Founded in 1976 by Ray Clark Sr., Motivating Graphics is a family owned and operated business in Fort Worth, Texas. Throughout the history of the company, three generations of Clarks have stood by the promise of guaranteeing its customers the most advanced packaging and design solutions available by installing leading offset technology – most recently fulfilled by its investment in the Speedmaster XL 162-6+L, which is the company’s third Heidelberg Very Large Format (VLF) press.
New Technology to Take the VLF to the Next Level
A few years ago, Motivating Graphics installed two Heidelberg VLFs to give customers the best quality and productivity possible. Running next to another VLF from a competitive manufacturer, the Heidelberg machines outperformed the other press at such a high volume that Tim Clark, Vice President of Motivating Graphics, knew that another Heidelberg VLF would eventually be purchased to replace the competitive machine.
“In the past few years, there has been such a huge advancement in new technology. We knew that once we were ready to purchase another VLF, it would allow us to offer even more to our customers,” said Clark. “And now, it’s impossible to even compare the technology on the Heidelberg VLFs to other technology. The impact it has made on the productivity and efficiency of our plant is second to none. We’re really able to stand out to our customers thanks to it.”
Printing at speeds up to 16,500 sheets an hour, the Speedmaster XL 162 is equipped with “Push to Stop” technology, which enables jobs to be autonomously changed over without operator intervention and will continue to print until the operator interrupts it. This software system reduces the number of operating steps during a job change and enables all operators to achieve uniform results, which has helped Motivating Graphics increase productivity by 30% compared to the previous machine.
Among the other advanced features of the new Speedmaster XL 162 is a fully integrated UV curing system from IST. The system combines traditional UV curing in the press delivery with an IST interdeck LED curing module, which is moveable between selected printing units. This configuration augments press application flexibility and capability across multiple product ranges and optimizes the efficiencies of the overall press platform.
Thanks to the technology on the press, the makeready times were also cut in half. One of the unique technologies impacting the makeready times is Prinect Inpress Control 2, which handles even the most complex color critical job changes at the fastest speeds possible. This technology helps the Speedmaster XL 162 deliver the first measurable result in less than 60 sheets in under a minute.
Expanding Markets and Increasing Business Growth
With expectations of a 15% increase in business growth every year for the next five years, Motivating Graphics believes the Heidelberg VLF will be a major partner in the company’s growth plan. According to Clark, “For years, we have been focused on high-tech telecommunications and consumer electronic industries. With the new VLF, we will be able to expand our market reach into the food and retail market, and we plan on purchasing more Heidelberg products as we continue to grow.”
One of the main reasons Motivating Graphics chooses to partner with Heidelberg is its reliable service for the company’s 3 VLFs, POLAR cutters, and Stahlfolders. Heidelberg has the largest service coverage in the industry and offers a wide range of technical and performance services to ensure that customers are receiving the most productive and efficient equipment. The wide network means that close-by technicians are readily available to help customers in need.
According to Clark, “It’s very important to have someone that is near to fix the machine if there is ever an issue, which is something that we really appreciate from Heidelberg’s service technicians. They have a fast turn-around time and are extremely knowledgeable in servicing our equipment.”
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