Success is guaranteed when a company accurately assesses the needs of customers and responds by providing an excellent quality product at a competitive price. Graphic Paper is out in front of the curve, anticipating the requirements of the graphics arts printing industry for the New York City area. Graphic’s growth is a reflection of this prowess. The installation of a new sheeter from Maxson Automatic Machinery Co. will only allow the trend to continue.
Graphic Paper began eleven years ago with the acquisition of a converting facility in Jamaica, NY. Graphic’s expansion plans accelerated three years ago with the purchase of a 143,000 square foot converting and distribution facility in Central Islip, NY. Graphic Paper expects earnings increases to correspond with space expansion. Today, revenue leaped an average of 28% since 1998. An expansion project is scheduled in the near future that will increase space to 200,000 square feet.
Graphic Paper services the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut tri-state region with 50% of their business in the New York City/Long Island area. “There are many graphics arts printers on Long Island,” reports Leonard Aronica, Jr., CEO of Graphic Paper, “and, we are only 45 minutes from the city. What’s important to our customers is placing an order and having a quality product delivered right away.” Because of Graphic’s location, equipment and personnel, they can accept an order by 5:00 in the afternoon and deliver it the next day. “Our trucks are on the road by 5:00 a.m.,” continued Aronica, and we maintain a huge inventory of roll stock of all types of paper and board stock to ensure timely deliveries.
To maintain this kind of turn-around performance and increase output, Graphic Paper added a Maxson MSP Sheeter to their production line. “The new MSP Sheeter is a precision sheeter capable of running both paper and board at speeds up to 1000 fpm, depending on material, with absolutely no need for guillotine trimming, ” Aronica reported. “We are realizing great savings in production time and avoiding waste by eliminating this step. There was a time when paper waste could be profitable, but not any more. We want more paper to sell and less to throw away.”
The Maxson MSP Sheeter, which replaced an older machine, can fill a truckload each day running two webs. “Because of its versatility and precision, we’ve been assigning all kinds of work to the MSP,” continued Aronica. “We can run two webs of material as light as 45# offset and calipers as heavy as 18 pt. Solid bleached sulfate (SBS) board. We’re even sheeting some of the new synthetic papers made of polypropylene fillers that are tear proof and waterproof and are ideal for pressure sensitive labels, and maps.”
The Maxson MSP Sheeter is equipped with a dual motor drive system that provides press-ready sheets. Older sheeters with mechanical drives have intrinsic variations in sheet length; however, the dual motor drive on the Maxson sheeter provides a sheet-length accuracy of ±0.015 in. regardless of cut-off length or line speed. Sheet-length changes can be accomplished in about two minutes, by simply entering instructions on a keypad. “This is so important today because short runs, short cutoffs and special sizes, such as digital sizes, are what the customer wants. We’re down to an 11″ sheet length cutoff, in some cases,” explains Aronica. “We do it right, producing exceptional quality product.”
The MSP Sheeter is also equipped with an easily adjusted slitter rig providing four-pile service. Squareness accuracy is maintained at ±0.020 inches. Material changeovers are also swiftly accomplished with the aid of the Maxson Citation shaftless roll stands. A single operator can simply position the rolls between two posts and raise them into position. No overhead hoists are required so Graphic saves time and eliminates potential safety hazards.
Material changeovers can be swiftly accomplished by a single operator with the aid of two Maxson Citation Roll Stands. A roll is positioned between the two posts and raised into position.
Presently, Graphic Paper operates two shifts, but the goal is to acquire more mill work and expand to a third shift. You have to make the investment in machinery to make a profit. “The way to get a machine to pay for itself, and to increase revenue, is to occupy that machine full-time,” stated Aronica. “For this reason, we are expanding the board market portion of our business. More commercial printers are using board and we want to be a part of that marketplace.”
It is certain that Graphic will meet the goal because Graphic Paper understands the formula for success. Maxson Automatic Machinery Co. is pleased to be a significant part of the equation.
lReprinted from The Sheeting Monitor, June 2001
