by DPS Magazine Staff
Part one of three
Today’s mailing and fulfillment tools offer a variety of security measures for the transactional print space.
BlueCrest’s transactional finishing portfolio—including inserting and sortation—is built around the principle that security and integrity are not optional features—they are foundational to how the equipment operates.
Its inserting platforms, like the Epic, are designed for high-integrity mail environments where every piece must be traceable, verifiable, and auditable.
Eddy Edel, VP of product management, BlueCrest, says the security framework spans three integrated layers—file-based processing that establishes what should be produced before production begins; camera-based vision systems that verify page-level accuracy in real time during production; and Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) tracking that extends custody visibility into the postal stream after production. “Together, these layers close the loop on transactional mail security from file receipt through final delivery.”
BlueCrest’s software platform, Output Manager, governs the upstream preparation of print files and ensures that imposition, document sequencing, and integrity markers are embedded before a job ever reaches the inserter. This tight integration between print software and finishing hardware is where much of the security value is generated.
Under its Winkler+Dünnebier (W+D) brand, BW Converting’s BB816+ high-performance mail inserter is the latest addition to the 800 series platform of servo-driven, easier-to-operate mail inserters is built for direct mail, transactional mail and specialized applications such as vote by mail, offering the highest levels of integrity and adaptability for customized solutions.
The BB816+ is the next-generation successor to the widely trusted BB700 mail-inserting workhorse, with hundreds of units installed worldwide. The BB816+ introduces advancements in ease of use, speed of changeover, mail product control and automation, further solidifying BW Converting and its W+D brand as an innovator with unparalleled knowledge of the performance characteristics of the envelope.
The BB816+ is a future-proof inserting investment due to the new 800 series platform’s modular scalability capabilities. The BB816+ can be configured to smaller floor spaces and expanded for changing market demands. It also offers interchangeability with BW Converting’s flagship inserter, the W+D BB820+, a 20,000 piece per hour machine model.
The BB816+ operates at up to 16,000 pieces per hour across the widest format range of any high-performance inserter, including envelope sizes from US #7 up to 10 inches by 13 inches (C6 up to B4). This highly flexible system can handle product thicknesses up to 6/10 inch.
Key innovations include a dual lug chain for enhanced product control at high speeds, an upgraded insertion module with an optimized insert pusher assembly, advanced envelope feeder and size-dependent linear speed control to ensure seamless operation across varying envelope dimensions. The system also features BW Converting’s patented W+D Auto Mismatch Recovery Technology, the unique solution to handle multiple personalized products with limited or no operator intervention. The BB816+’s robust design, a W+D brand hallmark, allows inserting of express or cardboard envelopes (FedEx, DHL, UPS, USPS, etc.) as well as USPS TED-C envelopes.
BW Converting equipped the BB816+ with a BSC4.0 human-machine interface (HMI), featuring an intuitive wide-screen interface with onboard operator support and EasySet for rapid job changeovers. Online operator support boosts ease of use, quick make-ready and error recovery, making it ideal for less skilled or newly-trained operators. Enhanced periphery options, including SL2 mobile autoloaders and OC4 vertical stacker with PT4 Tray Assist, provide further automation to maximize efficiency and throughput.
Production Inserters have inherent “Integrated Integrity,” according to Kelly McManus, senior director, Production Mail, North America, Quadient. This means from inception (feeding a document into it) all the way until it is collated, folded and inserted into the envelope – every step of the way is being recorded. We create a record of each movement ensuring it happens when required, and if it does not, we require the operator to inspect the mail piece.
“Only the proper documents are inserted into the proper envelopes. Security may start at the data level, but once printed this security is just as important until the mail piece is securely inserted into the proper envelope,” says McManus.
Sep2026, DPS Magazine
