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On top of a long list of printing benefits, LED-UV curing brings a host of ecological and workplace safety benefits: 50% less energy consumed than IR/Hot Air and 90% less than conventional UV. Add to this the reduced carbon footprint, bi-monthly ink wash ups and no VOC's, upgrading your offset press to LED-UV is a no-brainer! Printing LED-UV also means you are eliminating spray powder and heat from your pressroom and LED-UV lamps are free of of mercury and add no ozone to the pressroom environment.
From every angle, the advantages of LED-UV provide a strong ROI while also protecting Mother Earth, and her Children in the Pressroom. Discover the differences between Offset and Digital
More and more printers weigh the differences between offset and digital. Offset is faster, less expensive and more versatile than digital. It can print short run jobs in minutes instead of hours, doesn't have any click charges and can print on a wider range of substrates.
John Dahlke breaks down the math behind the savings
"It's not just a system to upgrade your machine, it's a system that can upgrade your whole company"
More and more Printers consider LED-UV an essential technology for their offset production. Instant Curing with no dryback, printing on any substrate and moving finished product directly to finishing, are just a few of the reasons why successful printers are adding LED-UV to their production arsenal. Throw in ecological and financial benefits like lower electrical usage, zero VOC’s, no more powder, and a cooler pressroom, and it is a no-brainer why you need LED-UV.
For more information check out: LED-UV Benefits: The gamechanger for forward thinking printers Chicago’s Polpress speaks to the advantages of LED-UV
Polpress is known throughout Chicago for the craftsman’s approach they take with each print job they produce. Investing in a better way to produce their demanding client’s projects has been of utmost importance to their business model. The RMGT 9-Series combines a perfect mix of technology and value allowing them to increase their business by at least 15%.
LED-UV and running smaller jobs on an offset press
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New Year, New Press
Fill out the form below to schedule a virtual Demo for the new RMGT 970 8-UP+
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| COLUMBUS, OH – January 7, 2021 — The Watkins Printing Company continues its implementation of a new strategic direction for the 98-year-old family business by recently installing a fully automated RMGT 9 Series 8-Color Long Perfector with LED-UV curing. Operating from their 65,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, Watkins Printing has traditionally been known as a publication printer that produces monthly and quarterly magazines for universities, fraternal organizations and niche publications for clients throughout much of the United States. |  |
As a third-generation family owner, recently appointed CEO, Tamara Watkins Green, has embarked on major technology and automation improvements that include moving Watkins Printing into the commercial print market. This paradigm shift is best illustrated by their investment in a state-of-the-art RMGT 9 Series offset press that is loaded with technology including RMGT’s Insta.Color makeready technology, LED-UV curing and most importantly a one and done 4 over 4 configuration.
“Moving into the commercial print market made strategic sense for our company,” states Tamara Watkins Green. “There are many factors that come to bear in keeping a business alive and thriving for 98 years. Recently, Watkins Printing was proud to become a WBE and a certified partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). From automation improvements in our web-to-print MIS system to major enhancements in the pressroom and bindery, it’s an exciting moment in our company’s history.”
“As we approach our 100th anniversary, we are determined to build on our legacy by pursuing new market opportunities and expand our service offerings,” states William Green, President of Watkins Printing. “The 8-color RMGT 9 Series Long Perfector with LED-UV curing instantly puts us in a leadership position in the commercial print market. One-pass printing coupled with instant curing lets us go right to bindery and then on to mailing. It’s a huge game changer.”
“Moving into the commercial print market made strategic sense for our company,” states Tamara Watkins Green. “There are many factors that come to bear in keeping a business alive and thriving for 98 years. Recently, Watkins Printing was proud to become a WBE and a certified partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). From automation improvements in our web-to-print MIS system to major enhancements in the pressroom and bindery, it’s an exciting moment in our company’s history.”
“As we approach our 100th anniversary, we are determined to build on our legacy by pursuing new market opportunities and expand our service offerings,” states William Green, President of Watkins Printing. “The 8-color RMGT 9 Series Long Perfector with LED-UV curing instantly puts us in a leadership position in the commercial print market. One-pass printing coupled with instant curing lets us go right to bindery and then on to mailing. It’s a huge game changer.”
