24 August 2021

Solopress boosts speed and capacity after doubling up with second Hunkeler Offline Gen 8 Cutsheet Unit

Essex-based online print company Solopress has revealed that its purchase of a second Hunkeler Offline Gen 8 Cutsheet Unit from Friedheim International has enabled it to significantly speed up production and expand capacity.

Solopress took delivery of its second Hunkeler Offline Gen 8 Cutsheet Unit in July this year, having purchased its first machine in May 2020 to support its two new HP T250 PageWide digital inkjet presses.

Upon installing the two HP machines, Solopress became the first printing company in the world to bring one of the HP T250 PageWide digital inkjet presses online, as it sought to further expand its online print business.

The company had been using its first Hunkeler Offline Gen 8 Cutsheet Unit to cut to size and stack high quality products including flyers, folded leaflets, brochures and letter heads that it prints on the T250s.

The second machine has added more capacity and allowed Solopress to take on more work and grow its business as a result. 

“The productivity, flexibility and functionality of the two Hunkeler machines made them the perfect fit for our requirements,” Solopress Head of Operations Jack Clifford said. “Bringing the Hunkeler machines on board has sped up finishing, converting from reels to cut sheet finished jobs at speeds upwards of 180m/p/m. 

“The Hunkelers have done a tremendous job increasing our speed and capacity with our existing core products, but one area where we see new opportunities is in publishing. Our processes have also become more efficient, with fewer touchpoints thanks to the reduced need for manual handling of individual jobs.

“Since coming online, the digital inkjet printing process that we now have in place through combining the HP T250s with the Hunkelers has reduced spoilage by over 1.5%.”

The introduction of the two new Hunkelers forms part of a wider programme of investment and operational enhancements at Solopress, which has brought substantial improvements in efficiency and productivity.

“We estimate the business as a whole is 25% more efficient than it was two years ago thanks to these measures,” Jack Clifford said.

Jack Clifford also praised the work of Friedheim International for both installs, saying the team at the Hemel Hempstead finishing specialist was “professional and efficient” throughout the process.

“The machines were delivered on time and as expected, and we received effective support throughout the installation,” Jack Clifford said. “In particular, Friedheim’s aftersales service has exceeded our expectations, and their same-day callouts have helped us get back up and running in some urgent situations.”