Inside ArtScroll: Behind the Scenes at the World-Famous Sefarim Factory - The Perlowitz Show

We're standing out here by the arts school, the art school, the arts school headquarters in Rawi, New Jersey. So, we came to see them. Who's behind this massive arts girl headquartershum? >> Welcome. Wow, we finally made it here. art school. Who is behind this massive Toyota empire? He's behind he was behind this entire massive empire. Wow. He's the famous rabbis ladder. Wow. Unbelievable. Okay. Wow. So, walking into the factory. Unreal. Sheia, what what goes on in this place? >> All right. So, right here you'll see from printing through finished books. Beginning of printing through finished books from A to Z. >> From A to Z. >> But but the the the Absolutely. >> Library local wherever they are. >> Yeah. Yeah. Mostly they work from say they work from home to the right. You got it. >> Did you ever look at the side of a gim and see the different colors and paintings? Of course. Did you ever wonder how it's done? I always tackle and wondered how it's done. >> Okay, so take a look. Okay, let me take you through the step. >> Oh my goodness. No way. >> Yep. Actually goes through by hand. This is only one color. >> This is red for the red arts girl. >> This is Wait a minute. This is one color. Wait then. Okay. Now we're going to the next part of it. >> So you think each employee here has a different color? And then look at this cover. So this is a reds and then we go here to a like a darker red or a purple and then the final product. >> The final product. >> And here show how it's stacked on skids. >> Oh wow. Look at this. Unreal here. >> Here in this department. Let me show you the the Hebrews. >> This is the blue arts girl. >> The blue arts world. Wow. Kevin. Look how it's with the dark and the light. You never knew how that works. That is amazing. Could I get the dab it too or my hands going to get dirty? >> They get it dirty. >> Get my hands dirty. [laughter] So what is it? A sponge. Let me see what it is. >> Yeah. So this is a a special dye. >> Use dyes which is specially made for us that is mixed. We mix it with high concentration of water. Those are sponges. >> Exactly. You get very dirty. >> Yeah. You actually get dirty. >> But these are sponges. We do it with >> a regular simple sponge. Who came up with >> that? It's that simple. This how it's been done like a million years ago. >> Who came up with this patent? Who came up with this patent over here to dab it? >> Basically all everything that we do here, all production was our own patent. >> Really? >> Yeah. Yeah. We figured it out all by ourselves going back many many years, 30, 40 years. But I just can't get enough of this. I cannot a simple sponge. >> I mean, we grew up on this color. When you think of sorum, you think of this. >> Yep. Yeah, >> real simple. >> Do you know why? >> Why >> why is the color on on books to look nice in? >> No. No. It has nothing to do with that because uh let's say 100 150 years ago, maybe 200 years ago, they used to print like in Russia, they'd print and they'd have different color papers. There were blue papers, yellow papers, different color papers. And it looked quite bad. If you see the book, you look at the book and you see different colors. So they would paint it in order to give it one uniform look. >> Ah very interesting. >> So let me introduce you to something very very exciting. This is our new custom binder department. >> Custom. You said >> custom. >> I didn't know our school was custom. >> C. Absolutely. It's a new department. Custom. You could actually order anything you want. Okay, it's leather. We work with leather and unbelievable stamping and unbelievable I mean this looks like a like a real beautiful custom set or custom. >> Oh wow. So who's the runs it? >> Yeah, this is >> so you are I guess manager of this department. >> I am the manager of the department. I just finished actually working on in leather. So, we just finished the amun in regular covers. We took it and made it into a leather cover, all blind, beautiful stamping and we personalize it to a person's name and it's painted. It has a ribbon for marking. >> It's gorgeous. This is gorgeous. >> And let me understand again before we go with it. >> She introduced me to you. You This is new this concept. >> This department is open since the summer. So, >> I'm 6 months old. just opened up. If you turn the camera around, you'll see the stock of leather we keep. >> Wow. >> All different colors. It's cowhide. Real cowhide. In fact, if you look at this table here, you'll see >> this is leather. This is the legs of the cow. >> The neck. You can see the whole cow when it opens up. >> Oh my goodness. >> And we cut everything by hand. We're making now. In fact, on that table, look over there. We're making coming up. Pesak. >> Pesak's coming up. >> The stock of leather. We have all different choices and colors to choose from. So till now