Digitronix leads the way with the Smyth FX 30
In book production, making finishing processes more productive while ensuring consistency and quality is rightly considered the Holy Grail. Now, following its investment in a new SMYTH sewing machine supplied by Perfect Bindery Solutions, Digitronix is managing to do just that!
With ‘Bold. Efficient. Defiant.’ as a strapline and ‘Lead don’t follow’ as a slogan, Digitronix is not afraid to set the bar high. And the award-winning, Leeds-based marketing communications company clearly relishes the challenge, delivering work that transcends disciplines, disrupts convention and starts conversations. The company’s latest capital investment – a SMYTH FX 30 sewing machine – introduces a new in-house discipline to its bindery line-up which not only helps Digitronix to cut its turnround times, but also gives it more control over over all-important quality assurance, as Managing Director Tom Stevenson explains:
“At Digitronix we design and print luxury books for high-end brands. As part of a continued investment into the book production arm of our business, we felt it was the right time to bring section sewing production in-house. It is a service that we had been buying in, but by bringing the service in-house, we are able to significantly improve lead times and see an uplift in the quality of our products.”
Digitronix had not worked with PBS before, but researching the market for a small footprint sewing machine led them to the company, as UK distributor for SMYTH.
“The machine is great and hasn’t missed a beat since we installed it.” says Tom Stevenson. “We wanted a machine that could handle very short runs with minimal set up whilst offering flexibility on the size of page we are able to bind. We are a digital print business with limited floorspace, so the size of the machine was a contributing factor.”
Mr Stevenson concludes: “I would recommend the SMYTH to others who are looking for a well built, modern section sewing machine. PBS are great to work with, and the installation and training went without a hitch.”
With a long heritage in book production, SMYTH (established 1879) enjoys a depth of knowledge and expertise, which has led it to now offer a range of folding and book sewing systems for both digital and offset output, as well as gatherers and perfect binders. Mirroring that heritage, expertise and knowledge is Perfect Bindery Solutions (PBS) who work in partnership with SMYTH to offer its machines in the UK, together with a full range of soft back and hard cover book production equipment from manufacturers including Risetec, Hörauf, Schmedt, and ODM, and luxury box making systems under the Perfect Box Solutions brand.
Included in the SMYTH range is the FX 30 sewing machine, ideal for digital book production and designed to give a high quality, professional and strong book finish. The systems are easy to use, incorporating automatic thread cut off between books, providing easy separation at the delivery. The machines utilise the tried and tested SMYTH thread sewing system used throughout the range of machines, ensuring reliability and book quality.
Ahead of the game…
For Perfect Bindery Solutions, bookbinding authority Steve Giddins comments:
“Digitronix is a go-ahead outfit with a keen sense of their market. Section-sewing has been largely overlooked by many in the short-run digital book sector, perhaps because it’s thought of as a complex, high volume process; but the latest systems from SMYTH are anything but that – they’re quick to set up and easy to operate giving the finished books a first class professional finish… and sewing can offer great advantages in the finished product such as problem-free lay-flat and durability. When it comes to the high end short-run luxury book sector, Digitronix are ahead of the game.”
