Paradigm Printing gains productivity advantage with Colter & Peterson SABER paper cutter

For the last 22 years, the management team at Paradigm Printing in Dalton, Georgia has built its success on outstanding work. Balancing new equipment purchases featuring cutting edge technology with a talented and highly experienced staff has led to impressive results. Needing to replace an important back-end piece of machinery, they raised the stakes by replacing a 15-year-old paper cutter with a refurbished 54” Colter & Peterson SABER® unit that trims twice as much material in the same amount of time it took the older unit.

“We were looking to replace a 55” Wohlenberg that was used exclusively for cutting chipboard up to 200 pt,” recalled Todd Reigel, Paradigm Printing’s president and one of four partners. He, Mike Harris, David Hudson and Jim Gowin opened the company in 1994 and have over 100 years of combined printing industry experience.

“Cutting chipboard causes a lot of vibration and wear and tear on the machine, so we needed to find a heavy duty cutter with double arm action,” continued Reigel. “I called Rich Peereboom at C&P and checked out a few other cutters on the market. I looked around for a while and SABER came up in my search several more times. C&P is a large, reputable company. We preferred them over an equipment dealer that we weren’t sure what kind of used machine we’d be getting.”

With the SABER, Paradigm has a workhorse paper cutting machine – plus some. Installed in early October, it came with a computerized Microcut® retrofit back gauge system. With touch screen controls, the automated process saves time and money by boosting productivity by as much as 50%. Microcut memorizes cut sequences and delivers highly accurate trimming within 1/64th of an inch, an important consideration for Paradigm’s business.

“The upgraded electronics and safety factors were key selling points. We were familiar with Microcut and the blade change since we had both on the Wohlenberg cutter,” said Reigel, who traded in the machine to C&P. “The contracted installers they sent to set up the machine were really an impressive group. They knew what they were doing and there were no issues, no problems. Everything went smooth and fast. They were in and out with the old machine in two days.”

Paradigm’s reliance on top quality equipment stems from the type of work they do for an international list of clients. A 40” sheetfed printer with two Heidelberg Speedmaster CD presses, including one with a double UV coater, Paradigm does a wide variety of complicated work for ad agencies and other printers who have retail customers, and jobs for the carpet industry.

“We are a one-of-a-kind type of company,” said Reigel about Paradigm, which employs 40 people and operates from a 45,000 square-foot facility. “For our retail partners, we produce display boxes by hand and they must be cut with very high precision. The SABER cuts twice as much as the machine it replaced and it does so effortlessly. We’ve had double arm cutters before but nothing cuts like this one.”

SABER’s strength helps with other work, including samples Paradigm produces for the carpet industry.

“We print box type material and some have drawers that require tight tolerances. We typically do 2,000 to 5,000 per run, so SABER’s ability to cut stack lifts quickly is great. It’s the same for the high-end sample swatch books and architect folders. We have to align some of the larger books by hand with printed graphics, so SABER’s size is a benefit for this type of work.”

Reigel says a small issue with the machine in late November underscores the importance behind Paradigm’s decision to select a Colter & Peterson paper cutter.

“They took care of a minor problem and we were very impressed with how they responded. A seal developed a small leak so they sent a service tech down here and it took 30 minutes to fix. That’s why we chose a reputable company. You can buy a cheaper machine but it’s not always worth it. Colter & Peterson stood behind their product and that’s why we did business with them.”