More Cost-Effective, Faster Production With SigmaLine III and Alegro Digital
Because the importance of smaller print runs has increased in recent years, BJU Press in Greenville, South Carolina, invested in a SigmaLine III digital book block production system with an Alegro Digital perfect binder from Muller Martini.
Since 1974, BJU Press, based in Greenville, South Carolina, has been producing print products in the education sector. As a non-profit division of the BJU Education Group, BJU Press is one of the largest production facilities in the region, with over 450 employees working in 5/24 shifts. The company covers all areas – from printing and creative development to education and marketing all the way to finance and operations.
“We manufacture print products exclusively for BJU Press and several other closely affiliated organizations,” says Bill Robson, Senior Manager of Printing Operations. “BJU Press specializes in producing educational materials for pre-K through grade 12, promoting a biblical world view, academic integrity, and innovative technology solutions. The educational materials we offer include textbooks, video courses, digital resources, and online learning platforms for Christian schools and home schooling.”
Enormous reach
BJU Press products have an enormous reach. “Last year, we reached over 350,000 unique customers with over 3 million product touches – interactions with our textbooks, video courses, and learning platforms – per day,” says James Llewellyn, Director of Manufacturing and Distribution, proudly.
One of BJU Press’ core businesses is the production of over 3 million softcover books annually. Although the largest print runs exceed 30,000 copies per title, the importance of smaller print runs – i.e., a few hundred copies – has increased in recent years. Book-of-one is currently not yet available in the BJU Press product segment. “But we would like to offer the option in the future, which is why we are continuously expanding our digital printing capacities,” says James Llewellyn.
Von links: Carlos Martins (Head of Solutions Manager Muller Martini North America), Andy Fetherman (President and CEO Muller Martini North America), Bill Robson (Senior Manager Printing Operations BJU Press), James Llewellyn (Director of Manufacturing and Distribution BJU Press), Peter Wolfram (Regional Sales Manager Muller Martini North America).
Exclusively digital printing
Since spring 2024, the company in Greenville has exclusively offered digital printing – on a Canon ColorStream 6900 and an HP PageWide T485, both inkjet web presses. In order to be able to further process the wide pages of the T485, BJU Press invested in a SigmaLine III digital book block production system with an Alegro Digital perfect binder from Müller Martini, which is connected inline to the printing press.
“The two machines are the perfect combination, complement each other, and are ideal for our production requirements,” says James Llewellyn. “We have had good experiences with this inline solution comprising a printing press, digital book block production system, and perfect binder, which has proven to be extremely reliable. We also rely on Muller Martini for saddle stitching with a Minuteman installed around 2000, and we used to have a Normbinder softcover system.
Goal: to achieve book-of-one level
The SigmaLine III and Alegro Digital enable BJU Press to produce small print runs more cost-effectively and significantly faster than before. “We are very satisfied with the new Muller Martini solution,” emphasizes James Llewellyn.
He sees further potential for BJU Press in digital book production in the coming years. “We would be even better positioned if we could achieve book-of-one level. Then we could print most of our orders for home schooling on demand. This would reduce inventory and speed up order processing, significantly lowering costs. We see the biggest challenge in the production of the covers, which are fed into the perfect binders after the book blocks have been produced.”
