Sydney based Hero Print has invested extensively in both offset and digital quality presses, keeping it at the forefront of trade printing.
A stroll through the Alexandria plant demonstrates where the money has been spent. There is an abundance of new plant but what is most noticeable is how alive the shop floor is. It is like a beehive with workers in every direction – many say it’s the busiest plant in Australia.
“We have maintained a relatively low profile,” says Alex Coulson, Hero general manager, “but the business has continued to grow. Our Sydney plant has a relatively small footprint considering the amount of print and finishing power we have on the floor.”
Coulson says, “If you wish to run a successful business you don’t need too much space, think of Japan. Businesses there have a small footprint – the job path is small and jobs must be cleared regularly to make way for the new – there is a lot in that. A lot of Australian businesses are out in the sticks with a large factory floor and most of the staff are barely within shouting distance. If you go for a coffee it is cold before you get back to your machine – no chance of that around here.
“We only have about 3000 metres under the roof in Sydney, but I love the space and the area we are in. Every new piece of plant must be carefully considered and usually upgrades something else. When all of the staff are at work they are never too far from each other – I like that – very bonding. Our philosophy is that if you can introduce a new piece of plant and do not have to think seriously of where to put it, your footprint is too big.
“Another big advantage of being just four kilometres from the Sydney CBD is the great distribution networks we have near us. We have to work hand in glove with the courier companies as there are many small jobs making up the daily output.
“Our Perth offset plant is also on a reasonably small footprint. Once again it is the organisation on the print room floor that makes the difference, setting deadlines that are achievable and sticking to them.”
“The Perth plant has really been big for us. There are so many businesses that have originated in the West and come East, and of course the other way around. Many clients want us to be able to produce a quality product on both coasts to save on freight and time.
New 10-colour HUV press
Coulson says, “Our new 10-colour Komori 40 in Sydney has made a tremendous increase to our output. We can have a full plate change – 10 plates in 70 seconds, which makes it hard for the printer and offsider to keep up. We are thinking of adding a second offsider to bring the press to its full capacity. HUV costs a lot for the press and to set up but there are many advantages, a main one being instant drying. Even uncoated stock can be cut, folded and finished instantly. The other big advantage of course is sheer productivity. Sixty complete plate changes per day is not out of the question.”
Hero Print decided to get a Komori HUV40 10-colour press as opposed to the usual eight-colour press. At the time this was regarded as risky, as 95 per cent of perfecting HUV presses worldwide are eight colours. But Coulson says, “For us it offers a significant point of difference. The extra units make it possible to add special colours and varnish when using matte stocks. HUV inks work great on gloss stocks as they dry shiny. However if you are printing on matte stocks it is another matter, you really need a matte varnish to have the job present at its best.
“If you want conventional offset we have that too. And always with coating and varnishing options – we could not live without our conventional five-colour and coater and the Komori 10-colour 40.”
Big increase in stock range
Hero Print has increased its stock range dramatically in the last few months and now offers 15 different stocks, 24 if you include treatments, and 61 variations if stock weight is taken into account.
Their new stock selector categorises into 4 sections – Uncoated, Coated, Recycled and Specialty. With the HUV option, you can print on just about anything as it dries instantly – a long way from waiting a couple of days before you can cut the job. Smaller runs of Specials and Uncoateds can be printed on the HP Indigo 7800 to keep the turnaround times at a minimum. “There has been a big increase in uncoated stocks” says Coulson, “which is reflected in the letterpress revival. I cannot see us going to letterpress but it is a good look anyway.”
Digital Plant
Hero Print has digital presses in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane and like many digital printers has seen extraordinary growth. In Sydney and Perth digital teams up with offset, but digital is standalone in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Booklets are a large part of the digital output as is the popularity of long sheet jobs. Four page short edge landscape and six page A4s are all the rage as many clients want a point of difference. As usual most clients want their jobs quickly, so shifts have changed to accommodate demand.
A walk through the Hero digital departments would come as quite a surprise to many, with the sheer volume being produced each day. “The digital guys are usually flat out, especially at the end of the day when most of the jobs are required. Producing digital print in four states has also been a big advantage. If presses fall over for any reason we can still get the product delivered overnight from another state with no downside for the client,” says Coulson.
Press calibration
At the start of every month every printing device at Hero Print is calibrated to make sure that a job printed in Perth is as close as possible to one printed in Sydney or Melbourne or Brisbane, be it offset or digital.
Coulson says, “It may sound old hat as all presses can be adjusted electronically from anywhere, but it is a process that you get better at the more finicky you are about colour change. Inks, blankets, screen angles and operator experience all come into it.
“At the end of the day it is about our clients getting their jobs produced as similar as possible to one produced last month or last year.”
Staff
It is an old cliché, but you are only as good as your staff, which is a mantra Hero Print adheres to. Coulson says, “What we try to generate in our team is how to live up to a commitment with regard to delivery times and quality. Having a team in senior management that has been together for many years is a big advantage – not easy these days when staff tend to move more often. Being committed, working as a team and striving
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