somebody wants an art scroll piece or art school safe for art scroll they go to the store whatever the store had that that's what they bought. >> Most most of it came from Mary Troll. >> Oh wow. >> And now our scroll decided that we're doing enough. We brought it inhouse and as you can see from the factory Banhur it's hustling and bustling. But this custommade art scroll is 6 months old. Any safe the art scroll makes we can actually make in leather. Okay. So, as we say, we were talking about custom items. We just finished for someone a custom shot and a large shot has a name embossed. Has all the different makis and it has well, we didn't finish this one, but it has the volume another version. So, it's a whole custom shade. And what's interesting is we could custom print it. We could custom print the shots. >> Here is here is a custom printed shot. Custom printed on cream paper so it's softer on the eye. >> So somebody wants a cream paper. You can request that. >> Anything can be reprinted on any stock as long as we have it. >> Yep. As long as we have it. >> Wow. This is really So this is And what's this? A velvet. What's the outside here? >> Oh, so yes, >> velvet suede lining. >> You wanted a suede lining. >> You wanted a suede lining on this. And then >> on the outside, >> this was the cover for the Xiaomi. That's how it looks in the side. That's what it glues in. >> Gorgeous. >> Wow. And and this customer actually wanted his signature on every safer. >> She got a signature on it >> on every safer. We can also do now dafai shassan, which we've done some samples. There's a Hebrew shas. This was an English sh with a customer wanted his logo for his initial for his name. Okay. paint different colors, different styles of printing >> with the name goes on as well. Either >> name goes on or boss or gold. This one wanted gold. >> Somebody wants to buy a sha but he wants to with the logo on it with the name on it. >> Not a problem. We can do it all. >> Unreal. Somebody wants to buy for a company for his employees. Put the company logo on. >> Do it all. We do everything. Corporate organizations. We have here the news mirror from from Jakobi. We took a regular book and we made it into leather. And in fact, it has his name on it. >> Yeah, it's Jacob Schweki. Oh, you engrave the signature in each piece. >> Yes, everyone. And we made some samples just to see different colors that we can offer. >> Beautiful. >> And and these are all leather. So before Hanukkah, we came out with the Maradas five volume set. And we have blue, dark brown, and mahogany brown stamped either in gold or silver spine. Somebody saw it online. They loved it. They wanted a different color to match their you know decor or den. Somebody wanted for their shul a nice baltilla sitter which is typical sitter but they wanted in green. So we are now in the middle of making a cover that's going to be embossed and it's going to be have nice little designs. That's one. We're also making a sitter for Ashkanaz people. A wasaman sitter for a shaw in England. >> Oh wow. >> It's going to match their orange kaidesh. We're going to make a dye specially for them. So that's still in production. >> Oh really? >> Anything can be made. We matched an iron kesh to yeshiva a little while ago. This was an iron kesh for a new yes opened up in New Jersey and we took the design of the arin and we recreated a dye a metal plate to recreate the iron kesh. >> That's cool. So the German match kaides >> any shawl in fact every shaw should have if they're buying ours they should make one to match the ark. Unreal. That's my That's my business. >> This is something that needs to be done. >> So, what what's the phone number? You know what? I'm going to put the email address right over here on the screen. If somebody wants to order custom from the leather department by Arts Girl, you're going to email this email address right here on the screen and come straight to >> Jeremy and he's going to take care of you from A to Z. >> Let's go out to the factory. >> Factory. >> Let's see where it all happens. >> Wow. Unreal. Wow. This place is massive. This is massive. And we don't have enough room. >> You're saying you're popping out of this. >> Popping out of this. >> Well, you you moved from Second Avenue to here. >> Yeah, we had this is about twice as much as >> footage as we had there. >> And it's not enough. >> Still have to move further. >> We have to move further. >> Wow. When do we start here? >> So, let me tell you where process starts. The first thing we do is we start with printing. Okay. These are huge rolls of paper that are produced specially for us. >> Customade paper. >> It comes through on a roll and it goes into the machine. >> Go roll load on the machine and as it goes through it prints. >> Where is this? The printer. >> The printer is right here. >> Right here. >> There's what happens. >> There's where it happens. And now you see this the spoon come