
Tigran Mets, a printing house in Armenia, recently selected Bindwel’s Trimit30C as its latest three-knife trimmer, making it one of the newest customers from outside India to choose this technology. This decision follows its installation of the Freedom 4.5K 12 clamp perfect binder in 2023 for the production of educational books.
The largest and oldest printing house in Armenia, Tigran Mets publishes more than 90% of the republic’s newspapers, serving clients such as the UN Office, the Red Cross, and other international organizations. The history of the publishing house dates to the early 1920s, with the establishment of the newspaper Soviet Armenia under the organization of the Central Committee of Armenia, thus giving rise to Tigran Mets.
To enhance its perfect binding capabilities, Tigran Mets has previously invested in the Freedom 4.5K, replacing its previous Muller Martini Panda system. Before acquiring the Trimit30C, books were trimmed using the Perfecta SDY2 and Heidelberg Trimtec trimmers. The decision to invest in a new offline three-knife trimmer aligns with Tigran’s commitment to continuous quality improvement.
Tigran’s team, led by general manager Igit Mkrchyan, evaluated trimmers from various makers, during the All in Print 2023 exhibition in Shanghai. Ultimately, the company chose Bindwel’s Trimit30C due to its positive experience with Bindwel machinery and the manufacturing process reminiscent of European standards. Mkrchyan emphasized the importance of quality trimming and safety, factors that influenced its decision to opt for Bindwel over Chinese alternatives.
“Despite the investment cost being higher, we preferred Bindwel as we have a very good experience of buying a machine from them in the past. We found the manufacturing process to be almost like European companies, where we had gone in the past. As far as the three-knife trimmers are concerned, the quality of trimming and safety are of paramount importance. In China, we could not see how these machines were being built. We were also not happy with the features and upgradeability. Though we are buying the Bindwel Trimit as an offline trimmer, the company has assured us that we can connect it inline with the binder any time in the future,” says Mkrchyan.
Mayur Bharate, head of Bindwel’s exports department, highlighted the global appeal of the Trimit30C, which has been exported to countries such as Tanzania, Morocco, Angola, Ghana, and Kenya in recent years. He emphasized the advantages of investing in new trimmers, such as enhanced features, increased safety, and the option for future upgradeability to in-line trimming.
“We are readying for the Trimit 30C to be shipped to Armenia during the next week,” says Bharate. Customers are realizing there is merit in going in for brand new three-knife trimmers, as they come in with more features and increased safety. And we provide the option of upgradeability to in-line trimming, which is not currently available for any of the used European, Japanese or new Chinese machines.”
Kai Buentemeyer, director of Bindwel, shared insights into the future of three-knife trimming technology, mentioning the upcoming installation of Trimit30C at Tigran before drupa 2024. He teased a new variant of the trimmer as part of Bindwel’s Bindline inline binding system, set to redefine lean manufacturing in book printing. With his extensive experience in the industry, Buentemeyer expressed confidence in Bindwel’s ability to meet the growing global demand for reliable and innovative trimming solutions.