If you plan to mail high volumes of documents to customers, you are going to need a mail finishing platform, otherwise known as an inserter. These machines are highly advanced and provide the ability to stuff individual documents into envelopes and combine them with envelope inserts (promotional leaflets) at very high speeds.

Here we offer a short profile of the three fastest inserters available. The inserters come from Bowe, Pitney Bowes and Kern, named the Bowe Turbo, Pitney Bowes APS (Advanced Productivity System) and the Kern 3500.

Bowe Turbo

The Bowe Turbo is capable of producing up 22,000 envelopes per hour, offering automatic fold and format adjustment which Bowe claim drastically increase set up time and thus productivity. Bowe also claim that their paper handling technology means that the likelihood of paper damage during the mail finishing process is minimal.

The Bowe Turbo can handle a wide range of paper sizes that includes

• Envelope Turnover
• Metering
• Diverting
• Extended Conveyor
• On edge stacking
• Automatic postal traying
• Multi bin traying
• Ink Jetting
• Code reading through envelope window

Bowe also offer a range of production management software such as the Netsort product that helps mailers optimise efficiencies in the document production process.

Pitney Bowes APS (Advanced Productivity System)

The Pitney Bowes APS offers the same rated speed of 22,000 envelopes per hour at maximum performance and offers the following key features

• Up to 21 feeders
• Each feeder holds up to 24” of materials
• Feed the same insert in two or more enclosure feeders
• Scan virtually any code
• Match personalized inserts in your mail piece
• 1-to-1 marketing with selective feeding from assigned feeders
• Pre-staging of enclosures
• Quick to recover from mis-feeds
• Ability to delay insert feed to reduce stoppages
• Accurate material placement
• Quick and simple job changeover
• Three simple adjustments
• Automated double detect adjustment

One of the key considerations with the Pitney machine is not just the performance and capabilities of the software but in addition the extensive range of software to manage the document factory and to create one to one marketing communications.

Kern 3500

The Kern 3500, strong in the banking community also offers identical rated speed to the two other machines at 22,000 envelopes per hour. Well engineered, the machine offers the following features.

• Up to 22,000 mailpieces/hr for DL and C5 envelopes

• Variable processing speeds
• Reduced service costs
• Reduced cost per mailpiece
• Mailroom compatible
• Proven pedigree and performance
• Unique modular design
• Efficient processing of pre-cut single sheets as well as continuous forms, from fanfold stacks or rolls
• Enclosure feeding modules to handle a wide variety of inserts and document groups
• A variety of enhancements and design features
• Easy operator programming for a wide range of applications
• Straight line design for ease of paper handling
• Rapid changeover of envelope size settings from C6/5 to C

These are the fastest inserters available and suited to the highest volume mailers. In choosing an inserting platform, it is vital that you test each machine with the profile of production jobs that you are likely to be running. You may find that some machines do different types of jobs better than others.

Also examine the service contracts offered by the companies and consider their costs and suitability. There are differeing engineering approaches with the machines so consider the long term maintenance costs of running each machine.

Each manufacturer also offer other machines suitable for similar and different types of production jobs and you should examine the suitability of these machines for your needs.

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Related posts:

1. Bowe Bell Howell offer new features for Bowe Turbo Premium Durham, N.
2. Mail Finishing At the end
3. Video: Pitney Bowes APS Inserter This video
4. Pitney Bowes Flowmaster Video This video
5. Kern introduce newly redesigned K999 high speed paper cutting system. Kern, prod

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