Keeping Pace In the Bindery

Indiana Printing & Publishing Company, a 300-employee commercial printer located in Indiana, Pa., purchased two saddle stitching systems in 2000 to replace an older unit when a customer decided to have its monthly tabloid-size publication stitched.

"We purchased the saddle stitchers to modernize our capacity and to handle an increase in business," says Indiana Printing & Publishing distribution manager Sam Parisse, who oversees the bindery and direct mail departments for the company, which, since 1890, has published its county daily newspaper, The Indiana Gazette.

"Two weeks of the month, we run both stitchers straight through three-shift, 24-hour work days. Both stitchers have a place in our shop," Parisse adds.

"Four years ago, we saddle stitched from 100,000 to 150,000 booklets a month," says bindery supervisor Rich Shepherd. "Now we run about 750,000 booklets for about 13 different jobs monthly. Last month, we printed a job for a college and put together an additional 600,000 booklets, so we were at almost a million-and-a-half booklets."

One of the systems, the Vijuk 321-T, was new in the tabloid-size publication market at the time, but offered considerable savings in cost, says Shepherd, adding that the output rate is the same for both machines. "We run both stitchers at about 8,000 units per hour, although the Vijuk is rated at 10,000 and the other at 11,000."

Shepherd says he learned how to maintain the machines from Vijuk's technical staff. "Instead of directing us to manuals, a Vijuk technician went over every part of the machine and explained the concepts so that we could understand them from an operator's standpoint," he explains. "Both stitchers are basically the same. In fact, some of the parts are interchangeable."

"The major difference between the two machines is that the Vijuk unit is not computerized, but that makes it easier to set up and operate," Shepherd continues. "The cover feeder had some problems at first with very lightweight covers, but we've solved it by regulating the air blasts." As a result of Shepherd's experience, regulated air is now a standard feature of the Vijuk 321-T cover feeders.

Insofar as differences that affected production, says Shepherd, "When we want to feed card inserts, we just have to adjust the guides on the 321-T pockets. The other machine provides a kit with extra parts to install in order to accommodate the small cards."

"Instead of having only a caliper for quality control, the 321-T has a mechanical double-sheet detector and a missed-sheet photocell sensor on every pocket, along with an oblique sheet monitor in addition to the caliper," adds Shepherd.

Another 321-T owner, Capital Printing, Middlesex, N.J., successfully disengages the caliper and relies only on the double-sheet detectors, missed-sheet sensors, and oblique sheet monitor when running sensitive material like matte or dull products, which have a tendency to mark when run through the caliper.

To complement quality control measures, a missing-stitch detector has since been added to the stitching unit of the 321-T.

Parisse and Shepherd say they favor the Hohner stitching heads on the 321-T because they don't jam and are easy to work with. Says Parisse, "Our preventive maintenance ensures continuous productivity. We rotate the heads every 500 hours to clean and service them."

"Newsprint, which is spongy, feeds better with the electronic on-the-fly vacuum adjustments and gate assistance on the other stitcher, but it leaves more paper dust and thus requires more frequent machine cleaning," adds Shepherd. "Maintenance on the 321-T takes less time because it is easier to get to the belts, and there are fewer pulleys to adjust in the trimmer."

Shepherd explains that blade changes take only 20 minutes with the removal of a single assembly on the Vijuk. "On our other stitcher, we have to go through three subassemblies and re-route belts, which takes about an hour," he adds.

"The 321-T always gets the job done," Shepherd concludes. "It is reliable, and, compared to its counterpart, is easier to set up and maintain, and quality control is superior."