The successful printing company which is positioned as the largest jobbing printer in the region had previously done all its flat sheet collating by hand, now it has a new 10-bin Duplo collator through TS Wilson Jnr Ltd.
"Many years ago we purchased a collator from another supplier, it was supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread but it was a disaster and after getting rid of it we never went there again," says general manager Murray Ferris.
However, since the company purchased the Duplo in January, bindery production has increased by approximately 30% even with the operator's semi-retirement to three days a week, he adds.
"It now takes longer to print some work that it does to collate it. It was the other way around before."
He says they wouldn't be without the collator now that it is up and running and all they'd heard about it has proved to be true.
"We did some basic research in that we visited other companies that had bought one to watch it running and get some feedback. It seemed they were all singing from the same page.
"One printer swore by it, saying he'd put a couple of million sheets through his machine and it was still going strong, even though he'd had it 10 years or so and it was an older model."
He says the collator has made them more competitive in their market, especially on some of the bigger jobs.
"We had not intended to upgrade at this time until we were faced with the possibility that Margaret was retiring, but we are now pleased that we did."
Murray says that it was important for them to choose a company with a good track record.
"We're a long way from help in Gisborne if we need it and our past experience with TS Wilsons was a significant consideration. They stand by their brands and if you need them they are there in a flash to sort the problem."
Te Rau Print has 16 staff and operates mainly in the A2 colour market with a new 4-colour press with a coating unit, it bought just over a year ago.
