Companies & Markets
NorS er v ice/ Pem co
Flexibility and Quality
drive success in the digital market
UPM NorService’s General Manager Herbert Hennig
discusses digital niches and the new SHM Digicut
sheeter supplied by Pemco.
According to Smithers Pira, digital print is only
about 14.2 % of the printing market today. Inkjet, the
digital technology that is developing most rapidly, will
become, at its current annual growth rate of 14 %, the
dominant commercial printing process by 2025.
UPM NorService answers the associated need for new
paper sizes and product qualities specially designed
for digital printing purposes already now. The parent
company, UPM Corporation looks to UPM NorService
to explore new market and technology opportunities
in digital printing. Through distributors, the company
specializes in serving niche markets for special finishing
applications and product sampling, and provides paper
converting services for cutting and packaging papers.
With its DIGI paper range, including UPM DIGI Finesse
and UPM DIGI Color laser, UPM is focusing on this new
market, with UPM NorService serving as the converting
center.
The SHM Digicut sheeter from Pemco, Inc., installed
in Dörpen, Germany, will help UPM NorService to
take advantage of digital’s expansion by fulfilling the
Herbert Henning with the new shm Digicut sheeter
demand, increasing the quality and shortening lead
times. The versatility and quality standards of Pemco’s
technology for odd sizes suits the particular needs that
the growing digital market presents.
ipw: What markets does NorService serve?
Herbert Hennig: Mainly, we serve office paper product
niches, converting wood-free coated and uncoated
products over an extremely wide range – from 70 to 350
g/m2. Our cut-size line runs 24/7, the great majority of it
aimed at office and graphic arts markets. Our portfolio
includes widely differing special sheet and packaging
sizes, photo papers, paper treatment like punching, and
packaging. These activities also give UPM access to new
channels of distribution.
The new Pemco SHM Digicut sheeter at UPM NorService
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www.ipwonline.de
ipw: Can you give us a peek into some new niches?
Well, it is common knowledge that the digital printing
market is growing due to its flexibility. As big multinational companies realize its benefits in enhanced inhouse printing, the demand for digital-size products, in
particular for small print runs, has a potential for rapid
growth. That leaves it to us to explore further, focusing
on Europe. One factor will continually be odd or digital
sizes. But opportunities are to be found in everything –
sizes, packaging, paper quality, surfaces, grades, order
sizes, industries. For example, we’ve mastered reinforced
ream wrapping and shrink-wrapping boxes for mail
Companies & Markets
order businesses. The challenge there is rigidity of the
package.
ipw: And what factors influenced your investment in
Pemco’s SHM Digicut sheeter?
So far, for the digital sizes, we had been sheeting by
guillotine, and from there, yet more hand-work: handreaming, hand-palletizing/labeling, pallet finishing. But
with growing demand for short grains, guillotining
cannot produce the perfect quality that our customers
request – especially not for more sensitive grades like
coated products with matte surface or photo paper.
Eventually we automated the reaming, and the next
logical step was to automate sheeting. We cobbled
together a one-pocket line with automated reaming,
labeling and palletizing. But our “self-made” odd-size
line was running at capacity after just one year! So we
needed a versatile, dependable sheeter able to cover a
full range of sizes at highest quality, leaving no marks
on sensitive, coated products. The very nature of digitally printed products makes our customers particularly
demanding.
solution and working with our engineering staff to integrate their machine with existing equipment downline.
Good, open cooperation, including coordination with
the supplier of our ream wrapper. The same was the
case when NorService staff visited the US for technical
meetings. Given Pemco’s parentage, the company is no
stranger to Germany and serves a wide range of European customers.
ipw: How quickly will you see the results in your operations?
Well, immediately. Clearly in terms of automation and
increased capacity, but also in terms of product quality
and efficiency, hence profitability. We are now able to
do more and diverse formats, in a wide range of quantities, to offer more product and packaging options, ondemand, and with highly competitive quality. sha ■
ipw: Sounds like you presented Pemco with
a pretty challenging order.
Our wish list was even longer than the several things
I’ve already mentioned. We wanted to convert coated
papers, so we benefit from the Digicut’s mark-free soft
belts. And with its easy-to-handle slitter section and
quick-change collecting box, our need for minimum setup and size change times was met. All in all, we are now
able to efficiently cut odd sizes between A4 and 66 times
36.4 inch such as SRA3, A3, SRA3+, etc.
But one of our key requirements was that, while we
explore digital printing niches – some of which are still
developing – we should not be wholly dependent on
them. That’s another advantage of the Digicut’s versatility; while we participate in the growth of digital sizes
with SRA3 being our main product, the sheeter also
serves as a back-up for high speed production of commodity sizes like A4.
ipw: When did the project start? Any particular milestones or highlights to mention?
The clearly visible trend towards digital printing at drupa
2012, especially the HP Indigo Hall, opened eyes among
UPM management to intensify UPM’s Digi approach. At
drupa, initial discussions with Pemco started. UPM holds
the HP Indigo certification for the complete product
range, and also others like Xerox. Of course, meeting
these high standards asks for highest sheeting quality,
ensuring best printing results – and that’s where Pemco
came into play.
ipw: Overall, how did the project go?
When Pemco sent their people to us, they were very
proactive in ascertaining our needs, prescribing their
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