Left to right: Jacob Bagnell, Plant Manager, Post Press Specialties and Andy Humble, President/Owner, Post Press Specialties.
‘Build it and they will come’ – that’s the ambitious approach that led Post Press Specialties owner Andy Humble to purchase a BOBST MASTERCUT 145 PER as he expanded his business into unprecedented territory.
Located squarely in the heartland city of Independence, Missouri, Post Press has developed a growing reputation as one of the leading binderies in the Midwest over its 30 years in business. Humble has worked there for 24 of those years and owned the business for 21. Its focus on high quality finishing with a rapid turnaround time has seen it grow into a company with 135 employees and an impressive 174,000 sq ft plant.
Historically, its focus on its core competency – print finishing – meant that its shift into other services may have been unexpected and risky to an outsider. However, Humble backed his business to succeed in breaking new ground – and is reaping the rewards today. “We have some great equipment and employees,” he said. “Six or seven years ago, we started getting more requests to die cut projects. Then we started getting work finishing folding cartons. Over a few years, we invested in a couple of folder gluers with windowing and back fold capabilities, and this became a nice part of our business.”
Job by job, Post Press improved its level of expertise and capacity with packaging jobs in addition to its core print finishing work. Further machines were added, including a Bobst ALPINA folder-gluer, strengthening the successful partnership between Bobst and Post Press.
Once the Alpina was running at capacity, Post Press began taking on overflow jobs from the packaging industry – and when the time came to make an investment in a next-generation die-cutter to scale up this part of the business, there was only one name Humble had in mind. “We needed to show that we have the equipment packaging companies feel comfortable with. It was clear that buying Bobst was the right direction for us as we moved further into the packaging field,” he added. “With the lack of used equipment on the market, we decided to buy a new die cutter from what we think is the premier manufacturer of this equipment. We went back and forth on what speed and add-ons to go for, but decided on the best as we plan on running it for the next 20 years.”
He continues, “We’re moving into the packaging and folding carton field with no printing press and no sales force. That’s common in commercial printing but pretty special in packaging. Our quality, service, and commitment to doing what is needed will help our customers meet the demands of the market. This is our ‘Field of Dreams’ moment. Build it and they will come.”
And the performance of the new machinery solution means there are good reasons for Humble to be optimistic about Post Press’s expansion. “We can now die cut up to 900,000 sheets a week, three times faster than before with blanking. We’re still looking to fill Mastercut’s capacity, but we’ve already noticed a night and day difference in output. Our goal is to provide overflow die cutting and folder-gluing to the folding carton industry just as we have with the commercial printing industry for over 30 years.”
As a company that puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to innovation, Post Press perfectly aligns with Bobst’s vision of using innovation to drive a digitalized, connected, and ultimately more sustainable packaging supply chain. With cutting-edge Bobst machinery and technical expertise behind it, and a track record of success against unfavorable odds, it’s hard to bet against Post Press finding even more success as it expands into the packaging sector.
