Hannaford & Dumas (H&D), one of New England’s largest independent print companies, recently installed a new Promatrix 106 CS die-cutter and Diana Go 85 folder gluer. The Promatrix and Diana are the company’s first packaging investments with HEIDELBERG and provide considerable upgrades in converting capacity, speed, and automation. Since their installation, the machines have greatly improved quality and turnaround times for H&D’s diverse packaging applications.
Started as a Minuteman Press franchise outside of Boston in 1976, H&D has grown into a full-size printing, finishing, and mailing enterprise serving the educational, pharmaceutical, and non-profit sectors with production facilities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The two-generation, family-run company operated as a standard commercial print shop until 2012 when it acquired Optimum Bindery, one of the largest finishing companies in New England. With the acquisition, H&D expanded into trade bindery services. “Our customers depend on us for finishing services that they can’t do themselves or are too big to be done in house – jobs that need more human interaction, creativity and care,” said Chuck Duggan, Vice President of Operations for H&D.
H&D, focused on personal service, attention to detail, and maintaining an experienced staff, needed more modern converting equipment to improve throughput and efficiency for packaging jobs like pharmaceutical informational pocket folders, fold and glue mailings, and auto-lock bottom and straight-line cartons. Due to space constraints in its production facility, H&D selected the Diana Go folder gluer because of its compact footprint. Diana Go, with speeds up to 300 m/min, complements four other folder gluers on H&D’s floor and runs three times faster than its older machines. Duggan added, “The Diana has far exceeded our expectations in terms of improving throughput.”
In addition to efficient finishing of traditional packaging work, the Diana has been very effective for commercial applications like fold over mailings and four-page signatures. “The Diana is five times faster than our traditional folders,” Duggan said. “We’ve utilized its capabilities for projects we never even considered when we first purchased the machine.”
H&D also updated its die-cutting capabilities by installing a new Promatrix 106 CS. The die-cutter has improved the company’s throughput by 60% thanks to speeds of 8,000 sheets per hour, quick makereadies, and precise cutting accuracy. Features like the nonstop feeder, register system, and quick lock chase and fine adjustments in the cutting and stripping stations all ensure fast job set-up. Duggan continued, “The Promatrix is incredible. Not only have we’ve been able to decrease turnaround times, but our product quality is notably better.”
Its first converting purchase from Heidelberg, H&D initially turned to the Promatrix and Diana based on its positive prior experiences with Heidelberg’s commercial finishing products and MK Masterwork’s die-cutters. Duggan said that H&D was impressed by the decade-long partnership the two companies have built – particularly in product development and service.
For H&D, service, attention to detail, and an experienced team is “what keeps our customers coming back when they really need something done right.” It also seeks the same qualities in its strategic supplier partnerships. Duggan concluded, “Our experience with Heidelberg’s level of product quality, support, and training is exceptional.”
