Installations News
Mele Printing overhauls bindery with new machinery from Heidelberg

Mele Printing, a 40-year-old commercial printer based in Covington, La., recently replaced its older cutters and folders with two Polar N78 Plus and two Polar N137 Plus cutters, a Polar jogger, Stahlfolder KH 82, Stahlfolder TH 82, and Stahlfolder BH 56 from Heidelberg. 

Labour savings played a main role in the company’s recent investment decisions. According to Mele, “Labour is the big challenge that everyone is facing right now. When I look a new machine now, I’m asking – can it add more productivity; save makeready time; is it easier to operate; or is it easier to train someone to run.”

Based on the results of the KH 82 and equipped with only one full-time folder operator, Mele decided to replace its older two folders with a new Stahlfolder TH 82 and BH 56. Each folder was carefully selected based on the diverse set of jobs that Mele typically runs. The combination of the machines’ higher speeds and advanced makeready automation has helped both meet its customers’ deadlines and exceed their quality expectations.

Looking to keep pace with its new folders, Mele also recently installed Polar cutters to replace aging models in its shop. The two new Polar N137 Plus cutters are dedicated solely to cutting sheets from the company’s XL 105 while one of its new Polar N78 Plus cutters services work from the XL 75 and the other is for the company’s digital department.

“Part of the reason we bought these new cutters,” said Mele, “is that we felt they could help our operators get at least one more job completed each day. At the end of the week, month, that starts to add up.”