contends, providing a cost savings of about $30,000 annually.

The in-plant’s most recent project utilizing the new equipment is the District 11 Enrollment Guide, an annual 135,000 copy, full-color, three-signature booklet used for marketing the schools to district patrons. The new system allowed the in-plant to finish this project in-house in about six days.

“Technology investments such as these help us keep as many of our precious resources in the district, enabling us to further enhance our student’s classroom education,” Morin says.