out one at a time. See how at a time? Yep. >> Have a look at this. Look at this. The whole safer at a time. >> Wow. It stacks so nicely. >> Yep. >> Blue and green lights means that the machine is actually running now. >> The blue and green lights mean the machine is running, >> right? Just curious with so much machinery here, how does it not get jammed up or backups or issues? >> So everything it works with job tickets and there's a process where you have in-house technicians. >> Oh, you mean as far as fixing machine in-house? The company supplies us with in-house technicians. >> Uhhuh. >> We have constant coverage. >> These machines cost probably, I'd say, thousands of dollars. >> Yeah. Yeah. and they need constant service. These are toner machines. >> Wow. So, what you're going to see now is a Tanakh. I don't know 2,000 pages or whatever this is running through here. Take a look over here. Here's the stack of pages. >> Wow. Come on. And go tell go further. See how it runs through the sewer. >> So, this is a sewer. It sews it up. >> It's folded first. First it gets folded, then it comes right over here into a sewer. It gets sewn over here. Wow, look at that sewing machine. Wow. But sew the whole thing at once. It sold like 20 pages at a time. >> Well, about 32 pages a boon of 32 pages and it sews it together. >> Yeah. But the dozens of p of of such boons, it sews it together. And over here here you see a finished book over here finished up. Actually there's two of them. >> Two. >> And how many bo? A lot of a lot of bog. So let's see over here how many pages this is. It's about 1,600 pages. >> 1,600. It took about what a minute to make. >> Something like that. Hi. As you can see over here, we have a beautiful binder, the arts grow binder that 100% of everything goes through here. Anywhere from a from a novel to a dafoi to a gumar to a sitter marzer everything over here goes through us over here as you can see we're doing we are right now these are sewn books that are sewn together with regular thread. >> Wow. So he showed me before I brander how you sew it together and this is the next process right? >> This is the next process right after sewing. You see sewing is right over here. >> Right. We have a whole bunch of sewers. And it comes and it comes right over here. Books are stacked up over here. Goes into the machine. Look at that. The book's going to come through. >> Just to glue and cut a book goes through this machine. Wow. As you can see, the books are coming up here. Whoa. I'm sorry. This super cool. books come through. Look at that. Look at that. What's going on over here? The books are getting pushed through here. It gets smashed >> really really tight. >> Really tight. So the next process takes all the ear out of the book. You have a nice square flat book. >> Over here gets the end sheets, the front and the back of the book. When you open the book, you have >> the white paper. >> The white paper, yellow paper, or it could be sometimes color in different ways. Over here, it goes through a two-step gluing process. Most companies do one step. We do two step. We put like Elmer's glue, but a little much more uh expensive to make sure this book stays together tight. Then it moves towards >> The glue is in here, right? >> The glue. This is regular glue. >> Wow. >> And then it goes to something called a hotmelt glue. a process down here. There's glue. There's rollers down there that enase the book nice and tight. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Here we go through a drying process to make sure that glue was dried perfectly before we go to the next step. Cuz if it's wet and we try to cut it, the book will not become straight. >> So, every process here is thought perfectly and planned properly. >> Unreal. Unreal heavy. >> Here comes glued with the paper, but not the not the casing yet. >> Not the casing part yet. Over here we have another nipping station which presses that book. Make sure everything is tight together so when it goes through the cutting there's no issues. >> Wow. Wow. There it comes out. Wow. This is tight. over here. After the book book is glued, we put on a crash on top of it. All behind here is glued. That book is now nice and tight. This book now is going to go into a cutter. It's going to cut the sides and the top to the finished ties. Wow. And extra goes under. Yeah. A little bit. That's crazy. Book comes up. It gets stacked nicely. Comes that right here. Comes that right there. And you can see the finished book. It's trimmed perfectly. Amazing. And you have your finished book that I'm holding upside down. >> Wow. This book is called, the name is Successful Relationships. >> Beautiful. >> As you can see over here, we're going to be going to the next uh step of how the books are being cased in over here. >> Woman. Woman. What is this? Chef oil. >> Oh, this this is something that we started doing uh outside jobs. If anybody needs an outside