Watkins’ new press is the tenth RMGT 9 Series Long Perfector installed throughout the United States
Due to the RMGT’s very compact footprint, incredibly user-friendly automation, low maintenance requirements and single pass printing 85% of these presses are running with a single pressman. This factor alone reduces an RMGT Printer’s annual overhead cost per shift while still maintaining an extremely high level of productivity.
“One advantage to working with The Watkins Printing Company is that we are large enough to provide full service and small enough to provide individual attention,” concludes William Green. “My wife and I deal directly with the majority of our clients. That's not something you necessarily get from a company with the breadth of our services. We know our customers personally. We enjoy that interaction and because of that, we have a lot of loyal customers. When we decided to make this next step in our evolution, we were determined to bring in the latest technology that provided the highest quality for our extremely particular client base, so working with Graphco and RMGT made us feel very comfortable.”
“One advantage to working with The Watkins Printing Company is that we are large enough to provide full service and small enough to provide individual attention,” concludes William Green. “My wife and I deal directly with the majority of our clients. That's not something you necessarily get from a company with the breadth of our services. We know our customers personally. We enjoy that interaction and because of that, we have a lot of loyal customers. When we decided to make this next step in our evolution, we were determined to bring in the latest technology that provided the highest quality for our extremely particular client base, so working with Graphco and RMGT made us feel very comfortable.”
Saving energy & time with LED-UV
Watkins decision to install LED-UV modules at the perfecting device and in the delivery enables instant curing of both sides of the sheet, eliminating wait time before the job can be sent off for finishing. Another advantage of LED-UV curing is greatly reduced power consumption. LED-UV on an RMGT Long Perfector uses 75% less energy than single-side presses that use aqueous coating, and ink costs are comparable by eliminating the coating supplies. LED-UV curing also eliminates the need for powder which ensures a cleaner work environment and less problems moving stock through bindery equipment. From a worker safety standpoint, no VOC printing, bi-monthly ink wash-ups and a smaller footprint makes the RMGT an extremely safe investment for pressmen and owners alike.
“As a legacy publishing printer, Watkins Printing is ideally suited to leverage their extremely strong and long-term relationships and their mailing capabilities in the commercial print space,” comments Chris Manley, President of Graphco, Midwest and Southeast distributor for RMGT. “Additionally, as a union shop, their strategic location in Columbus, Ohio not only makes them an ideal partner for a variety of direct mail and political mailers, but they are poised to enter the short-run world of commercial print with a great company culture and a high-quality sheet-fed offset press that will deliver. As a fellow Ohio based family business, it’s been a great pleasure to work with Tamara and Bill as they move Watkins into its second century serving their clients.”
About The Watkins Printing Company
Founded in 1923, The Watkins Printing Company is a publication, magazine, and specialty project printer and mailer for clients nationwide. Watkins and Columbus, OH are truly at the “Heart of it All” located within a 500 mile radius of 80 percent of U.S. Corporations, making it a perfect central mail drop. See www.watkinsprinting.com
“As a legacy publishing printer, Watkins Printing is ideally suited to leverage their extremely strong and long-term relationships and their mailing capabilities in the commercial print space,” comments Chris Manley, President of Graphco, Midwest and Southeast distributor for RMGT. “Additionally, as a union shop, their strategic location in Columbus, Ohio not only makes them an ideal partner for a variety of direct mail and political mailers, but they are poised to enter the short-run world of commercial print with a great company culture and a high-quality sheet-fed offset press that will deliver. As a fellow Ohio based family business, it’s been a great pleasure to work with Tamara and Bill as they move Watkins into its second century serving their clients.”
About The Watkins Printing Company
Founded in 1923, The Watkins Printing Company is a publication, magazine, and specialty project printer and mailer for clients nationwide. Watkins and Columbus, OH are truly at the “Heart of it All” located within a 500 mile radius of 80 percent of U.S. Corporations, making it a perfect central mail drop. See www.watkinsprinting.com
With the purchase of a new RMGT 9 Series 10-Color Long Perfector, Advertisers Printing Company is investing in themselves to be Ready to Rebound now and in the future .
Advertisers Printing, based in St. Louis, has installed their new fully automated RMGT 10-Color Long Perfector equipped with LED-UV curing and is already reaping the benefits from its state of the art technology.
