Akshara Offset installs new Heidelberg SX74 4-color

Thiruvananthapuram’s Akshara Offset has just installed a brand new Heidelberg Speedmaster SX74 4-color sheetfed offset press. The new press adds much needed capacity to one of the great success stories in Indian printing. Established as the first DtP center in Kerala in 1985 by Rajalakshmy, one of the state’s foremost women entrepreneurs, the new press adds much-needed capacity alongside its Heidelberg CD102 6-color and an SM102 2-color presses. Apart from strengthening its huge commitment to quality, the new investment helps reduce turnaround times of a print business already well known for its speed in delivery and commitment to customers.

Akshara Offset is an ISO 2008 certified organization, and recognized as a star printer in SAARC countries. With a full-fledged printing infrastructure built around best-in-class technology, it specializes in the production of books, magazines, leaflets, booklets, brochures, catalogs, diaries, calendars and invitation cards as well as cartons. “With the new Heidelberg SX 74 in place, we expect to set exceptional benchmarks in print quality and explore new growth platforms. The SX 74 will empower our business to deliver unprecedented levels of performance, and prioritize our customer experience,” says Rajalakshmy.

She adds, “The SX 74 combines the best of both worlds – the path-breaking technology of the XL class with the tried-and-tested stability of the SM platform. A true hybrid, the SX-74 is 30% more productive than SM equipment, at price points more economical than XL machines.”

Well-suited for mid-size format and short-run print work, the SX 74 accommodates a wide array of substrates from thin sheets to board between 0.03 mm and 0.6 mm. Shorter make-ready and throughput times with a production speed of 15,000 sheets an hour make it an efficient and productive investment.

Alcohol savings

Designed to be eco-friendly, the SX 74 is equipped with special rollers in its Alcolor dampening system that dramatically reduce alcohol usage from 10% to 3%, saving 172 liters of alcohol for every ten million printed sheets. Supported by surface technology to boost service life and extend wash-up intervals, the new press’s color Assistant Pro feature speeds up the response of the inking unit by 50% to 70% using fully-automated monitoring of the ink fountain liner and self-calibration of the ink zones.

Heidelberg’s Intellistart component, integrated in the SX 74 helps intelligent and dynamic job changes, requiring 70% fewer operations for every job change. “Setup times can be scheduled, saving a lot of time between job changes,” says Rajalakshmy, whose debut business venture has become a roaring success story.

“We believe in responsible and sustainable growth. Consistent upgrades are a must to meet the changes and challenges in a print environment that is continuously and globally evolving. Partnership with a trusted brand like Heidelberg is a significant step in our chosen path and priorities. Nowadays customers are highly demanding and quality conscious. The SX 74 inspires us to build on our customer-centric culture, while driving operational excellence,” Rajalakshmy concludes with a smile.