Left to right: Ryan Hedrick (President), Nicole Baker (CFO), Renee Phinney (VP Sales), Nigel Allistair (VP Packaging) and Charles Zweil (VP Sales).
Since 1988, Palm Printing has served Sarasota and Manatee counties with quality commercial printing services. With extensive experience in all phases of the printing process, Palm Printing provides a broad range of offset and digital print capabilities. Prioritising customer service, the company’s state-of-the-art equipment enables Palm Printing’s team of experts to assist its customers with a wide range of services including design, printing and direct mail.
Recognising new potential in its offset business, Palm Printing recently converted from a half-size shop to full-size by installing a refurbished Speedmaster CX 102-5+L, new Suprasetter A106 CtP, and new POLAR N115 Plus high-speed cutter. The company, looking to use its enhanced capabilities to expand into commercial packaging, also recently installed a new Easymatrix 106 CS die-cutter and Diana Go 85 folder gluer. The suite of products from HEIDELBERG will help Palm Printing meet current customer demand, increase efficiency, and develop new business opportunities.
Seizing the opportunity
For over thirty-five years, Palm Printing has focused on commercial printing solutions, specializing in mailing and publication production. The company, equipped with a Speedmaster CD 74 and XL 75 in addition to a Versafire EP digital press, has never been a ‘full size’ commercial shop, which limited expansion into vertical markets. After noticing other regional printers exit offset printing completely to focus on digital production, Palm Printing identified a sudden weakness in the market. “We started seeing a significant demand for packaging work,” said Ryan Hedrick, President, Palm Printing. “With few businesses now equipped to produce it, we decided it was an opportunity for us to go after it.”
Needing a 40” press to compete in the packaging space, the company recently purchased a refurbished Speedmaster CX 102 – replacing its older CD 74. It plans to maintain its focus on commercial printing while also expanding into packaging to serve many of its current commercial customers. Hedrick added, “Medium to large run ‘commercial’ packaging runs is what we’re trying to get into, and we have already been relatively successful in the short period of time since we started production.”
Palm Printing also recently installed a new Easymatrix 106 CS die-cutter and Diana Go 85 folder gluer to complement its CX 102. The Easymatrix and Diana Go are entry-level packaging machines from Heidelberg and partner Masterwork and ideal for commercial printers entering packaging production. Prior to installation, the company often outsourced pocket folders and other commercial packaging work to third-party companies. “It’s beneficial we can now bring these products in house and maintain the quality and control as well as shorten lead times,” said Hedrick.
New to packaging, Palm Printing did its homework prior to making its new investments. To set the foundation, the company appointed a new Vice President of Packaging with over thirty years of industry experience. The company also sent two of its operators to the ‘Introduction to Folding Carton Gluing & Die-Cutting’ operator training course at Heidelberg’s Print Media Performance & Training Center outside of Atlanta. “Two weeks of solid training – I don’t think many other manufacturers offer that kind of a program,” said Hedrick. “The free training definitely played a role in our decision to purchase converting equipment from Heidelberg.”
In addition to training, Heidelberg designed both the Easymatrix and Diana Go with operator-friendly features like ergonomically arranged control panels and touchscreens that make it easy for operators to navigate the machine interface with intuitive, self-explanatory menus. Hedrick said after a week of additional onsite training, both operators were able to successfully operate the machines despite having no prior experience. He added, “We’ve only been operational on the packaging equipment for a few months, and we’ve already achieved more in that time than I thought was possible when we first made the decision to get into packaging.”
