When SunDance Marketing Solutions, Orlando, Fla. placed an order for Heidelberg’s new and improved Speedmaster CD 102 with X-Package last fall, the company anticipated the arrival of the new press with a very specific set of expectations.

At the time, Director of Operations JohnHenry Ruggieri said, the company looked forward to achieving an extremely favorable price-to-performance ratio, based on the CD 102’s ability to handle substrates from 50-lb. stock to 24-pt. board, press-side color management via Prinect Image Control, as well as to highly automated press components, such as Heidelberg’s Preset Plus Delivery. Overall, SunDance expected to get more work done in less time, at a consistently high level of quality.

“We now are able to pass on the price savings from which we benefit to our clients in the form of fewer makeready sheets, less time on press for each job, as well as faster press and quality checks.” The eco-friendly, energy-efficient CD 102 also fits right in with SunDance’s sustainability policy and commitment to green production, extending its benefits beyond the company and its clients.

Proof in Performance

Since it began running live work in January, the newly installed CD 102 has been proving its mettle in every way, Ruggieri confirmed.

“Our workload has increased. We are selling more, and doing a lot of shorter runs. The new press enables us to do more in less time, thanks to greatly reduced makeready times. We also expect our growth to accelerate as a direct result of the new press. This is consistent with a pattern of 24 percent compounded annual growth that began at our inception in 2007 and continues to date.”

The new Speedmaster CD 102 now functions as the centerpiece of a business that approaches its work somewhat differently than a conventional printer would, Ruggieri said. “Our enthusiastic salespeople help customers develop creative solutions. It’s a consultative style that helps us bring the best out of a project. We think of ourselves first as a customer service company that provides print services, rather than as a ‘printer,’ per se.”

Perfectly Equipped To Meet Demand

It helps to have the right tools with which to execute on the ambitious agenda SunDance has set for itself.

“We welcome the substrate flexibility, color consistency and rock-solid registration of the new CD 102,” Ruggieri said. “We do a mix of commercial and fine art printing utilizing stocks from 80-lb. cover to 100-lb. text for a mix of customers that includes educational institutions, hospitals, restaurateurs and vacation owners,” he continued. “Prinect Image Control is a valuable asset precisely because we have no flexibility when it comes to quality,” Ruggieri continued. “The new CD 102 enables us to get up to color quickly and maintain consistency throughout the print run. With Heidelberg’s Image Control, we don’t have to worry about color, even if we don’t have room for color bars. We can read the image we sell, not the color bar, which is thrown out. In addition, we are able to work with the entire gamut of color, measuring 50 million LAB values and all Pantone and HKS are stored for reference, enabling us to run to ISO 12647-2 and G7 standard, reproducible color at all times.”

To lock in these and other advantages, the company also installed a thermal Suprasetter A106 CtP system with automatic cassette loader to image Heidelberg Saphira plates both for the new CD 102, as well as for a pair of Printmaster QM 46 machines SunDance also installed to help the company meet a growing demand for high-quallity, small-format offset work.

“We’ve never had the luxury of a full-time platemaker, Ruggieri said. “The new CtP device adds automation and speed to our operation, permitting us to take advantage of lights-out platemaking. Now our plates deliver directly to the pressroom, right inside and right by the press operators. No one has to physically carry the plates anywhere. The new CtP system is a godsend.”

The company keeps an eye on performance metrics with the aid of Prinect Analyze Point, which continuously displays the status of all ongoing print jobs, including speed, waste sheets v. good sheets, and the remaining print run. This makes for lean coordination with little organizational effort. If necessary, Ruggieri said, “We can also pull the data directly from the press itself.”

Promises Kept, and Then Some

Ruggieri freely acknowledges that Heidelberg’s reputation for quality, customer service and support were vital to the purchase decision. When push came to shove during the installation phase, however, Heidelberg worked through the Christmas holidays to help SunDance get up and running with the new press. “We really appreciate the commitment it took for Heidelberg to go the extra mile for us during the holiday season,” Ruggieri said. “It’s precisely that level of customer service that we admire about Heidelberg, a company that reflects the same values and passionate work ethic we practice here at SunDance.”

Already the most popular 40” press in the world, Heidelberg’s Speedmaster CD 102 boasts more than 9000 installations worldwide. Each year, more CD 102 units are built (50,000+) than all other competitive models combined. Newly enhanced with more than 12,500 components borrowed/imported from Heidelberg’s proven XL format, the Speedmaster CD 102 with X-Package increases productivity up to 50 percent over earlier generation CD 102s, offering the best price-to-performance ratio in its performance class.