Gerin Installs Austria’s First Speedmaster XL 106 with LE UV Technology

From the middle of this year, Paul Gerin GmbH & Co KG, a print shop based in Wolkersdorf, near Vienna, will be running a Speedmaster XL 106 with LE UV (LE = low energy). The eight-color perfecting press with coating unit from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG is the first of its kind with this innovative drying technology to be installed in Austria.
 
“This investment is the most important step we have taken in recent decades. It will open up new opportunities, enabling us to offer our customers an even better service and become a pioneer in our sector,” said managing director Michael Braun. The new press is replacing two presses from another German manufacturer.
 
Established in 1871, the family business has 135 employees and produces a wide range of commercial work – from business cards to large-format posters. Some 80% of the print shop’s 300 biggest customers come from the advertising and industrial sectors. For example, Gerin handles all the printing work for Austria’s national rail company (the ÖBB) and a large number of orders for Swarovski. The company also manufactures print products for publishing houses and is the market leader in the art printing sector.
 
“We are now finally in a position where we can supply even the most discerning artists with books that retain the tactile qualities and brilliance of natural paper and achieve the best possible quality, without the need for protective coatings,” said Braun.
 
“We want to achieve even shorter delivery turnarounds with the Speedmaster XL 106 LE UV and save energy to help protect the environment,” said factory manager Ernst Scheidl. With run lengths getting ever shorter – currently at an average of 2,500 sheets – the new press will make a big difference thanks to minimal makeready times and maximum automation.
 
“Because the LE UV technology ensures that sheets exit the machine dry without the need for powder, complaints will drop to virtually zero, as we won’t have to deal with problems such as smudging in postpress,” said Scheidl.