Managing
director of LCS, Shane Gardiner, says the high-productivity Kern was installed
to increase productivity by bringing the company's mail production capacity up
to its high data processing and laser printing capacity.

Gardiner says,
"As well as balancing our resources, the Kern 3500 will help us meet continued
strong growth, while keeping staff numbers – and our existing footprint in West
Melbourne – relatively unchanged.

"Our success
is built on developing strong partnerships with our clients, based on a
complete knowledge of their requirements and strategy. Our existing
infrastructure allows us to maintain that high-level focus, keeping work on
schedule and budget."

Kern has long
been regarded as a world leader in paper processing and inserting technology, known
for versatility, simplicity of operation and flexible, modular designs.

The
highly-computerised 3500 is a high speed option for B5, C5 and C6/5 envelopes,
with easy, touch-screen operation and extended versatility, with options like
dividing and splitting multi-page document sets, the ability to flip or rotate
documents during collation, and the ability to use reverse window as well as
standard envelopes.

"With the Kern
3500, every individual piece is matched and collated from the document feeder
through to delivery, using a system of barcodes applied during printing,"
explains Dataform's Australian Sales Representative, Robert Cornish.

"This
high-integrity system allows intelligent matching to personalized pieces in the
machine's hoppers, for efficient processing of even the most complex mailings."

It is what he
calls processing power, however, that Gardiner rates as the most compelling
feature of the Kern 3500.

"The machine's
top speed of up to 22,000 envelopes per hour, together with its generous feeder
and envelope input capacity, allows us to process two to three times the work
of its older inserters with just one machine," he estimates.

"We handle a wide
range of mail, from simple billing to complex advertising campaigns, but they
all have one thing in common: A critical deadline. Delays cost our customers
money, and there can be millions at stake, so it's imperative that we have the
processing power to meet those deadlines."

The Kern
3500's robust construction ensures consistent performance while its unique linear
design ensures more reliable paper transport through the system. This
reliability, coupled with Dataform's strong service focus, were key factors in
the decision to install the 3500.

"As well as
supplying Kern document output management equipment and Hunkeler pre- and
post-press paper handling equipment, Dataform is one of the largest paper processing
companies in Austria," says
Cornish. "That means we really understand the customer perspective and, in
particular, the need for fast, reliable service."

As well as
ensuring specialist Kern technicians are on the spot in Australia to respond
quickly to any service or training requirement, Dataform ensures a ready supply
of spare parts, eliminating delays caused by shipping parts from Europe.

"We have
provided LCS with a stock of first level – or most-used – spare parts on-site,
so they're always there when required," explains Cornish, "and a duplicate
machine at our showroom not only provides production backup if required, but
ultimately acts as a complete 'catalogue' of spare parts, so anything can be
replaced within hours."

Importantly
the Kern 3500 also offers plenty of options to expand its capabilities in
future, simply by adding extra units to its modular design – something this
fast-growing company is almost certain to require.

"The Kern 3500
is the perfect solution to our growing requirements," says Gardiner, "and with
Dataform's support we are confident of meeting our client's requirements well
into the future."

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