New Web Press Makes Shweiki Media a Success

Shweiki Media, operates a brand-new commercial web press in a larger space.

Shweiki Media prints publications for a market segment that is actually experiencing growth. What's more, the company is on track to post record sales volume this year.

"Delighted customers, happy employees and continuous improvement are the foundation of our business," Shweiki said. "A lot of our current success has to do with our new Mitsubishi Diamond 16 MAX-S+ and the expanded capabilities we have as a result. We can produce more work in less time, so we are able to take on more work in a day. Because of the increased level of quality, we are attracting more projects from a number of higher-end clients."

A full-service publication printer established in 1999, Shweiki Media specializes in the printing of small-size to medium-size magazines and catalogs.

"Although some mass-media magazines are struggling, many of the local niche publications are doing quite well," Shweiki said. "And we are committed to their growth and continued success."

Shweiki Media's Diamond 16 MAX-S+ is the first press of its kind installed in the United States. The four-unit, 16-page press with inline ultraviolet (UV) coater features a new ergonomic design concept based on Scandinavian design. The press styling incorporates gentle, rounded forms, while simultaneously achieving functional ease and outstanding safety.

The Diamond 16 MAX-S+ has a maximum web width of 38 inches and a 22 3/4 -inch cutoff. It can produce 8 1/2 x 10 7/8-inch books at a rate of 57,000 copies per hour. Shweiki Media retired its five-unit Mitsubishi L750C full-web press but decided to hold onto a five-unit Royal Zenith 420 half-web in case any overflow work required a backup press.

In order to justify the new press, however, Shweiki Media needed both increased revenues and reduced operating costs. The company scrapped its plans to build a new facility in favor of securing an existing 84,000-square-foot building. In addition, concentrating production on the one press immediately cut the press crew requirement for its two daily shifts in half, from 12 people to six. Total run waste also has been more than halved, according to Shweiki.