Tennessee-based Adams Litho has experienced a surge in demand for packaging in the last ten years. Expecting further increases in the coming years, the company has plans to grow in this segment. To prepare for this, Adams Litho has invested in several machines from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg).
With a complete package consisting of a Speedmaster CD 102-6+L UV, an Easymatrix 106 CS die cutter, a Diana Easy 115 gluer and a Versafire EP digital printing press, the printing company wants to offer its customers top-quality packaging solutions for any run length.
‘Packagings continue to grow, and will always be needed,’ confirmed Wyatt Hogue, GEO of Adams Litho. ‘The most important thing in stores is which packaging stands out on the shelf. It is of vital importance for our company to offer a one-stop shop for unique and high-quality packaging.’
The new Speedmaster CD 102-6+L is already the third Speedmaster CD 102 at Adam Litho, this time with full UV technology. ‘This series has always been a good fit for us, and we’re extremely happy with it,’ explained Hogue. ‘However the new machine is equipped with UV technology, enabling us to print on uncoated paper and various non-absorbent substrates. We use it for a variety of orders and materials. The sheets come out of the delivery dry and can go straight into postpress, which means we can offer the shortest delivery times.’
Adams Litho uses the Versafire EP for advertising and packaging orders with fast turnaround times and very short runs, since it can process a variety of different materials. The digital printing system impresses with high throughput and reliable production.
Up to now, Adams Litho has outsourced its postpress processes, losing a lot of time and control. From now on, this value creation will be taking place in-house. ‘We knew that we needed a folder gluer in the company and visited a lot of suppliers. But when we saw the Diana Easy 115 in the Print Media Centre Atlanta, we knew immediately that the Diana was the right gluer for us,’ confirmed Hogue. The Diana Easy is based on the proven Diana technology, and is the perfect machine for getting started in folding carton production. In addition, the machine will be able to keep up as Adams Litho’s requirements grow. The highlight of the Diana Easy is its user-friendliness. ‘Since it’s our first folder gluer, we wanted a machine that was easy to learn and use for our operators. Our plan is to grow and have the Diana Easy working at maximum capacity, and then buy another one. It will be a sustainable business for us,’ continued Hogue.
To increase the productivity even further, an existing die cutter was replaced with the Easymatrix 106 CS to substantially reduce the makeready times and greatly increase the production capacity. ‘Now there are no more bottlenecks at Adams Litho. All of our machines produce at above-average speeds, in top quality, and work together perfectly. Our customers are more than happy, which in turn makes us happy,’ explained Hogue.
Adams Litho is fully equipped with machines from Heidelberg, as well as with several Stahlfolder folding machines and POLAR cutting machines. For integrated production, the printing company also uses Prinect from Heidelberg to optimise its workflow. Decades of partnership with Heidelberg made the choice an easy one for Adams Litho. ‘A big consideration is the service and reliability offered by Heidelberg. If I log a service request this afternoon, Heidelberg will be here tomorrow morning, having already ordered the spare part. The machine will be running again in no time,’ confirmed Hogue.
Heidelberg Graphic Systems SA (Pty) Ltd +27 (0) 861 424 756 tamara.franco@heidelberg.com http://www.heidelberg.com/za
