Contiweb LLC reported today that Seaway Printing, based in Green Bay Wisconsin, has leveraged Contiweb’s leading-edge non-stop winding technology to drive major productivity improvements in both their digital and offset printing operations. For their offset operations, Seaway will be the first in the world to implement automatic splicing on the Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 8-color perfector using the Contiweb CB-N Non-Stop Unwinder and CutStar reel sheeter.
Seaway Printing is a family-owned business with an excellent reputation in publication production and a focus on continuous operational improvement. The company purchased their first inkjet press, an HP PageWide T250 HD, with a single unwinder and rewinder and reached capacity more quickly than anticipated. When they moved to a new facility in 2024, the company decided to invest in the Contiweb CD-N Non-Stop Unwinder with automatic splicing and a Muller Martini SigmaLine Compact for the 22-inch continuous inkjet press.
Ian Heslin, Vice President of Seaway Printing says, “Adding the Contiweb CD-N Non-Stop Unwinder to our HP press has added 50 minutes of productivity to every shift.” Prior to installation of the CD-N, Seaway had reached capacity during two shifts on T250HD and was forced to run a third shift. Post installation, they have eliminated the third shift while running all their existing work in 2 shifts and adding more sellable pages on every shift.
Seaway has a goal of reaching an Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) score of 70% with the new Heidelberg Speedmaster installed this year. “We were pleased to work with Contiweb to make automatic splicing for the Heidelberg a reality because we believe it will add at least 4 points to our overall OEE score based on our current experience of working with a single unwinder,” says Heslin. A 4 point improvement represents an overall productivity improvement of approximately 10%. The Contiweb CB-N Non-Stop Unwinder is scheduled for installation in July.
“Seaway’s dedication to continuously improving their operations has made them an excellent partner in pursuing peak productivity using Contiweb technology,” says Rob Bosman, Sales Director at Contiweb. “It was a pleasure to partner with HP and Heidelberg to help Seaway optimize their investments, achieve their OEE improvement goals, and bring a new, ground-breaking offset automation solution to market.”
