Plural Industria Grafica in Brazil is one of the biggest offset printing companies in South America. It specializes in producing books, magazines, and catalogs, but also operates in the commercial and security printing sectors. Until recently, the company worked exclusively with web offset technology.
Production takes place at a site measuring 33,500 square meters in the industrial park in Santana de Parnaíba in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The company in its present form is the result of a joint venture between the Brazilian Folha-Group media specialists and the Quad/Graphics USA printing corporation.
Première with Speedmaster XL 106 and CutStar generation 4
Plural aims to harness advanced technology and equipment to offer exceptional products on the market. Now, for the first time in its history, the company has invested in sheetfed offset technology, putting a Speedmaster XL 106-8-P+L from Heidelberg into operation in February 2025. This model is an eight-color perfecting press with a coating unit. Besides the feeder, a CutStar generation 4 supplies the press with paper from the reel. This configuration is a particularly attractive option for web offset print shops, because they can use a sheetfed offset printing press while taking advantage of the lower prices of reel stock.
“Traditional web offset print shops are increasingly looking for solutions that will enable them to embrace the global trend toward shorter print runs cost-effectively. Plural’s decision to invest in sheetfed offset and CutStar technology from Heidelberg underlines just how attractive the Heidelberg solutions are for this customer segment, too,” says David Schmedding, chief technology & sales officer at Heidelberg. “In particular, our CutStar technology makes the production of relatively short runs cost-effective and efficient,” he continues. The CutStar that is in operation at Plural is the 100th fourth-generation reel sheeter to leave the production line at Heidelberg since its market launch in 2020 and the 500th CutStar produced overall since the start of series production in 2000.
The CutStar generation 4 is integrated into the Prinect workflow and the Prinect Press Center XL 4 control station and set automatically via the Intellistart 3 assistance software and preset values, which reduces makeready times by up to 50%.
Heidelberg delivers solutions for distinct customer needs
The new Speedmaster XL 106, complete with a perfecting unit and boasting a printing speed of 18,000 sheets per hour, is helping Plural pursue its target of substantially expanding its range of products and services in a challenging market.
The company also aims to break into segments that have previously been closed off to it due to its use of web offset presses, which are geared toward large runs. “By investing in the Speedmaster XL 106, we are meeting a distinct customer need. Specialist publishing houses and public institutions need workbooks, textbooks, and other teaching materials that are printed in shorter runs than are customary in web offset printing. In our view, the only solution for producing these books and materials cost-effectively is sheetfed offset printing technology,” says Carlos Jacomine, the company’s CEO.
“Our customers are looking for top quality, competitive terms and conditions, and rock-solid delivery reliability – and the fast job changes on the Speedmaster XL 106, combined with the high availability of this high-performance press, enable us to meet their expectations,” he continues.
Thanks to the Speedmaster XL 106, Plural is able to offer the market printed materials with a much wider range of substrates. Besides card book covers, Jacomine particularly mentions the surface finishing options that are possible with the Speedmaster XL 106. From his perspective, another major advantage is the fact that, in conjunction with the CutStar, it is also possible to process relatively inexpensive reel stock in different paper weights, including very thin papers, on the sheetfed offset printing press from Heidelberg.
Autonomous offset printing
The Speedmaster XL 106, such as the one in operation at Plural, is a model of the new Peak Performance generation that Heidelberg launched at drupa 2024. This press is designed for autonomous printing in Push to Stop operation and is controlled via the Prinect Press Center XL 4. The AI assistants, which have been further developed by Heidelberg, are one of the stand-out features of the new control station.
For example, to ensure swift job changes, Intellistart 3 uses digital data to coordinate the makeready sequences precisely, based on rules, without any intervention by the operator. The operator can monitor the progress of the individual makeready sequences on the Wallscreen XL.
The AI-supported assistants are based on algorithms that analyze large volumes of data and configure complex production parameters automatically. During production, all processes are monitored and controlled automatically, largely without any human intervention.
“When developing the CutStar generation 4, the focus was on growing customer requirements, particularly for processing thin substrates. Our customers now benefit from production speeds that are up to 30 percent faster, more stable sheet travel, greater automation, and lower maintenance requirements,” says Schmedding.
