Alabama Printer Replaces Entire Offset Fleet with Digital Inkjet Technology Including the SCREEN Truepress Jet520HD+
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Illinois—SCREEN Americas announces the installation of the SCREEN Truepress Jet520HD+ at Walker360 of Montgomery, Alabama. The installation, which took place in September 2022, led the company to cease operations of all offset equipment. The last offset press was removed from the company’s 40,000-square-foot facility in March 2023. All print jobs including books, magazines, transactional documents, direct mail pieces, and general commercial work are now produced on digital inkjet technology.
The SCREEN Truepress Jet520HD+ streamlined production and simplified the facility. “The SCREEN can handle everything we do,” said Taylor Blackwell, president and CEO of Walker360. “Roll-fed runs circles around sheetfed printing. And when everything we do winds up being 8.5 by 11 inches anyway, there really isn’t a need to print on a 40-inch sheet.”
Because the Truepress Jet520HD+ offers variable data printing, direct mail pieces no longer need to be transported to a separate department to receive their mailing addresses. Switching to an all-digital operation has also led to less clutter in the facility. Numerous items such as pile turners, plate punches, and powder units are no longer needed. To Blackwell’s delight, the employees of Walker360 welcomed the digital transition. His press operator even expressed a desire to never again be tasked with having to operate an offset press.
The all-digital switch resulted in an increase in two million dollars in revenue, an accomplishment Blackwell credits to quicker turnaround times. Profits are also no longer limited to the southeastern region of the United States. Job requests from Europe have found their way to Walker360 using the company’s online platform, which allows customers to not only place orders, but to organize them based on priority, track them, and easily reorder them.
Blackwell decided to invest in SCREEN after consulting with his peer group, Premier Printers Network, which is managed by NCM Associates and meets twice a year in a formal setting to discuss business strategies and industry trends. After speaking with other SCREEN customers, Blackwell chose to invest in SCREEN equipment and was pleasantly surprised to find purchasing the press to be hassle-free. “Buying the Truepress Jet520HD+ was easy,” said Blackwell. “SCREEN Americas is not a bureaucratic company.”
Walker360 was established in 1945 and employs 53 people. The company’s most notable products include the popular “Remember When…” books, which feature music, movies, cars, events, advertisements, and various household items that define a given year. Walker360 also has the distinguished task of printing the state income tax forms for Alabama.
