Ferag mailroom

The mailroom enables timely operation without human intervention says, Vasudevan Namboodiri, vice president, production at The Times of India.

09 May 2013 | By PrintWeek India

What does the machine do?
The machine picks up individual copies from the printing machine and sends them to the inserter where the supplements are inserted along with the main newspaper.  After inserting the supplement, the final copies are taken through the conveyers  for counting, stacking, bundling, labelling, wrapping and strapping. 

Did you look at any other similar machines?
Yes, we did looked at other machines as well.
 
Why did you make the purchase?
We are primarily a national newspaper printer, which means we print large volume of newspapers in a relatively short period of time. We needed a mailroom system, which could cope with the high volume print runs, reduce overheads, increase efficiency, innovate and support marketing with newer ways of distribution.
 
What features do you particularly like?
The system is reliable, compact and needs very little maintenance. 
 
Is there anything that you dislike?
Nothing at all. The system is precisely built and has no room for dislike.
 
Is there anything that you wish it had that it doesn’t?
It has everything that we wanted.
 
How was fast is it?
The mailroom matches the speed of our Manroland Colorman presses which run at 85,000 copies per hour.
 
What’s the quality like?
Excellent. The mailroom enables timely operation without human intervention. 
 
How reliable is it?
Extremely reliable. 
 
How easy is it to use?
It’s very user friendly. Even a new operator can be trained on site.
 
How much time or money has it saved?
The equipment’s reliability and consistency allows our staff to focus on more important tasks like quality checks and monitoring despatch operations. More than saving, the facility can generate money like a normal production centre. It enables one to innovate, which in turn creates new marketing avenues.
 
Has it won you any new work?
Yes. And we are expecting more.
 
Would you say that it offers value for money?
Yes. We are very pleased with the mailroom’s performance and reliability.
 
Where there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
Not. The installation of the mailroom was virtually trouble free. The operational and technical training provided by Ferag during installation and commissioning of the mailroom system was very good.
 
What about the pre and after-sale service?
Excellent. Ferag has an Indian office in Delhi and that helped expedite the response time. 
 
Who do you think the machine is right for?
This system is right for those who cater to very high print volumes and time bound jobs.
 
Under what circumstances would you buy another?
As and when we plan for new installation of printing press in our unit, a mailroom system will be a part of that plan.

Conclusion
User’s verdict
Speed 5/4
Quality 4/4
Reliability 4/4
Value for money 5/4