Cover to Cover
The future of the books and booklets sector is pretty empty. Well, actually, zero would be more accurate."Zero Waste" driven by digital technology personalized and variable printing is the next big opportunity for users of binding and finishing, explained James Tressler, mid-Atlantic regional sales manager and director of branch operations for the New Bedford, Massachusetts-headquartered C.P. Bourg.
"In an increasingly digital environment with super-fast turnaround times and tight profit margins, every set printed can be unique, and finishing products and technologies soon will have to produce salable product without wasting a single sheet, kilowatt, stitch or ounce of glue and deliver the best return on investment," he said. "C.P. Bourg, for nearly 50 years, has designed and built products with innovation, quality and efficiency in mind, and our newest products—the BME, BSF and BB3002, to name a few—have been designed to operate with zero waste and deliver high return on investment."
Andy Fetherman, division manager for OnDemand Solutions for Hauppauge, New York-based Muller Martini, agreed digital technology is the big thing now and will continue to be in the years to come. Currently, he said, more than 3 percent of books are produced digitally. He estimated that number to grow to 10 percent to 15 percent within three to five years.
"This is the biggest, single trend in the market," Fetherman enthused. "It's the first trend where we are seeing publishers get excited."
The vision for the future is slightly different for Tom Patrevito, vice president of Carol Stream, Illinois-based Booklet Binding.
"We anticipate, and have already begun to see, marketers mailing fewer pieces to more targeted lists, employing mailers that are more complete and compelling than in the past," Patrevito noted. "In addition, we see the benefit to our clients of creating strong strategic partnerships with firms whose various core competencies both complement ours and one another's and serve to maximize our clients' response rates and return on investment."
What the next few years will bring is important, but how companies survive in the now is equally significant.
Today, the market is demanding more innovative, smaller and extremely automated finishing systems that can efficiently handle short and ultra-short runs of products from CD covers to photo books, while matching print production speeds, Tressler said. These systems also must be able to handle variable-data output, delicate color digital inks and toners printed on coated papers. Virtually all of C.P. Bourg's current in-line and near-line finishing products fit this description, with the Bourg BME stitch-fold-trim Booklet Maker, Bourg Sheet Feeder and Bourg BB3002 PUR single-clamp perfect binder as the latest examples.
The Bourg BME Booklet Maker uniquely handles 14.5x23.5 inch output—the largest sheet size currently produced by digital printers. Stitch, fold and trim functions are fully automatic and controlled by a 12-inch color touchscreen that's so intuitive a novice can operate it and effectively produce up to 5,000 booklets per hour.
The BME Booklet Maker has set integrity features built in, so that if a set is not complete, the BME will send it to a reject tray, where the operator can correct and re-feed it, eliminating all waste from the equation. The machine communicates directly with the Bourg BST Tower Collator (or the BSF Sheet Feeder), so the feeder knows what it is sending to the BME. Using sensors within the device, the BME acknowledges this information and makes sure that what is stitched, folded and trimmed is the correct set and sequence.
The Bourg BB3002 PUR perfect binder combines Bourg's advanced system engineering with the latest in PUR dispensing technology from Nordson and adds it to Bourg's highly automated, proven BB3002 Perfect Binder (also available in EVA) to enable fast, economical production of high-quality, digitally printed "books of one" or hundreds, on demand. Finished books in perfect-bound and lay-flat applications can range in size from eight pages up to 2.36 inches thick, with cover dimensions of 3.5x4 inches to 12.6x15.15-inch bound or 28x15.6-inch un-bound with or without wings—also the largest format in its class.
The Bourg BB3002 PUR features tool-less set-up using an icon-driven touchscreen to easily select and set functions automatically from a list of menu options. The compact, single operator system also automatically measures book length and block thickness and calculates the centerline of the cover to fasten the spine, to meter the precise amount of PUR adhesive and bind books of different size and thickness one after another automatically—without operator intervention.
Booklet Binding meets the demands of the ever-changing marketplace in a number of ways. Patrevito emphasized that its new facility has implemented a state-of-the-art security system for both data and material protection, which has become a growing need among its clients. The facility also has more floor space, allowing for the addition of new finishing and attaching equipment.
"The former and the latter have allowed us to meet the ever-tightening schedules that are becoming commonplace in the market; timelines are compressed because decisions to execute a campaign are often being made at the last minute," Patrevito added.
"The result: quick start-ups and turnarounds, regardless of quantity, are now the norm. As such, we have positioned ourselves and augmented our infrastructure to meet and even exceed production timeline expectations."
Keeping their sights on today and tomorrow are essential to good business, but getting a leg up on the competition also is key, according to these industry professionals.
Tressler enthused that C.P. Bourg's edge over competitors is that its products are fast, flexible and easy to use. They take output from both offset and digital workflows, handle UV coating inks, laminated substrates and other elements, include sophisticated menu-driven computer interface touchscreens for fast set-ups and changeovers and can handle the largest sheet size efficiently without waste.
Patrevito said Booklet Binding's difference lies in production capabilities and equipment redundancy.
"This redundancy equates to not only being able to deftly handle large runs, but to turn around any size run in the tightest of windows," he stated. "In addition, and just as important, it is our staff's expertise; our professionals add tremendous value to the services we provide. For example, we play an important role in consulting with our customers on designs that both facilitate a more efficient production process and maximize postage."
What separates Muller Martini from the rest is its "legacy, presence in the book world," according to Fetherman.
"We are the Coca-Cola of the book world," Fetherman declared. "Clients have a lot of respect for the equipment we produce and our knowledge and experience. They know our brand."
No company can argue that the United States' less than stellar economy has not been tough. But, companies are doing their best to get by.
"No industry, including ours, has been untouched by the economic downturn, and like others we have had to manage [under] these changes," Patrevito said. "That said, our operations are more robust and efficient now than at any time in our past."
During sour financial times, Tressler added it's important to remember the customers who now are interested in exploring new market opportunities.
"They are looking for fast, flexible equipment to handle variable data, short-run high value production jobs," Tressler continued. "New technology has driven down costs and improved the cost justification. Customers are relying on us to deliver high-quality products to their customers and help them to be more efficient as well as flexible in their pursuit of profitable work for their shops."
One bright spot to a dreary economy is that it is making "everyone analyze their operations," Fetherman said. "Doing so will make you come out in a better position to be more competitive once everything settles."
In addition, Tressler added, "Despite the tough economic times, printing is not 'going away' as much as it is transitioning from a mass-produced product into dynamic, customized, consumer marketing tools. C.P. Bourg has exciting new products that enable printers and distributors to participate in this transition to variable, short-run, personalized products. These challenges are good for the industry and good for us, the manufacturers. They force us to develop new, more effective tools that can accommodate both traditional and new digital methods for creating documents that deliver value to the consumer. Change is good."
Despite the tough economic times, printing is not 'going away' as much as it is transitioning from a mass-produced product into dynamic, customized, consumer marketing tools."