The Xeikon 5000 is SOS’s newest capital investment, and is the result of two years of research, searching for the right press for the company’s move towards high production digital colour printing.
For SOS, the Xeikon 5000 has provided the best mix of flexibility in format and cost effective raw power of production, for the A4, A3 and oversize markets – as well as offering opportunities for large format and fast variable imaging.
Capable of high colour digital printing, the Xeikon 5000 is a web-fed press handling widths up to 500 mm, with virtually unlimited sheet length, and capable of printing on a variety of substrates in the range from 40 to 350 gsm. The system uses electro-photographic imaging technology based on LED-array imaging, boasting a 600 dpi resolution with variable dot density. Dry toner based, the Xeikon 5000 is a blessing for the environment, as no solvents are used and de-inkability of the printed material is easy.
President of LIA NSW Branch, Grant Churchill, and organiser of the LIA tour of SOS’s facility, says the company has made the right decision in installing the Xexion 5000. He says the new press will deliver versatility in the company’s printing operations.
“These days printing has moved to a point where the printer is looking after a comprehensive variety of customer needs. Printers now have to think about, design, promotional management as well as printing – which is only one aspect of the printing process,” he says.
“The Xeikon 5000 is an excellent high-quality, short-run colour press, and will allow the company to do more short-run work,” says Churchill.
SOS is the perfect example of a company going beyond the traditional realm of ‘just being a printer’ delivering a diverse range of services for their customers. According to Churchill, SOS has a number of high profile clients for which it frequently provides more than just a printed product.
“Recently the company supplied Cochlea inner-ear-kits for doctors. Not only did they print the fliers involved in the kit, but assembled all of the other components. This is an example of how printing companies are doing more than printing,” he says.
The tour of the SOS Print & Media facility will be on Tuesday, July 18. Following the tour, a speech will be delivered by the company’s IT manager, Michael Schultz. Schultz will highlight how SOS’s IT department uses communication as a pivotal tool for the company’s success. There will also be a lunch for delegates, at the Graphic Arts Club, in Mascot, after the tour.
Founded in 1976 as an instant print operation, SOS has grown to one of the largest privately owned printing companies in Australia, employing 105 full time staff, with revenues exceeding $40 million. The company is now a sophisticated multi-process printing and media organisation that offers offset and digital printing as well as the full-spectrum of bindery, finishing, warehousing, kitting and distribution along with design and pre-media services.
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