3 April 2018
BPIF member, Zenith, moves ahead with two for one press investment to foster growth
Zenith Media will take delivery of its first Speedmaster long perfector in May. The B1 Speedmaster XL 106-8-P Push to Stop press will replace two presses to give the company increased efficiency, provide a 30-35% increase in output and allow the business to go after more work.
"Business is excellent in spite of the competitiveness in the market," says Mark Partridge, operations manager of Zenith Media. "Zenith Media's present investments place us at the top of our game. The Zenith Print Group is continually growing in commercial print, packaging, large format and digital print."
The new press will handle a broad range of commercial work including corporate brochures, holiday brochures, leisure theme leaflets, local government literature and information pamphlets. A round the clock service is offered with the press running on a Continental shift basis to give 24/7 cover.
The Push to Stop concept means that a press intelligently prepares and prints jobs uninterrupted unless an operator chooses to intervene. His job is not to crank up the press but to rein it in. Key to this development is the Prinect Intellistart 2 software which calculates the shortest makeready so that the machine works to maximum productivity. Autonomous printing also requires the printer to have Inpress Control 2 spectral colour adjustment and one of Heidelberg's automatic plate changing systems. Zenith recognises the power of this combination.
"Push to Stop will increase our efficiency and allow us to exploit the potential for greater productivity moving forward," says Carl Smith, studio manager at Zenith Media. "We have frequent job changes, short runs and we will benefit from this autonomous printing method. Prinect Inpress Control 2 makes Zenith Media's production cost-effective and, combined with ink pumping, ensures reliable quality with consistent inking throughout a run and from run to run. Plate-changing with Autoplate Pro allows us to be 50% more efficient, freeing our staff to get on with other work as the plates are loaded."
Zenith bought a Suprasetter CtP device last year and two Stahlfolder TH 82-Ps the year before that. It believes in investment for efficiency as a long term plan.
Pay Review Data, Wage Benchmarking and Cost of Living – FEB 2024 UPDATE
14 February 2024
We have collated data from multiple sources that should be useful for BPIF members that are approaching internal pay reviews, and/or are having a closer look at their pay and benefits structure. The datafile, first published in February 2023, has been updated with the latest available data - and additional content on factors exerting pressure on pay settlements in 2024.
Slight recovery of output and orders falls short of expectations in Q4 - confidence concerns mount in 2024
22 February 2024
Performance in the UK's printing and printed packaging industry did improve in Q4, as far as output and orders are concerned. However, it didn't come close to what would historically be considered the seasonal norm, nor quite match the subdued expectations for Q4.
The BPIF is the printing industries champion. By becoming a member you join a diverse and influential community. We help you solve business problems, connect you to new customers and suppliers and make your voice heard in government.
Call 01676 526030