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PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

Star product
BlueCrest Evolution

US manufacturer BlueCrest says this mid-range mail inserter offers the benefits of high-end automation

What’s the USP?
Jefferies says: “The high levels of setup
automation, changeover speed and mini-
mal footprint, which we believe is the
smallest for its class, deliver high mail
pieces per square metre. A single opera-
tor can run the highly ergonomic work
cell. There’s tremendous flexibility to
process more short-run, quick-turna-
round jobs and minimise machine idle
times, yet be equally efficient running
high-speed, high page-count applica-
tions.”

How easy is it to use?
Would existing Pitney Bowes/BlueCrest
operators find it easy to cross over?
“Evolution is very easy to operate,” says
Jefferies. Typically, new users are up and
Specifications running quickly with minimal training.
What does it do? ports US and European letter formats.
Evolution is a multi-format mail inserter Speeds 12,000 cycles BlueCrest says: “A flexible, multi-format “Automated setup and visual on-screen
for mid-level volume mailers from US per hour for tri-fold inserter, the Evolution is ideal for both error alarms lower the need for operator
manufacturer BlueCrest. It is suited to letters; 10,000cph mid- and high-volume mailers who run interventions. Any operator, whether
both transactional and direct mail opera- for half-fold; high page-count jobs, short-run jobs, or familiar with a BlueCrest inserter or not,
tions, with automation allowing “quick 8,000cph for flats need extra capacity during peak times,
and easy” switching from one application without sacrificing accuracy or integrity. can immediately turn their hand to an
to the other, BlueCrest says. The built-in automation and compact Evolution.”
BlueCrest was spun off from Pitney Feeders Up to 18, work cell make it easy to operate, even
Bowes in July 2018 to concentrate on friction and rotary, for less experienced operators.” How are the machines sold and sup-
‘industrial’ mailing lines and BCC mail- with double-feed How does it work? ported in the UK?
ing and sorting software, plus the detection David Jefferies, BlueCrest’s UK-based
rebadged HP PageWide inkjet web marketing director for EMEA, says: “Machines are sold directly in the UK and
presses, that it calls IntelliJet, and the Total pack thickness “Evolution brings high-end automation supported by our nationwide network of
rebadged Kyocera TaskAlfa Pro 15000 13mm for tri-fold, and flexibility to a mid-range platform.
sheetfed inkjet press called EvoluJet. half-fold or flats The machine processes all European let- qualified service engineers,” Jefferies says.
Evolution was developed inhouse by ter sizes and uses BlueCrest’s Direct “Training is available in our Liverpool-
BlueCrest, but uses some of the automa- Connect operating system running file- based Technology Centre or at the client
tion technology from high end mailing Price From £250,000 based processing for full process integrity site.”
lines. It sits in the middle of BlueCrest’s (reading technology options include
range of mail inserting platforms, with Contact BlueCrest OMR, Barcode, 2D, and OCR). Evolution The first UK user came in 2023. “We have
EPIC above and MSE, Rival and Velocity www.bluecrestinc. is modular and expandable, and can be just sold our 100th Evolution platform
below in terms of features and function- com, info@ configured with between three and 18 worldwide, Jefferies says. Around two sys-
ality. bluecrestinc.com feeders. tems a month from our manufacturing
When was it launched and what are 210x297mm/600x400mm How fast is it? facility are now an Evolution.”
the target markets? Evolution runs at up to 12,000 cycles per
The base model was launched in the US Feed capacity 30mm hour (cph) on a tri-fold letter, 10,000cph What does it cost?
in 2020 and has seen a few updates since for half-fold or 8,000cph for flats. The BlueCrest Evolution is priced from
to decrease setup times and occupy a input modules process roll-fed docu-
smaller footprint. It has only been sold in ments up to 72,000 pages per hour, or cut £250,000 upwards, depending on configu-
Europe comparatively recently – it sup- sheets at 50,000pph. ration.
“The base model was launched in the US in 2020 and has seen a few updates since.”

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