Litho Press Sees Productivity Spike with New Paper Cutter

Published: July 10, 2013, By Claudia Hine

PATERSON, NJ | Sometimes the road from point A to point B is not a straight line. Management at Litho Press  in Indianapolis, IN, will attest to that. Almost a year ago, the company installed a new Saber XXL, 90-in. paper cutter from Colter & Peterson. Choosing to go with New Jersey-based C&P was not a surprise, given the reasons that factored into the purchase. The jagged, upward line on the productivity chart justifies the decision by management that necessitated making a trip to Arkansas to see the Saber XXL in action.

“We purchased the C&P paper cutter for several reasons,” notes Tim Eickhoff, the bindery manager at Litho Press for the past three years, before rattling off four things. “The ease of operation, the Microcut system, the ease of the knife change, and the solid construction all made a difference. It’s very sturdy and well-built, and it even has the tub setting in front like the one we saw at Wal-Mart’s headquarters in Bentonville. We made a trip there in the spring of 2012 and were impressed by what we saw.”

Litho Press is a G7 master printer that concentrates most of its work on packaging and for the sign industry. Bernie Lacy, the company’s longtime VP, said they’ve been using the Saber on work with its pair of manroland 56-in. and 73-in.,six-color presses, and will include a new 80-in. KBA press when installation is completed in August. One month shy of its one year anniversary, the paper cutter has produced significant results.

“We cut anything and everything from 80 pound C/1/S to 48-point board. We also print styrene signs that are from 12 inches to 72 inches wide, top sheets for corrugated boxes that are 10, 12, and up to 28-point, and litho labels,” revealed Eickhoff, whose three man team uses the Saber for one 10-hr shift per day. “The efficiency of this paper cutter is making a big difference. We’ve increased our production by at least 25 percent since it cuts 7,500 sheets per hour.”

The Saber XXL 90-in. is the largest of three paper cutters Litho Press uses, which also employs a 61-in. POLAR and a 73-in. Schneider Senator. They bought a new Senator jogger to go with the Saber, and the productivity numbers rose quickly after training and a break-in period were completed.

“The Microcut system made for an easier transition from the older Senator, and we zero out the blade after a knife change, which requires two people to hang it. The hydraulic system works as advertised, but our guys needed a little time to adjust to it,” said Eickhoff. “When you’re cutting through two-and-a-half to three inches of paper with a 90-inch cutter, you don’t want it to go 90 miles per hour. We soon found a speed and rhythm and everything is working well for us.”

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