Vicknair Printing, a family owned business in Plaquemine, Louisiana, recently upgraded their prepress department with the Suprasetter A75 Gen III CtP and Saphira Chemfree plates from Heidelberg.
Lower Costs, Faster Production.
The new Suprasetter A75 replaces an older Violet Prosetter. This compact and eco-friendly machine works alongside a Speedmaster SM 74 and other Heidelberg presses; Vicknair is also equipped with Prinect workflow. Switching over to the Suprasetter A75 has enabled Vicknair to increase productivity rates and reduce chemistry costs by changing to Heidelberg’s Saphira Chemfree thermal plates.
The switch over to Saphira Chemfree plates was an ecological and economical decision for Vicknair – completely eliminating their need for a developer, replenisher or rinse water. Additionally, Chemfree plates are easy to use because they require very little maintenance for the clean-out unit.
“Chemfree plates were a natural transition for us. We eliminated both the cost and mess of additional chemistry,” said Stephen Vicknair, President of Vicknair Printing Inc. “We increased our plate resolution from the violet plates. The thermal plates are also imaging much faster, so there’s no waiting around at the press.”
Minimal transition and training time was needed because of the easy-to-use Chemfree plates and efficient installation of the Suprasetter A75, which meant no downtime for Vicknair’s production.
“It was a straight transition from violet plates to thermal plates with no water or ink issues,” said Vicknair. “There was no downtime other than when Heidelberg took out the old machine and put in the new one.”
Service Always Answers
Vicknair is a loyal Heidelberg customer using only Heidelberg products throughout their production. While high quality machines are key, Vicknair continues to trust Heidelberg because of their top-notch service.
“Heidelberg service is always with us throughout the whole process,” said Vicknair.
Heidelberg has the largest service coverage in the industry and offers a wide range of technical, financial and performance services to ensure that customers are getting the most from their equipment. The wide network means that close-by technicians are readily available to help customers in need.
“Heidelberg always answers,” said Vicknair. “You call with a problem, and there’s always someone there.”
