It’s been 12 months since this Melbourne trade house installed its Varimatrix die cutter, with productivity and increased product range among the benefits Precision is seeing.
Heidelberg’s Varimatrix 105 CS is the latest generation die-cutter for commercial and packaging printers. Heidelberg says the Varimatrix 105 CS is designed to produce medium-length and long runs, but is also capable of economically producing short runs. According to Heidelberg it is this flexibility that has seen the Varimatrix prove popular, with more than 200 installations worldwide, and here in the Asia Pacific region it has recorded 29 per cent of those sales.
In Australia, Melbourne’s Precision Forme Cutting installed the machine last year, and twelve months down the track managing director Alf Puglia reports that some 4.2 million sheets have been processed through the Varimatrix since commissioning - without any downtime or maintenance issues.
“This machine has exceeded my expectations,” says Puglia. “It hasn’t missed a beat since day one and we have been pleased with the range and quality of work the Varimatrix can handle.”
Precision Forme Cutting has been in operation for more than 20 years and produces work exclusively for the print trade. When the company began it was focused on the manufacture of cutting formes. However over time the range of activities has evolved. Puglia says, “Today we cover the whole gamut of services required on the cutting side of the print industry, because that’s the way the market has shifted. You have to be a one stop shop for your customers otherwise you won’t survive.”
Of his clients Puglia says, “Printers are very exacting. There is no second chance with the work we do, it has to be right first time. That is why our investment in the Varimatrix has been such a success. There are no issues at all with the work we produce on this machine, it consistently produces a quality product, whether we are doing packaging jobs or sticker runs.”
Since the installation Precision Forme Cutting has already attracted new work that previously was out of reach. Puglia says, “We are now producing work on much thinner stock. The machine we had before was unable to accommodate 70gsm paper. It was always a hassle trying to do the lighter weight jobs. But the Varimatrix handles anything from paper right through to heavier 1mm board without a glitch.”
Puglia says his decision to buy the Varimatrix was largely influenced by Heidelberg’s reputation. This is the first piece of new Heidelberg equipment for the company. He says, “We didn’t have the opportunity to view the machine firsthand before we put our order in, but we have great confidence in the Heidelberg brand as they have a solid reputation for quality and for service. We certainly haven’t been disappointed”. In fact on the strength of the service and support he has received from Heidelberg, Puglia has recently placed an order for a new Polar XT137 guillotine.
His operators are also impressed with the Varimatrix, commenting on the ease of use, fast make-ready times and its quiet running. “From the moment the sheet goes in until it comes out the other end no one touches it – the machine cuts, strips and tabs in whatever quantity you need. And that’s a huge benefit because we can guarantee the quantity in each bundle, which is very important to our customers. Plus it is so quiet. Our old machine was incredibly noisy you couldn’t hold a conversation within its vicinity,” he says.
“We got rid of four machines when we installed the Varimatrix. We now push through all the work we had before, plus the new jobs, on this one machine and still have capacity to grow. And there is nothing we’ve thrown at this machine that it can’t handle.”
In conclusion he says, “Our customers are impressed by the accuracy and quality we are achieving. The more confidence your customers have in you, the more work they send through. This machine has surprised everyone here by how good it is. There is nothing I don’t like about the Varimatrix.”