This three part video series has taken us from the RMGT Factory to Advertisers’ pressroom floor. In this episode we will share the versatility and efficiency of our LED-UV curing process and then you will learn directly from our friends at Advertisers Printing why they invested in a fully automated 9 Series press from RMGT and Graphco.
Part 3 shows the end of the installation, with the press up and running and jobs getting ready to go out the door!
View Part 1: The journey from the manufacturing plant in Fukuyama, Japan all the way to St. Louis.
View Part 2: The RMGT press assembly on site
Advertisers Printing, based in St. Louis, has installed their new fully automated RMGT 10-Color Long Perfector equipped with LED-UV curing and is already reaping the benefits from its state of the art technology.
This three part video series has taken us from the RMGT Factory to Advertisers’ pressroom floor. In this episode we will share the versatility and efficiency of our LED-UV curing process and then you will learn directly from our friends at Advertisers Printing why they invested in a fully automated 9 Series press from RMGT and Graphco.
Part 3 shows the end of the installation, with the press up and running and jobs getting ready to go out the door!
View Part 1: The journey from the manufacturing plant in Fukuyama, Japan all the way to St. Louis.
View Part 2: The RMGT press assembly on site
PLYMOUTH, MI – November 13, 2020 — Hatteras, Inc. is a member of the WBENC, the largest certifier of women-owned businesses in the U.S. and a full-service communication delivery company founded in 1977. Based in greater Detroit, MI, they are celebrating their 43rd year anniversary serving corporate communication clients in the automotive, creative, financial and education sectors of the national economy. To maintain their leadership role in offset print, they have recently replaced legacy presses with a fully automated six-color RMGT 940 Series press that is equipped with LED-UV curing, in-line coating and RMGT’s Insta.Color make-ready automation.
“Over the years, my sister Becky and I have grown Hatteras in a conservatively aggressive fashion,” states James Nesbitt, CEO, Hatteras, Inc. “We bought seven different companies along the way allowing us to grow into services that would have been difficult to build from scratch. About eight years ago we got into the full size 40” print market with a used six color Heidelberg. While that greatly expanded our service offerings, the press was costly to maintain and slow to set up and run. So, a couple of years ago we started looking at the RMGT and what it could offer us. This investment coincided with a move to our new 90,000 square foot headquarters and production facility in Plymouth MI. We are proud to occupy the historic Burroughs complex where adding machines, calculators and early mainframe computers were manufactured for many decades.”
Hatteras, Inc. has a target market of high-end print and distribution for ad agencies, managing outsourced print for large companies, financial and healthcare statement printing, and book manufacturing. “With an aging 40” Heidelberg, we realized we were spending half of the cost of the payment on a new press just in repairs,” states Nesbitt. “We needed a press to produce high end color, and the legacy press was just getting too expensive to maintain. We had to decide if we wanted to stay in the high-quality color market… we either needed to get in or get out. We decided to get in and purchased the six color RMGT 9 Series with LED-UV curing and had it installed in our new facility.”
“Over the years, my sister Becky and I have grown Hatteras in a conservatively aggressive fashion,” states James Nesbitt, CEO, Hatteras, Inc. “We bought seven different companies along the way allowing us to grow into services that would have been difficult to build from scratch. About eight years ago we got into the full size 40” print market with a used six color Heidelberg. While that greatly expanded our service offerings, the press was costly to maintain and slow to set up and run. So, a couple of years ago we started looking at the RMGT and what it could offer us. This investment coincided with a move to our new 90,000 square foot headquarters and production facility in Plymouth MI. We are proud to occupy the historic Burroughs complex where adding machines, calculators and early mainframe computers were manufactured for many decades.”
Hatteras, Inc. has a target market of high-end print and distribution for ad agencies, managing outsourced print for large companies, financial and healthcare statement printing, and book manufacturing. “With an aging 40” Heidelberg, we realized we were spending half of the cost of the payment on a new press just in repairs,” states Nesbitt. “We needed a press to produce high end color, and the legacy press was just getting too expensive to maintain. We had to decide if we wanted to stay in the high-quality color market… we either needed to get in or get out. We decided to get in and purchased the six color RMGT 9 Series with LED-UV curing and had it installed in our new facility.”
