Mount Royal Printing Fills Gap Between Full Size Offset and Digital with RMGT 5 Series Press6/18/2020
 LANDISVILLE, PA – JUNE 17, 2020 — As part of a strategy to strengthen their hybrid print capabilities, Mt. Royal Printing Co. recently purchased an RMGT 5 Series 6-color press with coater and AQ/UV coating. Founded in 1946, Mount Royal Printing Co. is led by Gary Cayce, the third generation to take the helm of this privately-owned commercial printer. Based in Baltimore, MD this Printing Impressions Top 400 printer services the greater Washington, DC market. Mt. Royal Printing has experienced a 27% growth in the last five years, with 85% of their revenue coming from offset printing, 15% from digital and wide-format. “We have driven the offset side of our business in the 40-inch market for pretty much the history of the company,” said Gary Cayce, President of Mount Royal Printing. “At the current time we have two 40-inch presses including an 8-color UV press. Our intent with this investment was to fill the void between the 40-inch market and our digital market. This will help our client base tremendously. We have a lot of small work that doesn't really fit a 40-inch competitively but requires higher quality than you can get on digital.” A key element of the investment in the RMGT 5 Series press was the fact that it was outfitted with UV curing technology. Mt. Royal Printing has been running with UV curing for the past six years and has become well versed in the advantages of what UV curing brings to offset printing. “What drew us to the press was the fact that it was a full conventional UV interdeck press with five lamps,” states Tom Dieter, General Manager, Mt. Royal Printing. “This will enable us to produce a lot of specialty effects with the three interdecks(after 2nd, 4th, and 6th units) and AQ/UV coater.” “Part of our plan with this is to be able to offer really cool, high-end printing that is much more economical to produce than putting it on a 40-inch press,”states Cayce. “If a job fits this format size, it's going to be much easier for our salesforce to sell a six-color job with reticulating varnishes and special effects. If the same job were printed on a 40-inch press, it would put a lot of customers out of their budget. With this press we can do smaller, high-end stationary packages and projects with tricky effects at a much more affordable price point.”
Another factor in a more efficient print production workflow is that UV curing contributes to a faster turnaround of jobs. “We'll run 300 books on an offset press because of the turnaround time,” declares Cayce. “It's tremendously different. You would think that digital would be faster, but it's not.” He cites reduced makeready times coupled with instant drying due to UV curing as factors that tip the print manufacturing scales in favor of offset printing. By having five UV lamps placed on the RMGT 5 Series press allows Mt. Royal Printing to dry trap, which makes the quality of the printing look dramatically sharper. It will allow them to do some special effects, such as putting down opaque whites and then printing on top of them in the same pass. Another example of the smaller format offset press filling a gap between a 40-inch press and a digital press is seen with high quality booklets. “It would be a pain to break down a 40-inch eight-color perfector to run a cover,” continues Dieter, “but we had to run it there because it had to match the rest of the book. So now with the RMGT 5 Series press, we have an opportunity to produce covers more economically and still match the quality of the eight color UV press.” In a hybrid print manufacturing plant, with both offset and digital presses, decisions have to be made regarding whether a job is produced offset or digital. Typically, these decisions are driven by quantity. “I mean, if it's a book block job or a job with variable data, it's going to go on digital,” states Dieter. “However, the majority of our digital work has been static, so we're looking for the higher margin work that fits offset far better. You also have to look at the costs with digital versus offset. It's not hard to figure out when you're paying a monthly digital press payment, a service contract, and then there's a click charge.” “We share the enthusiasm of Mt. Royal Printing after investing in the RMGT series 5 press with UV curing technology, and look forward to continuing to work with Mt. Royal Printing” states Jim Lundy, G.E. Richards, the northeast importer/distributor for RMGT in the United States. “With the capabilities to run on plastic and other substrates on a smaller sheet it opens up a big window for Mt. Royal to expand their business even further.” ABOUT G.E. RICHARDS Founded in 1972, G.E. Richards Graphic Supplies has grown to 10 branches and over 70 million in sales. G.E. Richards has become the fourth largest graphic arts dealer in the country by keeping in touch with the ever-changing needs of our customers and the printing and graphic arts industries. We offer a large variety of products from printing plates, presses and ink, to film, computers, printers, scanners, imagesetters and platesetters. 