United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 13 June 2024 – Halstan has announced a major investment program aimed at revolutionizing its print production capabilities. This announcement was made at DRUPA, the world’s largest printing equipment exhibition, showcasing the latest innovations in the industry.
Halstan is introducing the Canon ProStream 2133 continuous feed inkjet press, the Tecnau Revolution 50 AutoSetup sheeter and the Horizon BQ-500 ICE binder into its UK production facility in Amersham. These state-of-the-art technologies will help automate Halstan’s book production, and provide capacity to support its ambitious growth strategy.
The Canon ProStream 2133 represents the pinnacle of continuous feed inkjet technology, delivering exceptional print quality at high speeds, making it ideal for large-scale book production. Halstan have been using Canon inkjet for the last couple of years in the form of the sheet-fed VarioPrint iX3200. “Our clients have been blown away by the standard of print that Halstan is now producing. The Canon inkjet systems have helped us win significant new business and put Halstan at the forefront for quality in the book market” said Rupert Smith, Halstan’s Chief Executive. “As volumes have built up, the next logical step was to move to the reel-fed ProStream, not just to provide the additional capacity, but to further streamline production”.
Halstan will also be the first in the world to take delivery of the Tecnau Revolution 50 AutoSetup roll-to-stack paper sheeter launched at DRUPA. The Revolution 50 AutoSetup offers significant advancements such as full-bleed capabilities with automated page length and imposition changeover meaning it can change from 1up to 4up configurations, without touch points. “We produce such a wide variety of products that the automation Tecnau now offer means we can switch between formats without stopping production” says Smith. “Products such as landscape booklets, music scores, oversized coffee table books and pocket-sized notebooks can now all be produced with equal ease.”
Halstan’s diverse product offering include perfect bound, thread-sewn, and cased books, as well as saddle-stitched booklets. To support the additional print volumes that will be created as a result of these investments, Halstan is bolstering its UK bindery department with the latest Horizon BQ-500 ICE perfect binder with inline auto-trimming Horizon HT-1000V.
In addition, Halstan has re-kitted its German print operation with the latest Canon toner presses and saddle-stitch finishing, with perfect binding to be introduced to the facility later in the year.
“We are thrilled to unveil our latest investments at DRUPA, which is a testament to our continued commitment to innovation and excellence in the book printing industry.” said Smith. “We firmly believe that the future of book production will be driven by automation and not only will these investments help achieve this but will push our quality standards to a new high.”
Stuart Rising, Head of Commercial Print at Canon UK & Ireland, adds: “We value our continued partnership with Halstan, and are excited to see how they’re utilising Canon technology to optimise their operation across all areas of business. The implementation of the Canon ProStream 2133 continuous feed inkjet press will enable the business to reach the next level of fully automated book production.”
Both the Tecnau and Horizon products will be supplied and serviced by Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS). Jason Seaber from IFS said: “We are really excited to be working with the team at Halstan as they continue to build a very smart book factory. I am confident these new investments, and continued partnership with IFS, Horizon, and new partnership with Tecnau, will be a fantastic success. We look forward to supporting all these new investments to ensure success and continued growth, and we appreciate the trust and confidence in choosing Tecnau, Horizon and IFS.”
About Halstan:
Founded in 1919, Halstan is a fourth-generation printer and book producer. Alongside its UK production facilities in Buckinghamshire, Halstan also has manufacturing operations in Germany and the east coast of the United States. Using online ordering tools and integrated workflows, publishers can order centrally but have their books produced in multiple locations. Halstan produces a wide range of books – including perfect bound, cased, wire-stitched and thread-sewn products.