Inchinnan, Renfrewshire-based HDC (Homework Diary Company) has announced its third installation of a PowerSquareTM 224 booklet maker. This latest machine is an offline Morgana PowerSquareTM 224VF, complete with high capacity dual bin feeder. The machine was sold by Canon UK, an authorised dealer of Morgana offline and Plockmatic inline finishing units.
HDC produce a wide and versatile range of high-quality printed book products for the educational market. These include both student and teacher planners, personalised exercise books, and primary and secondary yearbooks.
The first of the finishing machines installed at HDC was a Watkiss branded hand-fed offline unit some five years ago; the second, two years ago, was installed by Canon in an inline configuration, integrated with a VP6250 digital printing machine. This third unit, now branded Morgana, is again offline but with its own high-capacity feeder.
Commenting on the latest addition, Robin Clark, Managing Director at HDC, said: “Whilst the inline unit has been a great success, the latest Morgana PowerSquare 224 with the VF feeder can be much more efficient and more versatile in an offline configuration, where it can handle the output from two or three of our mono and colour Canon presses. This will allow us as a business to be much more productive – which can be critical for our especially busy periods, such as before the start of the new school year.”
The PowerSquare™ 224VF booklet maker, with its high-capacity dual-bin feeder, offers a flexible solution for a wide range of booklet types and sizes. The system is fed by the VF vacuum assisted feeder which has a loading capacity of up to 540mm / 21″, giving long uninterrupted production runs.
Pre-collated printed sets can be placed into both bins for longer runs, or covers can be placed into one of the bins when they need to be merged with collated sets. The feeder can also be loaded on the run with automatic bin switching. Optional barcode readers can be fitted to the VF for variable page count jobs or to ensure set integrity. In a single machine the PowerSquare 224 combines the four processes of stitching, folding, spine forming, and trimming, to produce SquareBack™ books of up to 224 pages thick.
Commenting further, Robin Clark added, “We know the robustness of the unit and could appreciate the productivity of having it installed as an offline system, so we didn’t need to look anywhere else before we made our choice.
“Canon have been our supplier of choice for many years, so it was easy to deal with them regarding the latest order. The machine build of the finishing units has been excellent. The reliability of the finishing products has been exceptional, and the unique square-back finish that they produce really helps our products to stand out.”
Another of the unique feature of the PowerSquare 224 is that is can add up to six staples in one printed set, meaning that smaller format products can be printed and finished two- or three-up, increasing productivity significantly. The proven SquareBack process produces a superior quality of finish, delivering professionally finished booklets.
About HDC
Explaining the HDC business, Robin Clark said: “HDC has been working with schools for over 21 years. Throughout this time, we have continually developed products that are relevant in an ever-changing educational landscape. We always aim to give our customers the best products, at the right price, whilst delivering a service that exceeds all expectations.
“This has been our under-lying philosophy from the day we started trading in 1997 and we are even more focused and driven by this belief today. Our team’s rich experience in working with today’s modern school environment is unrivalled and each member of our team is committed to our customer charter.”
HDC was one of the longest serving “Preferred Suppliers” of ASCL (Association of School and College Leavers), have been partners of School Leaders Scotland for over ten years, and more recently have been a commercial supporter of Schools North East.
Further information at https://hdc-uk.com/hdc/
