Me & My: J Mahabeer Fast 360

R Muthukumar, chairman of Newsmen Associates, says J Mahabeer’s Fast 360 is suitable for small to medium multi-colour newspaper publishers

02 Apr 2014 | By Rahul Kumar

Describe your company.
Newsmen Associates is the publisher of Makkal Kural, a Tamil Daily. With the head office in Chennai, Makkal Kural has its branches in Madurai and Coimbatore. The timely delivery of consignments is done at our end so that our clients feel contended after availing our services. 
 
What does the machine do?
Fast 360 web offset printing press is a economical and is suitable for the small to medium publications and book printers. J Mahabeer manufactured Fast-360 machines during the year 2013 with the configuration of 4 – 4Hi units having capacity to print 16-pages multi-colour and 20-pages with 12-pages multi-colour and eight-pages in black and white.
 
Why did you choose this particular machine?
We decided to purchase the machine after looking at its features, excellent print quality, smaller footprint and excellent after sales service.
 
Did you look at any other similar machine?
Yes we looked at other options before finalising the Fast 360.
 
Why did you make the purchase?
We decided to purchase the machine after looking at its features, excellent print quality, smaller footprint.
 
What features do you particularly like?
The ‘H’ over ‘H’ is driven by ‘M’ series timer belt for high accuracy and maintenance free drive. This also helps in better 4+4 registration. The height of the tower gets reduced due to the typical arrangement of the printing couples as mentioned above.
 
Is there anything you wish it had that it doesn’t?
Yes. We wish it had unit wise coupling and de-coupling which should be standard for all suppliers instead of optional with extra billing.
 
How fast is it?
It prints at the speed of 36,000 copies per hour.
 
How easy is it to use?
It is printer friendly and easy to operate with pneumatics on/off for water and ink.
 
Has it won you any new work?
With the addition of this press we can now cater to the printing of additional job work for the other publications. 
 
How much time or money has it saved?
Due to better speeds we have saved on time which is a crucial part for any newspaper publication.
 
Would you say that it offers value for money?
Yes it does offer value for our money.
 
Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
No, there were no difficulties during or after installation.
 
What about the pre and after sales service?
The company offers excellent pre-and after-sales service.
 
Who do you think the machine is right for?
The press is ideal for the printing of newspapers in multi-colour with short time make ready. It is suitable for small to medium publishing houses.
 
Under what circumstances would you invest in another?
We are planning for other editions and at that time we would place our next order. 
 
Conclusion
User’s verdict
Speed                      5/5
Quality                     5/5
Reliability                5/5
Value for money   5/5
Supplier’s Response
DK Mathur, general manager - sales, J Mahabeer, says, “Fast and Gemini printing presses are manufactured using state-of-the-art technology prevailing worldwide. The machines operating features are unique and extremely operator friendly and this results in higher productivity with least usage of manpower. Robustly built press ensures practically zero down time and our just in time concept of spares and service engineer ensures higher productivity and eliminates down time in totality. As a consequence of these unique features, J Mahabeer is a recipient of not only new customers but also repeat orders from existing customers.”
Contact       
J Mahabeer
D K Mathur
+91-9990870122 / dkmathur@jmahabeer. com