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Pushkinskaya Ploschad in Moscow, one of the largest printing enterprises in Russia, has installed the Kodak Versamark DS9050 printing system to personalise publications, bolster its catalogue production and penetrate new markets. The new system includes two printheads and is controlled by the Kodak Versamark CS410 System Controller.
Pushkinskaya Ploschad is one of Russia's most technologically advanced print houses embracing the latest web, sheetfed offset and finishing technology from Goss, Heidelberg and Kolbus. The company originally focused on printing periodicals but has grown rapidly and now prints medium-to-large runs of catalogues and other promotional products, such as brochures and pamphlets.
Automating mass mail-order catalogue runs
A large part of Pushkinskaya Ploschad's business is printing catalogues for mail-order companies. However, these customers have high expectations and demand far more
than just an attractive catalogue. They seek ever-more inventive ways to help set themselves apart from their competitors.
Printing personalised data is one effective solution to this problem. Many of Pushkinskaya Ploschad's catalogue publishers produce coupons that contain personalised information for each of their customers, which are then inserted in the catalogue. Producing these coupons is no easy task - the coupons are tailored for individual customers, meaning each one requires the printing of variable personalised data. This represented a significant challenge for Pushkinskaya Ploschad, particularly given their catalogue clients' enormous customer bases, ‘The technology we required had to be able to produce enormous volumes, while at the same time deal with a huge amount of variable data,’ said Andrey Suleykov, Pushkinskaya Ploschad’s first deputy chief executive (pictured above).
‘Kodak provided us with exactly what we needed. We installed the Kodak Versamark DS9050 printing system with two printheads, and controlled it with the powerful Kodak Versamark CS410 System Controller. The equipment was installed on a high-production Stahlfolder folding machine.’
The installation immediately created a far more efficient infrastructure. Instead of printing separate coupons, the cover was used for personalisation variable data printing, drastically reducing production times. Pushkinskaya Ploschad's decision to buy two Kodak Versamark DS9050 printing systems has proved a shrewd one. The company can print variable data on two covers simultaneously in a single pass, with the data being transmitted by the Kodak Versamark CS410 System Controller.
The Kodak Versamark DH90 Printheads operate at an impressive top speed of 150m per minute, allowing Pushkinskaya Ploschad to produce 100,000 A1-sized sheets per 12-hour shift. Each sheet of paper equates to two catalogue covers, allowing the company to produce a total run of 200,000 personalised covers.
Developing marketing opportunities
The new installation resulted in more than just faster production and significant cost savings. By giving catalogue publishers tight control over the variable data, they can engage more effectively with their customers and create marketing opportunities. For example, the system lets them assign personal identification numbers to each customer and run competitions, as well as collate and sort invaluable feedback from customers. And because each customer's address can be printed on the cover of the catalogue, the publication can simply be wrapped in polyethylene film, ready to be mailed giving the publisher huge packaging and postage savings.
Increased capacity, new markets
Always keen to explore growth opportunities, Pushkinskaya Ploschad is using its new system to diversify and expand beyond catalogues. For example, the company has printed and personalised lottery tickets for a large Moscow-based retail chain, and it plans to produce personalised covers for magazine publishers.
The new production set-up has also allowed Pushkinskaya Ploschad to target another new market - direct mail. Despite many print houses already operating in this sector, the company believes it can offer these customers something different - top-quality, offset printing combined with fast, cost-effective brochure personalisation. ‘Our investment in the Kodak system has proved an astute commercial decision,’ said Suleykov. ‘It has bolstered the quality and level of service we can extend to our existing customers, and has allowed us to generate additional revenue by expanding our offering and entering new markets.’
In the graphic communications market, Kodak offers the broadest portfolio of integrated solutions to help customers grow their business. For more information, visit: www.graphics.kodak.com, or just click on the Kodak button to the left of this page, or the Kodak banner or sponsor logo links on our Home Page. In Southern Africa, consult Antalis South Africa’s Graphics division.
© Graphic Repro On-line, 26 November 2009.
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