Offset vs. Digital
Hatteras uses a hybrid print production approach that leverages both offset and digital. “Each printing technology obviously has its own strengths and weaknesses,” observes Nesbitt. “With the incredibly fast makeready and running speed of the RMGT 9 Series, the run length has to either be really small or variable to justify running it digitally. We do a fair amount of both very, very short run jobs or fully variable jobs in our shop, so digital has a role in our workflow. We are also printing LED cured shells that are personalized on our fleet of digital machines. Interestingly, jobs that we initially considered for digital print, such as covers on short run books, have been produced faster and have better lamination adhesion with offset print that comes off the new RMGT 9 Series.”
New Markets
“The short run book manufacturing market is new for us,” states Nesbitt. “The RMGT 9 Series is a perfect complement to the HP T240 that we installed. We print the covers on the RMGT and the HP prints the text pages of the books. We have two really cutting-edge pieces of equipment to produce short run books for publishers around the country and their response has been incredible.”
“Another part of our regular business is printing on low tac adhesive window clings. This was frequently a disaster before the RMGT. Jobs would lay spread out around the shop for days to dry. Sometimes they’d never dry regardless of the different ink mixes we tried. Successfully producing these window clings and printing plastic license plates on styrene are now a complete non-factor. They run through our press just like any other job.”
“Another part of our regular business is printing on low tac adhesive window clings. This was frequently a disaster before the RMGT. Jobs would lay spread out around the shop for days to dry. Sometimes they’d never dry regardless of the different ink mixes we tried. Successfully producing these window clings and printing plastic license plates on styrene are now a complete non-factor. They run through our press just like any other job.”
Increased Productivity
“We are consistently running jobs at run speeds that are 50% faster than the legacy press,” comments Nesbitt. “We typically ran it at 8,000 sheets per hour. Many of our jobs now run at 12-15,000 sheets per hour with no loss of quality or register. We’re driving our set-up times and make-ready sheets lower and lower. Both factors have allowed us to charge a much higher hourly rate and still hit the estimated production targets for the job.”
“We are inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of family-owned businesses like Hatteras. Becky and James’ parents started Hatteras in 1977 and my Dad started Graphco in 1976 so both companies have thrived over many years in business.” states Chris Manley, President of Graphco, Midwest and Southeast Distributor for RMGT. “Their determination to not only survive but to succeed during the challenging times since their press came on-line testifies to the wisdom of strategic investment in offset.” Offset still drives the vast majority of revenue for commercial printers, and dramatically improving the profitability of their largest revenue source provides the greatest impact on the bottom line. As our industry rebounds we believe companies like Hatteras who have the right platform for their offset print will continue to enjoy an Unfair Advantage.”
About RMGT North America
RMGT (RYOBI HMI Graphic Technology Ltd.), a global leader in LED-UV sheetfed offset presses, is represented by a group of four authorized sales and service centers that serve commercial printers, offset packaging converters and in-plant printers in the United States and Canada. Covering the Northeast US is G.E. Richards, Midwest and Southeast US is serviced by Graphco, the Western US is serviced by Print & Finishing Solutions and covering Canada along with the RMGT 10 Series distribution in the US for legacy Mitsubishi customers is RM Machinery. This network constitutes the single largest offset press sales and service team in North America. As innovators of the first LED-UV printing system for sheet-fed offset printing in 2008. RMGT continues to apply their technological expertise and creativity for constant innovation, providing the printing industry with meaningful products and services while building bonds of trust and respecting diverse values. Learn more about RMGT North America at www.ryobimhi.com
“We are inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of family-owned businesses like Hatteras. Becky and James’ parents started Hatteras in 1977 and my Dad started Graphco in 1976 so both companies have thrived over many years in business.” states Chris Manley, President of Graphco, Midwest and Southeast Distributor for RMGT. “Their determination to not only survive but to succeed during the challenging times since their press came on-line testifies to the wisdom of strategic investment in offset.” Offset still drives the vast majority of revenue for commercial printers, and dramatically improving the profitability of their largest revenue source provides the greatest impact on the bottom line. As our industry rebounds we believe companies like Hatteras who have the right platform for their offset print will continue to enjoy an Unfair Advantage.”
