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The company purchased Heidelberg’s flagship press at drupa 2012, aiming to expand its production capabilities and improve efficiency by introducing technology that would enable it to handle a wider variety of substrates and sharpen its competitive edge. “We did not want to catch up with the competition,” company president Tom Staib said at the time. “We want to be a technology leader.” More recently, he added, “The Speedmaster XL 106 is state-of-the-art. As far as I’m concerned, there is no better press for printing food and beverage labels.”
DWS opted for a configuration designed to advance its continuous improvement initiatives. It was the first XL 106 in the US with a combination of CutStar inline sheeter, Hybrid UV technology, and both Prinect Inpress Control and Prinect Axis Control color measurement and control systems. The configuration includes the latest version of Prinect Pressroom Manager, which connects with the company’s Nexus prepress workflow, as well as Prinect Cockpit/Analyze Point to monitor production in real time and report an accurate account of waste sheets and good production. The XL 106 is the company’s first Heidelberg press.
“Part of our mission is to be the absolute best at what we do,” says Staib. “There’s no question that the XL 106 has moved us closer to that goal.”
Before the press installation, DWS had invested in training and continuous education on Heidelberg technology. “Prior to delivery of the press, we sent two press crews to Kennesaw (Georgia, home of Heidelberg US) for preliminary training,” Staib says. “My technical director and I also attended. Although we would not be running the press ourselves, we felt it was imperative that we learn the technology as best we could. Several months after the installation and initial on-site training, we had a number of additional training sessions that served as great ‘refreshers’ for our pressmen. I would add that the service and support we’ve received from Heidelberg has been exceptional.
