Découpage (CONT’D FROM PAGE 22)
for a couple of years already, which was that the controls on the machine were old, its capacity was limited, and we should begin to think about upgrading to something new- er before the inevitable occurred,” says Cory. “Ryan had a great relationship with the previous owners, Yvon and Viv- ianne, and Hitek was always available and reliable for ser- vice and support on their machinery, so it was a ‘no-brain- er’ for us to move forward with Hitek to see what a new machine could do for us.” Ryan educated Cory and Kaylee on the improvements in Mikawa’s technology over decades and helped them choose the machine that was right for Découpage’s prod- uct mix. One key point, for example, was the difference between Marumatsu’s Diamond and Vantage models: the Diamond is like Découpage’s old Supermax in that it used a pusher-type system to move board through the machine and then used vibration as the primary method of stripping scrap. The Vantage, however, uses a gripper bar system that pulls the sheet through different sections of the ma- chine and has the option of having male-female stripping to get 100 percent stripping. From the feeder to the hopper, everything is computer controlled, even the thickness of the board. The only thing that is adjusted manually is how much distance the opera- tor wants to have on the gripper, which is usually very sim- ilar or virtually the same as previous orders. A repeat order can be set up and running within five minutes, which may CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
tomatan EM litholaminator, that has recently undergone a major electrical upgrade so it can keep up with the speed of the Découpage’s newest and most significant invest- ment: a Marumatsu Vantage flatbed die cutter by Japa- nese manufacturer Mikawa, represented in North America by Hitek Equipment Inc. A Relationship With Marumatsu And Hitek The new “jewel” of Découpage’s machine family re- placed what Dell’Olio says was the most reliable piece of equipment in the plant he purchased five years ago. It was a 38-year-old Marumatsu Super Max 88 with a 39-inch by 54-inch platen that ran for a full-shift or more since the ear- ly 2000’s when it was purchased by the previous owners. The machine was as well-maintained as it could have been but it was just a matter of time before a major breakdown would have crippled production just as it was beginning to boom. Kenosha, Wisconsin based Hitek has been selling and servicing Marumatsu machinery for decades, including the one that served Découpage so durably. Hitek’s sales representative, Ryan Ashley, now a co-owner of Hitek Equipment Inc., introduced himself to the Dell’Olios when they assumed ownership and to maintain the supplier re- lationship while being available for service and support, as needed. “Ryan told us what already was in the back of our minds
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