About RMGT North America
RMGT (RYOBI HMI Graphic Technology Ltd.), a global leader in LED-UV sheetfed offset presses, is represented by a group of four authorized sales and service centers that serve commercial printers, offset packaging converters and in-plant printers in the United States and Canada. Covering the Northeast US is G.E. Richards, Midwest and Southeast US is serviced by Graphco, the Western US is serviced by Print & Finishing Solutions and covering Canada along with the RMGT 10 Series distribution in the US for legacy Mitsubishi customers is RM Machinery. This network constitutes the single largest offset press sales and service team in North America. As innovators of the first LED-UV printing system for sheet-fed offset printing in 2008. RMGT continues to apply their technological expertise and creativity for constant innovation, providing the printing industry with meaningful products and services while building bonds of trust and respecting diverse values. Learn more about RMGT North America at www.ryobimhi.com
PLACENTIA, CA – September 24, 2020 — RMGT, manufacturer of the leading 8-up sheetfed offset press in North America, officially launched their latest member to the 9 Series family, the RMGT 970 offset press, at an Open House in Fukuyama, Japan. The Open House event, celebrated on August 25-28, 2020 introduced three new models of presses: the RMGT 970 Perfecting press (up to 10 colors), the RMGT 970 straight press (up to 8 colors), and the RMGT 1050 Perfecting press (up to 10 colors). This was the first opportunity to safely roll out all three presses in the COVID-19 era. Open House events featuring the RMGT 970 running live will be presented at demonstration facilities in North America in the early part of 2021.
“We developed the new RMGT 970, incorporating our strengths and technologies for release at drupa 2020,” states Katsushi Hirokawa, President, RMGT. “The RMGT 970 can accommodate a 25 x 38-inch sheet, is excellent in cost performance, automation, and environmental friendliness.” The 970 is the newest member to the RMGT 9 Series family of presses that boasts over 80 new installations in North America since 2014. A review of the new features of the RMGT 970 is available as a trailer video and can be viewed at: https://bit.ly/RMGT970
“While widely recognized as having a great advantage in longer press runs, a key feature of the Open House was to demonstrate the advantage of offset printing over digital in short-run print jobs,” observes Chris Manley, President of Graphco, Distributor for RMGT in the Midwest and Southeast. Using a series of unique, consecutive print jobs, the RMGT 970 perfecting press demonstrated a complete makeready, printing 500 color accurate 8-up sheets completely dried and ready to move to bindery, using just one press operator, in under 6 minutes. This economy in offset print manufacturing is enabled by recent technologies brought to market by RMGT.
“We developed the new RMGT 970, incorporating our strengths and technologies for release at drupa 2020,” states Katsushi Hirokawa, President, RMGT. “The RMGT 970 can accommodate a 25 x 38-inch sheet, is excellent in cost performance, automation, and environmental friendliness.” The 970 is the newest member to the RMGT 9 Series family of presses that boasts over 80 new installations in North America since 2014. A review of the new features of the RMGT 970 is available as a trailer video and can be viewed at: https://bit.ly/RMGT970
“While widely recognized as having a great advantage in longer press runs, a key feature of the Open House was to demonstrate the advantage of offset printing over digital in short-run print jobs,” observes Chris Manley, President of Graphco, Distributor for RMGT in the Midwest and Southeast. Using a series of unique, consecutive print jobs, the RMGT 970 perfecting press demonstrated a complete makeready, printing 500 color accurate 8-up sheets completely dried and ready to move to bindery, using just one press operator, in under 6 minutes. This economy in offset print manufacturing is enabled by recent technologies brought to market by RMGT.
New 8-UP+ Sheet Size: 25" x 38”
RMGT was the first press manufacturer to recognize that the industry needed a bridge between smaller, slower and expensive to run digital devices and so-called full-size presses that seldom ran a full 40” sheet. RMGT effectively invented the 8-UP market and the 9 Series press to help RMGT users profitably produce commercial applications like direct mail, 16-page signatures, and short-run packaging (the 3 largest segments of the print market). The new 8-UP+ RMGT 970 will now produce jobs like 9” x 12” booklets, and many other applications, on the same size sheet that a 40” press would run. “The original 9 Series created a highly profitable niche in the market with our 25” x 36” sheet size and new 970’s 25” x 38” size now means that sourcing cover weight stocks and running covers will be that much easier. Our customers asked for the 8-UP+ size and the RMGT factory said yes,” states Kian Hemmen, Director of Sales for Print & Finishing Solutions, the RMGT distributor for the western United States.
