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"Case Study: Seaway Printing -- From Downtime to Record-Breaking Production"

Learn how Seaway Printing transformed both their offset and inkjet lines with Contiweb’s non-stop unwinding technology - unlocking more output, fewer interruptions, and a single-operator workflow. Key results: • 100,000+ sheets per shift on the Heidelberg Speedmaster • HP T250 inkjet press reached 309,000 ft in just 8 hours • Fewer manual tasks, fully automated roll changes, & higher OEE Gain insights into Seaway Printing’s success - see the impressive results achieved with Contiweb’s solutions.

Seaway Printing, a Green Bay–based specialist in books and magazines, rebuilt its operation around OEE and smart automation—turning chronic interruptions into measurable output. This case study shows how shop-floor scorekeeping (hourly targets, visible records, action on every data point) exposed a surprisingly costly bottleneck: manual roll changes on both the Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 and the HP PageWide T250.

To remove that drag, Seaway deployed Contiweb Non-Stop Unwinders on digital and offset lines. A Contiweb CD-N on the HP T250 made roll changes fully automatic. The system signals the press as a splice approaches; printheads lift automatically, and the Muller Martini SigmaLine Compact ejects just enough product to preserve book integrity—no operator involvement. The impact was immediate: an internal best of 309,000 ft (≈94,000 m) in eight hours and roughly 1 hour 40 minutes of extra productive time per day across two shifts.

Encouraged by those gains, Seaway extended non-stop automation to sheetfed by pairing a CB-N Non-Stop Unwinder with the Speedmaster XL 106 and its CutStar roll-sheeter—the world’s first installation of this Contiweb setup for sheetfed production. With fewer manual tasks and a stabilized paper feed, the team now runs consistent 100,000+ sheets per shift with a single operator and reports a four-point OEE uplift—nearly a 10% gain attributable to the splicer alone.

The story is as much about culture as equipment. Measurement doesn’t just motivate; it exposes hidden minutes and turns improvements into the new standard. Planning also mattered: Seaway designed its new facility so every press foundation could accept a Contiweb splicer—making upgrades fast and low-risk as needs evolved.

Download the full case study for architecture details, integration notes, and before-and-after metrics to benchmark against your own plant.

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