Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022
30
Maximum efficiency in A1-size small-lot production Shoei Printing Co. is a global company with offices in Vietnam and China in addition to its headquarters in Niigata and offices in Tokyo and Osaka. Originally focused on publication printing, the company has entered the mail-order printing field and is rapidly expanding its business. Now they have introduced the 8-color Lithrone G37P A1-size convertible perfecting press for the purpose of consolidating small-lot mail-order printing jobs. We asked President & Representative Director Masayuki Sakai, Managing Director Masashi Watanabe, Deputy Factory Manager Yuki Narita, and Production Department 1 Manager Yuji Kobayashi about realizing high profitability in the mail-order printing business and shop floorled improvements after the Lithrone perfector installation. Introduction of 37-inch perfector for maximum production efficiency In response to changes in the printing industry environment, Shoei Printing President & Representative Director Sakai says, "The printing industry is shrinking every year due to digitalization and paperless issues. Amid this, we have a mail-order printing division that we must strengthen." The company already owns an 8-color, 40-inch perfector which can handle a variety of printing needs, such as double-sided one-pass printing and multicolor single-sided printing. For their most recent investment, the company introduced an 8-color
“We are creating an environment on the shop floor that is conducive to a one-man operator for both printing and processing.” — Masayuki Sakai, President and Representative Director left and Managing Director Masashi Watanabe Lithrone G37P 37-inch perfector to strengthen its mail-order printing business. Sakai says, "We chose this machine because we needed equipment that could provide high printing quality even though we specialize in mail-order printing." One of the key points in selecting the machine was its profitability in smalllot mail-order printing work. Sakai says, "The Lithrone G37P offers high
production efficiency for small-lot jobs due to the fast job changeover realized by simultaneous automatic platechanging and cleaning. In addition, the 37-inch size, which is just right for A1-size jobs such as catalogs and booklets, has a smaller plate size than the 40-inch size press, resulting in a 20 percent cost reduction. The cost savings are very significant because we use 4,000 to 5,000 plates per month." Besides the printing presses, the company is also working to automate and improve the efficiency of its postpress equipment and has already introduced the Apressia CTX132 programmable hydraulic clamp cutting system. Sakai says, "Both the Lithrone G37P and the Apressia CTX132 are limited to A1-size work, and by Lithrone G37P and the mainly young members in charge of production.