ASAP (Automated Smart Assist Printing) System
The ASAP (Automated Smart Assist Printing) system allows pressmen to enjoy an entirely new level of automation and autonomous press operation in the 8-UP press format. During the live demonstrations a series of short-run jobs were put in sequence using ASAP. With ASAP, the pressman touches one button and the entire printing process—from ink and paper presetting, blanket and impression cleaning, and plate changing through verification of test printing, register adjustment, ink density adjustment, and full sheet inspection are all autonomously processed without even pulling a sheet. As ASAP releases the job into production the 970 perfecting press runs at 15,000 4/4 or 5/5 sheets per hour. Any variance from the specified QC standard is flagged by ASAP to insure only compliant sheets are sold to the end user.
Single Pressman Operation
The ability to staff a highly automated RMGT 8-UP+ press with a single pressman was important for profitability and flexibility prior to March of 2020. However, as the printing industry recovers from the economic results of COVID-19, reducing per shift staffing costs will bring greater viability to pressrooms who take the 9 Series approach to manufacturing. Even before the release of ASAP, over 80% of RMGT 9 Series presses running in North America are manned with a single pressman. Depending on the local labor market and how many shifts an RMGT 9 Series printing company runs per week, the savings from the single pressman approach ranges from $45,000 to $180,000 annually.
LED-UV Curing
RMGT was the first sheetfed offset press manufacturer to commercially develop LED-UV curing technology, releasing this at drupa in 2008. LED-UV lamps dry printed sheets instantly, offering impressive energy savings over other curing technologies. An added benefit in the print and finishing workflow is that LED-UV curing eliminates the need for powder. This powderless press environment allows offset printed sheets to move to either to a digital overprint scenario or directly to finishing without impacting the performance of these devices.
“RMGT’s launch of the new 970 is a key step forward in our continuing leadership of the 8-UP market,” states Kian Hemmen. “Equipping the RMGT 970 with our new ASAP technology and expanding into a 25" x 38” press sheet makes the value proposition of the RMGT 9 Series even more impressive. Single pressman operation is inherent to the 9 Series which is why we say that we’ve been practicing ‘social distancing’ since 2014. The decision to launch is a welcomed step and we can’t wait to see the RMGT 970 landing stateside.”
“RMGT’s launch of the new 970 is a key step forward in our continuing leadership of the 8-UP market,” states Kian Hemmen. “Equipping the RMGT 970 with our new ASAP technology and expanding into a 25" x 38” press sheet makes the value proposition of the RMGT 9 Series even more impressive. Single pressman operation is inherent to the 9 Series which is why we say that we’ve been practicing ‘social distancing’ since 2014. The decision to launch is a welcomed step and we can’t wait to see the RMGT 970 landing stateside.”
About RMGT North America
RMGT (RYOBI HMI Graphic Technology Ltd.), a global leader in LED-UV sheetfed offset presses, is represented by a group of four authorized sales and service centers that serve commercial printers, offset packaging converters and in-plant printers in the United States and Canada. This network constitutes the single largest offset press sales and service team in North America. As innovators of the first LED-UV printing system for sheet-fed offset printing in 2008. RMGT continues to apply their technological expertise and creativity for constant innovation, providing the printing industry with meaningful products and services while building bonds of trust and respecting diverse values. Learn more about RMGT North America at www.ryobimhi.com
RMGT (RYOBI HMI Graphic Technology Ltd.), a global leader in LED-UV sheetfed offset presses, is represented by a group of four authorized sales and service centers that serve commercial printers, offset packaging converters and in-plant printers in the United States and Canada. This network constitutes the single largest offset press sales and service team in North America. As innovators of the first LED-UV printing system for sheet-fed offset printing in 2008. RMGT continues to apply their technological expertise and creativity for constant innovation, providing the printing industry with meaningful products and services while building bonds of trust and respecting diverse values. Learn more about RMGT North America at www.ryobimhi.com
