Book Firm's Two-Up Secret

Thomson-Shore, Dexter, MI, is a $33 million manufacturer of case-bound hardcovers and perfect-bound paperback books, serving the university publishing market and major retailers. The employee-owned, 260-person company has embarked on a major equipment modernization and expansion program that is tailoring production to a fast-turnaround, just-in-time model to help customers keep inventories lean.

Thomson-Shore became employee owned in 1999, incorporating a system that not only gives operators a say in how they run their work but also an opportunity to participate in evaluation of new machines that are being considered for purchase.

“We load the work by day and then the operators decide which jobs run best in which order within one window of time,” says Carl Trisdale, prepress-press manager at Thomson-Shore.“They track their own quality, production rates and process improvement.

“People can sign up for teams to go and look at new presses or binders so they have input,” he says. “They then sign onto the justification to ensure it is the right machine for the job.”

In acquiring their newest press, the decision came down to whether the company should buy a web press or purchase a second large-format sheetfed like the 51´´ KBA Rapida 130a perfector installed in 2002—a press that had delivered known productivity gains.

“We are primarily a sheetfed house, so that’s where we went,” says Trisdale.

The newest two-unit Rapida 130a was installed last June. The press is used primarily to perfect back-to-back black text and for occasional 2-color work. It replaced a 12-year-old Heidelberg 40´´ 2-color perfector.

The new Rapida has increased press production by 15%, doubling output on one of Thomson-Shore’s five sheetfed lines and helping the printer meet evolving customer requirements.

“Trade, professional, religious and scholarly publishers are demanding faster turnaround for timely, topical books in the most cost-efficient manner,” notes Trisdale. “We’ve accomplished this by installing the second 51´´ press. We’re able to double our output by running 32-page signatures of 6×9´´ book pages two-up.”

The capability to run signatures two-up (64 pages delivering two signatures per each perfected sheet), compared to one signature per sheet on the 40´´ press it replaced, means faster delivery.

A typical form run on the large-format press includes the 6´´ side of the page laid out to run eight across along the 50´´ side of the sheet. Folders already had cutting capabilities for the double-up format, and are able to fold and cut each sheet into two separate signatures before they move to binding lines.

The books Thomson-Shore routinely prints average nine to 10 signatures each on a variety of substrates, including 45-lb. to 70-lb. coated stock. Runs average about 2,000 copies.

“We can break jobs down into smaller batches so the customer gets what they want, when they want it,” says Trisdale. “If they want a reprint, for example, we can run reprints in as little as four days. They can sell for the market until they are empty, then we can reprint for them. So the press helps on our end and theirs.”

In addition to its 51´´ presses, Thomson-Shore also operates three 40´´ Speedmaster sheetfed perfectors, two of which are 4-color and run book covers, jackets and color inserts.

For longer runs, a Timsons Variquik PC15 web press prints at 15,000 iph and folds simultaneously, producing 6×9´´ and 5.5×8.5´´ work in 32-page signatures. Featuring 3.5-minute makereadies, this press has two sets of plate cylinders, and allows operators to hang plates for the next section while the previous section is running. A Xerox Nuvera monochrome digital press is used for text proofing; the firm is considering new digital or offset presses for covers and jackets.

In postpress, Thomson-Shore has two soft-cover perfect binding lines—a Kolbus system binder and a Muller Martini mono-block—and one hardcover case binder, a Muller Diamant. Each of the soft-cover lines is run inline with a trimmer, shrink wrapper, boxer and palletizer. The hardcover line is inline from a sewn block to a box, including jacketing and wrapping.

In prepress, new Screen PlateRite Ultima 24000 platesetter recently was installed, replacing two older machines and providing the necessary plate capacity for the additional large-format KBA.

In September 2007, Thomson-Shore received a private-activity bond from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to finance an expansion of the company. “We are looking to spend more than $10 million over the next 18 months to two years to upgrade a lot of equipment on the floor to add capacity,” says Trisdale. It plans on a new web press and, in the bindery, added sewing machines and an 8,000 cycles/hour Muller Bolero perfect binder.

Thomson-Shore also pursues corporate social responsibility measures. To ensure it has the right employees, the firm offers internships to high school sophomores and juniors. “It has given our company a lot of exposure in area communities,” says Trisdale. It was also the first printer to join the non-profit Green Press Initiative, dedicated to sustainable book printing practices.