In order to produce (ultra) short runs in the softcover area more efficiently, Clays, located in Bungay (England), will install the Vareo/InfiniTrim dream team this spring. The purchase agreement for the perfect binder and the three-knife trimmer was signed at the Muller Martini stand at the Hunkeler Innovationdays in Lucerne.
“As our print on-demand volumes and thus the number of orders with small quantities are growing, we need highly automated and sophisticated machine solutions that enable us to produce efficiently,” says Ian Smith. “Thanks to the barcode workflow we can produce even book-of-one productions with the Vareo and InfiniTrim without any manual intervention.”
According to the Operations Director at Clays, the inline duo is the ultimate solution for producing small jobs, including runs of as little as one copy, without losing make-ready time. “Although our current binding equipment changes over relatively quickly, it still absorbs a lot of production time in doing so. The Vareo and the InfiniTrim will allow us to produce a wider variety of products more efficiently.”
Founded more than 200 years ago, Clays, which is located in Bungay in Suffolk and employs around 700 people, produces more than 150 million books each year on its eleven Muller Martini systems, including softcover and hardcover, using both digital and offset printing processes. The print runs range significantly, from softcover books with just 20 copies per title to those with millions of copies. However, orders in the high print run segment are, according to Ian Smith, on the decline, “which is why we need more flexible and more highly automated machines, such as the Vareo and the InfiniTrim.”