Me & My.... Welbound Trident

What does the machine do?
Trident is an offline three-knife trimmer. Bound books can be fed to the machine for trimming the three sides so as to give a perfectly trimmed book.

Did you look at any other similar machines?
We already have three offline trimmers and one inline trimmer of other makes running with the perfect binding line at our Navi Mumbai Unit. So, in a way, we are familiar with other trimmers.

Why did you make the purchase?
We have a long-standing relationship with Welbound and good experience with their six-clamp perfect binders and gatherers at the Navi Mumbai unit. So, when we planned on buying a trimmer for our Sachin SEZ, Surat unit, we were sure we could rely on Welbound's resources to have the Trident trimmer evaluated. The specifications matched our requirement. Plus the cost of ownership was low.

What features do you particularly like?
The machine has adjustable clamping, a braking system that prevents variations in stroke, easy knife changeover and last but not the least - good safety systems. The trim quality is quite good. In short, it has everything that one requires in a new generation three-knife trimmer.

Is there anything that you dislike?
Nothing, really.
 
Is there anything that you wish it had that it doesn't?
The facility to use it as an inline trimmer. 

How fast is it?
It has a speed of 20 cycles per minute. We can achieve 80% of this as net on pallet.

What's the quality like?
The trimming is consistent, the book spine's wrinkle free and edges square.

How reliable is it?
Trident is a rugged machine and reliable. The automatic lubrication system eases the task of maintenance.

How easy is it to use?
There are easily selectable modes of operations and these make the machine very user friendly.

How much time or money has it saved?
Three-knife trimming is the final stage in book printing. If the machine breaks down, it creates a huge bottleneck in the whole production cycle. Trident has been reliable and that in itself has saved us of both time and money.   

Has it won you any new work?
No.
 
Would you say that it offers value for money?
Definitely, yes. We have been running this machine close to two years now. The cost of maintenance and spare parts, in addition to the investment cost, make Trident real value for money. 
 
Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
There were a few teething problems in the beginning. However these were brought under control pretty fast. 

What about the pre- and after-sale service?
Welbound is well known for aftersales service and has supported us whenever the need arose.
 
Who do you think the machine is right for?
Any book printer who has a volume of more than 10,000 books a day. A "must have" for printers who export.

Under what circumstances would you buy another?
When we will be able to create additional capacity.

User's verdict    
Speed ****
Quality ****
Reliability ****
Value for money *****

Supplier's response
K C Sanjeev, managing director, Welbound Worldwide, says: "We are proud to be associated with Repro India, one of the leading book printers-exporters in India. Repro India has always encouraged our indigenous efforts of providing solutions that are value for money. Their unit in Navi Mumbai has a battery of WB 2000s  and Pickwel gatherers. For their export-oriented unit in Sachin, Surat, they were willing to extend this trust when opting for WB 3600, a 12-clamp binder and Trident trimmer. We are glad to have justified that trust."