job, a custom job, we have a company in house called Custom by Art Squirrel. We print anything anybody wants. We have a full binder here that could process anything from, as you can see, we did a beautiful printing. >> Is that what is this? >> This was Yoy Landau. >> Y Lando, >> huh? >> The one with the credit card. >> The one with the credit card. Yily Landau called us and said, [music] "I don't care. I need this book. He need it for a wedding." >> His son's wedding. sons. He just made a wedding. He made his sons. He called me the night before I need this. I said night and the file wasn't even ready. I said, "Get us the files. We will make it happen." And we made it happen however they needed it. >> Well, you guys were overnight. >> We shut the binder down for him. >> Yo calls custom by squirrel wakes up and takes over the entire binder to make sure his book not one but two volumes he did. This is the beauty. This is where the miracle happens. The magic happens over here. This is where we take a final book and we take it and marry it with the cover. But before we can marry with the cover, this machine puts the ribbon on. You see his ribbon? >> Oh, wow. >> We have all different type of colors. We have green, we have maroon. >> Wow. >> We have black. We have everything that is needed. Every color. Brown. The book is finished. After the book gets ribbon, it comes to this machine through here. boats are coming over here. It gives it a round head to form it. We have two gluing stations over here. Also here where it grabs the ribbon and it puts glue down. [music] What's the point of grabbing the river? What does it do there? >> It grabs the ribbon because the inserter just inserts it. We have to go ahead and take it and paste it down a bit. Over here is where the book gets married together. I personally call it the Koopa station. >> Koopa station. >> You have the cover and the book get combined together >> right here. That's where the go. >> The book comes out. It's not formed yet. That's amazing. That's amazing. This is so real. Here the machine gets presses everything. Presses all the glue and creases. These machines must cost thousands. Thousands. Try millions. Millions. Stamp right there. Sticker. As you can see here, finished book. Wow. Rashi Shimos. Unreal. We have the stickers, I guess, with the barcode. >> The barcode for the stores. Yep. >> Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Wow. Where do you store all your ready books? Ready for >> We have an entire warehouse. As you can see back there, >> that's another warehouse. >> There's a warehouse and a whole shipping department. >> And that's where you store the ready stock. >> We store it and we ship it out. >> Wow. How many trucks you going out here? Daily trucks. We could have a at least 10 skids of uh the product going out a day. >> Wow. Unreal. What's going on in there, Kevin? Unbelievable. Over here, we'll take a little uh detour over here for a second. This is our embellishment department, but it's kind of the custom by arts grow. People call, they make bar mitzvah, wedding events, in memory of whatever it is, and they go ahead. They'll take anything of any of our classic books, classic items from the sitter to pocket sitter to Mzer to Intellinius Mirus or over here you have a migilla >> people giving it around and they're doing it stuff happen here >> different type of uh >> embossing. This is stamping. This is custom to a customer. Here we is where the covers are being stamped and embellished. You have a blank cover here which was embossed already on another machine. And over here is going to put on the colors. This machine is putting on a black on the panel. Puts this on. >> Oh wow. >> And over here puts on the gold. >> Wow. Look at that. >> And over here puts the final embellishment on the gold. This is a Hebrew Gamara Bubba Basra once. Unbelievable. Wow. This is where all the magic happens. >> And every day we come here, we take pride in what we do. >> This is this is for purely for Habasa. >> I say this the biggest in the world. >> This is People ask me all the time, what do I do? I give them the honest answer. I have a safer in my hand. 80% of the day. >> It's unbelievable. What What's your What did you do that you feel to work? A guy could be working with tires and cars all day or guy could be working all day. This like anybody just do the right thing work on yourself and always follow in the path of Tyra. Over here we purchased this machine. It's called a large format printer specifically for advertisements for the stores. We put this in stores. >> Customers pass by, they see all the beautiful stuff we're doing. >> So, you don't even make the store, you make the ads for the store through here. >> Make the ads and and we do customize ART SCHOOL AS WELL OVER HERE. >> SO, somebody needs a big sign, you come to us. We'll take care of your needs. We have all different types of material, different >> [music]