ORACLE GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT ADDS 3–KNIFE TRIMMER; BRINGS BINDERY UP TO SPEED
		It does not surprise Henry M. Mellegers, Manager of Reprographic Services for Oracle Corporation, that printers have traditionally neglected their bindery operations when they are considering new technology. "The electronic press systems have been getting the lion's share of the attention of late...and there has indeed been some impressive technical achievements over the past few years. But by the same token," Mellegers emphasizes, "you still have to finish the job! That's why I've always stressed the importance of maintaining a 'balanced system', where all production operations—including the bindery—are synchronized for maximum efficiency." In keeping with his "balanced system" approach, Mellegers specified the purchase of a Hydromat 3–Knife Trimmer, from exclusive distributor Vijuk Equipment, Inc. Installed this past summer, the trimmer arrived just in time to meet the software giant's most recent surge of growth since its founding in 1977. Headquartered in Redwood Shores, Calif., Oracle Corp., is universally recognized as the world's second largest software company, and the leading source of software for information management. Bindery operator Jack Grundy works up a storm on the Vijuk–Hydromat 3-Knife Trimmer. With annual revenues of $6 billion, the company offers its database, tools and applications products, along with related consulting, education and support services, in more than 140 countries around the world. They are well known for being among the first software companies to implement network computing—capable databases and products, as well as the first major software producer to make full–featured products available electronically via the Internet. It is also the only company capable of implementing end–to–end enterprise IT infrastructure and application solutions on a global scale. In an effort to gain tighter control over the myriad of documentation materials which accompany virtually all of their products, Oracle decided to start up an in–house printing operation in 1993. Not only would this allow them to decrease turnaround times in response to the fast–changing needs of internal customers, it would also enable them to keep a closer watch on their stringent quality specifications. Within two years Oracle Reproduction Services would become a 24–hour–a–day operation that would eventually employ upwards of 32 people. For the first few years the bulk of the department's productive output was generated by four Xerox DocuTechª units. According to Mellegers, things changed dramatically when they added an IBM Info Print 4000ª web–fed digital system. How dramatically? Using the most recent available figures, production exceeded 20 million pages for the month of January '98. Supported by numbers like that, it is now clear that Oracle's instincts were right on target when they elected to bring their graphic reproduction needs in house.		While total press capacity increased substantially with the IBM system, it did present Mellegers with some new challenges, not the least of which was book trimming—then comprised of a lone Challenge MPC single–blade cutter. "We were already running our single–blade cutter around–the–clock before we even started up the web–fed system. We also knew demand for print production would continue to increase rapidly." Aware that internal customers were not obligated to use the company's in–house printing department, Mellegers took steps to "balance" his production operation by addressing equipment needs downstream of the electronic presses. Faced with buying another single–blade cutter—which would also require adding more people—or investing in a more efficient, longer–term solution, Mellegers went with the latter: a Vijuk/Hydromat 3–Knife Trimmer. In terms of increased productivity, Mellegers claims that the Hydromat has reduced cutting from a continuous operation to only three hours per shift or less. "As a result of coupling the trimmer with our electronic press systems, we have reduced turnaround times significantly." As further evidence of the Hydromat's productive impact, Mellegers reports that the number of jobs produced in two days or less has increased from 16% to over 50%. He adds, "...not only did we boost productivity, by cutting labor requirements we substantially lowered the cost of producing manuals." The totally hydraulic Model 500–A Hydromat 3–Knife Trimmer reaches production speeds that are adjustable to 25 strokes per minute, and pile heights of 5–1/2". Finished sizes range from 18–1/8" x 13–1/4" to 2–3/4" x 2". The trimmer is capable of accommodating everything from light newsprint to heavy board stock...from loose leaf or web signatures to perfect–bound and stitched books. There are a number of features on the Model 500–A that Mellegers calls out as being particularly important. "For starters, the simplified controls make it an extremely easy machine to operate. Knife changes are safer and much less complex than on other machines we looked at. We also like the fact that blades are adjusted in a jig and not on the cutter. As for versatility, the Hydromat provides a much wider variety of operator options." Other advantages of Oracle's new trimmer include: fully programmable knife sequencing; automatic return of the second set for completion of the three–knife trimming cycle; and fourth–cut capability for trimming on all four sides of a finished manual. In contrast to many printers who view book–trimming as a secondary function, Mellegers describes the Hydromat Trimmer as a "critical piece of equipment", and points to how it has positively affected productivity and cost efficiency throughout the production chain. "Even with as much work as we're handling right now, we haven't even come close to the three–knife trimmer's capacity. This is really the first time that our cutting operations have had an effective 'cushion' against the growth that has been virtually continuous since we first opened for business."
		Published in the October 1998 Printing Journal magazines. Posted on this site with the permission of Cygnus Publications, Timonium, MD. (A similar article, High Volume Solution, was published in the February 2001 Graphic Arts Monthly.)