Tecnau Solutions are Pivotal to the Success of a National Health Insurance Service
- Publicado el 17 de Octubre de 2024
In July 2000, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) was established as the single healthcare insurer in the Republic of Korea (ROK). NHIS’ mission is to protect its citizens’ health and improve their quality of life. In just 12 years, the NHIS has been able to achieve its lofty goal of providing universal low-cost yet high quality healthcare coverage for the country’s entire population, which has resulted in better health outcomes. In addition, it provides long-term care insurance for one of the fastest ageing populations in the world. These goals have been achieved in the shortest period of time ever by a country.
As the single insurer of ROK’s population, NHIS produces many bills, statements, and mail insertions every year. “In fact, NHIS annually sends approximately 70 million pieces of mail to our citizens. And, often times the mailers must be produced within a short production window; therefore, we purchased equipment with high speed capabilities, such as the Tecnau Revolution 50 cut & stack solution,” stated Mr. Lee Sung-hun from NHIS. In addition, the equipment had to be flexible enough to slit/merge A4 documents as well as produce two up A4 documents in 70-90 gsm paper weights.
In July 2000, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) was established as the single healthcare insurer in the Republic of Korea (ROK). NHIS’ mission is to protect its citizens’ health and improve their quality of life. In just 12 years, the NHIS has been able to achieve its lofty goal of providing universal low-cost yet high quality healthcare coverage for the country’s entire population, which has resulted in better health outcomes. In addition, it provides long-term care insurance for one of the fastest ageing populations in the world. These goals have been achieved in the shortest period of time ever by a country.
As the single insurer of ROK’s population, NHIS produces many bills, statements, and mail insertions every year. “In fact, NHIS annually sends approximately 70 million pieces of mail to our citizens. And, often times the mailers must be produced within a short production window; therefore, we purchased equipment with high speed capabilities, such as the Tecnau Revolution 50 cut & stack solution,” stated Mr. Lee Sung-hun from NHIS. In addition, the equipment had to be flexible enough to slit/merge A4 documents as well as produce two up A4 documents in 70-90 gsm paper weights.
NHIS has purchased Tecnau equipment several times over the years. “Tecnau unwinders have been purchased for mail inserters. The Tecnau roll-to-roll and roll to cut/stack solutions for laser printers as well as the H-Line with roll-to-roll and roll to cut/stack are among the many pieces of equipment we use. All of our pre-post systems are comprised of Tecnau equipment,” according to Mr. Lee Sung-hun, Manager Mailing Center at NHIS.
Installations include the Tecnau Stack 2020 (L-Line configuration) with the Canon ColorStream 6700 inkjet printer and the same series equipment (I-Line) with the Canon 4650 color printer. The most recent installation is the Revolution 50 Stack 5151 cutting line (H-Line) with the Canon ColorStream 8160 inkjet press. ”NHIS was looking to expand its business in terms of quantity and quality with a new finishing solution inline to the newly purchased Canon ColorStream 8160, which is capable of speeds up to 160 meters per minute,” explained Thomas Olofsson, Tecnau Area Manager Nordics & Asia Pacific.
The Tecnau Revolution 50 Stack 5151 easily empowers the newest generation of high-speed color inkjet printing systems, such as the Canon ColorStream 8160. It reliably operates at up to 590 fpm/180 mpm to take advantage of such high-speed inkjet printers. The solution produces 1-up, 2-up, 2-up merged, 3-up, or 4-up stacks, utilizing a transport technology that easily support the broad range of applications required by NHIS. In addition, Stack 5151 features next generation controls for compatibility with the “Internet of Things” (IoT). IoT options are available for remote monitoring and diagnostics, automatic software updates, and preventive maintenance aids. “With high-speed throughput, IoT compatibilities and media flexibility, our flagship Revolution 50TM family was the perfect candidate for reaching the next level of product required. Stack 5151 set a completely new standard for high-volume digital print production, maximizing efficiency, and reducing waste in a market where every penny counts,” stated Thomas Olofsson.
The most current NHIS purchase includes the Tecnau Cutter c51, which has one rotary knife for single cut only, making it appropriate for operations printing scattered dots for head cleaning, rather than a flush line. Running slitting is performed for 2-up or 3-up print streams. Its intuitive, touch-screen display panel controls the entire line and common operator adjustments are done externally for easy operation. Intelligent document integrity control automatically recognizes non-data or waste sheets and diverts appropriately, while maintaining registration to the first live printed page. Finally, the cutter’s knife assembly extends and retracts on rails for easy servicing and quick jam recovery.
After printing, the high-capacity Buffer b50 accumulates the paper web to ensure that stack deliveries never stop the printer. It feeds the paper via the dynamic web aligner on to the cutter. The NHIS solution includes the Merger m50, which allows a 2-up printed web to be slit and merged into a single, collated paper stream as needed by the healthcare insurer for certain applications. It is attached to the input side of the cutter for a reduced footprint, a critical concern for NHIS. The web enters the Merger m50 and is slit in the center. A sensor continuously monitors the web for side-to-side variations or movement and the slitter automatically adjusts to cut precisely at the center of the web. The resulting two webs are then merged right-over-left or left-over-right, depending on the requirements of the application. The Merger m50 features patented strip removal technology to eliminate jamming due to inadequate strip removal.
Finally, to provide the best solutions and service, Tecnau works with trusted system integration and support partner, Solvus. Together they have been able to overcome any of NHIS’ challenges. For example, they were able to provide a solution to NHIS’ simplex and duplex printing needs. There did not seem to be enough space in the facility, but together with Canon, an H-Line configuration solved the issue. Also, they were able to tailor solutions for full color printing needs. “We have had a long and stable relationship with Tecnau, solving problems together quickly. Tecnau has become our go-to partner,” declared Leon Ha, Managing Director at Solvus.