The CutStar Sheeter sold to Welsh print shop Stephens & George marks the 300th CutStar Heidelberg has sold worldwide. The sheeter was delivered to the print shop’s Merthyr Tydfil branch together with a Speedmaster XL 106 eight-colour perfecting press.
Heidelberg launched the CutStar at drupa 2000 and introduced further developments, adapting the sheeter to the new press design at drupa 2012. ‘We purchased our first CutStar in 2003 and have bought nine others since then,’ said Andrew Jones, Managing Director of Stephens & George. ‘With the new machine, our pressroom now has four Speedmaster XL 106 long perfecting presses with CutStar and a Speedmaster XL 105-5+L. To optimise productivity, three of the presses operate at 18 000 sheets per hour.’
Founded 103 years ago, Stephens & George has 230 employees, magazines and other regular orders account for 40 percent each of production, with standard commercial work making up the rest.
‘The main benefit of the CutStar as far as we’re concerned is that reel stock costs less than sheets of paper. The variable cutoff length optimises paper usage and increasing the machines’ capacity utilisation also cuts productions costs,’ said Jones.
