purchasing a SM 74-2 col soon. advice needed

[Paven]

Hi guys. Our company is purchasing a SM74-2 col soon. We are struggling to decide from 2 offers that we have. one is a 1998 model with only 19 mil impression. The pic of the machine looks clean. On the other hand we have another offer for a 1998 model with 70 mill impression but this machine was fully reconditioned in 2007. The pic of the machine is absolutely clean. Does it really matter on the impression or the care of the machine? And lets just say if we do go with the 70 mill impression, how long till we really have issues since it has a high impression count. Which machine would you guys pick ? or is there any advice you guys can give me on a SM74-2 Col. Thanks for the help.

 

[Meny]

Hi

70 mil is not high impressions , it is reasonable.
this is not a reason to refurbish a press , so i would ask load & clear , why did they need the refurbishing proccess , and what was done to the press in fact.

19 mil is very low for a 13 year old press - too low to believe , unless it can be prooved (counter can be changed and press can be cleaned to fool the world).

I would check the history of the presses and check them very well.
if your press is in good condition and you go on treating it well , no real reason for big problems - just keep your maintenance right and your oil fresh - like your car (i hope).

What is your budget for a press & what is your location ?

Good luck

 

[Paven]

Hi Meny. Thank you for your reply. I did want to let you know that the 70 mil impression machine has not been reconditioned but rather refurbished. I will be getting a full report tomorrow. The supplier is willing to give me a 3 month mechanical warranty on the machine.

My budget on a machine like this is around $100000 to $120000 but this price must inlcude the machine completely installed and test printed in my premises in Durban, South Africa.

Could you let me know the difference between plus and minus version? The 70mil impression is a minus version machine.

And is there advice you could give me on the SM74-2 ? Anything that can help me before I make my purchase? Thanks again.

 

[Meny]

Some answers

Refurbished / reconditioned , both are the same - say nothing...
Was the press cleaned ? painetd ? rollers changed ? , that fine , but not the main issue on a press. in some cases people say the same for getting the press to be nice & tidy , but this is not proof for the press to be a good one.

+ version - can take Numberring & perfurating tools
- version can not.

Your budget is a fair one for a good pres installed in Durbane.

take it slow and check it well - do not take a word to be true if not in writing and very clear.

What kind of jobs do you print ? why SM 74 -2 ?
Do you know what this press is capable of ?
Best regards
Meny
+44-79-24232341

 

[Paven]

Hi Meny


Thanks for the advice. I have just emailed both suppliers with questions you have posted.

Our main trade at this point is full colour flyers. We were opting for a SM52-4 colour but really chose a SM74-2col because of the bigger size. At the moment we have 2 single colour GTO 46 and 52. We do get some jobs with bigger paper and we have to outsource. With a SM74 we will be able to handle full colour flyers as well as do our bigger sized jobs in house.

I have an idea what this press is capable of.
Any advice that you could share with me on this press ?

Thank you

 

[Meny]

If your main work is 4 color jobs on paper , a 2 color is NOT the right press for you.
In countries with low level of printing and low capabillities , it could work , but in SA lot's of printers have big presses that can beet you very easy if you need to run the jon twice , ans have X2 waist.

You will be better off with a press that has no Autoplate and runs 4 colors in one go rather then having a 2 color with autoplate.

You budget is low , but can still be good for a basic 4 color press to get you going.
You can not challenge a truck company if you use a backy..... right ?
SO do not attempt to challenge the multy color jobs with a 2 color unless no competiition..... and i i know the SA very well , you coulkd use less competition on your market...
Talk to me , i think i can help you out on this.