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. 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 GSNA at www.ryobimhi.com  Investment in Offset and the RMGT 9 Series Press drives 30% Growth SOLON, OH – June 4, 2020 — As part of a growth strategy started in 2015, Dynagraphics, based in Decatur, IL, has expanded their commercial print capabilities again by investing in a new RMGT 9 Series offset press. Primarily known as a high-quality, large format and book printing operation, Dynagraphics invested in their first RMGT 7 Series press in 2015. Dynagraphics had always been a healthy company in a stable industrial niche with great repeat customers helping their incremental growth. Since purchasing their first RMGT 7 Series press, Dynagraphics has tripled their business. While digital print has a place in their print operations, investing in offset printing has been the driver of their tremendous growth these past five years. “We started out as a single shift shop when we acquired Wood Printing, back in 2015,” states Scott Bowers, Vice President, Dynagraphics. “After four years, we started to investigate getting another press since we were working two shifts and were ready to put on a third. We had never grown like that. While our traditional work was with books and booklets, we also did labels. We invested in the RMGT 9 Series press, which is a six-color press with UV and aqueous coater and LED-UV curing. With the new press we are running bigger sheets and, as a result, we are cutting our press runs from 20% to 50%, so we are saving a lot on labor. Having aqueous coating is a big plus for the label work we do. In addition, having LED-UV curing technology allows us to expand into specialty UV coatings on our commercial print work.” Dynagraphics growth follows a growing trend among commercial printers to increase their investment in offset printing. “We have invested in iGens and other digital printers, and there is a place for that work,” continues Bowers. “At some point the cost of digital becomes expensive. Whether that's 250 or 500 sheets, you can afford to plate a job offset since the make-ready times are so fast and the waste is so small. Also, we run the 9 Series with just one pressman, not two. So pretty quickly, you can take something from the copier to the press and make the economics work in your favor.” Striking the Balance Between Offset & DigitalSuccessful commercial printers are wrestling to find the sweet spot of when to leverage the economic advantage of offset printing versus the short-run advantage of digital. Many printers are finding that the “short-run” tipping point is getting lower and lower with the advanced efficiencies of new LED-UV equipped RMGT offset presses. Much of this has to do with the current pricing model that favors offset over digital, but the true advantage is RMGT’s affordable automation, much lower ongoing costs due to single pressman operation and the instant curing of LED-UV. “With offset, you don't have that click cost,” explains Bowers. “The five or more cent click costs go on forever. With offset, you're printing sheets for small portions of a penny, especially since you are printing on a bigger sheet, in our case, an 8-up sheet. Once your make-ready is covered, whether that's 10 or 15 minutes, and your plate costs are covered, you can easily figure out the print run number that you definitely don’t want to run on digital. On the new press that numbers a lot lower than we thought.” Labor is also a consideration for many print operations. “I think some of the guys that have had old iron and had a difficult time training and keeping people have welcomed the digital space,” observes Bowers. “They've accepted the fact that they're not going to be as competitive on some large jobs because of it. You’ve got two different types of people that you need to hire. A digital operator can be somebody who is computer savvy and they can probably handle a copier. That same person is probably not going to run an offset press. You need somebody with a little bit of mechanical ability and troubleshooting skills. But with offset, your costs are so much lower that if you are doing any volume at all, and you just won't be competitive running digital in a lot of different spaces. When you talk about booklets, when you get to 300-400 booklets for sure you want to print offset. Don’t get me wrong, digital has a space, and it's made for really short runs or personalization. I don't think you're ever going to see a day anytime soon where the offset press is not the real money earner in an organization like ours.” “Successful printers will find a great way to use the two print technologies together and really give your customer outstanding value,” advises Bowers. “For example, you can do personalization of pre-printed shells done on offset. From a printing standpoint, you're not going to have an issue where the fuser on the digital device takes ink or toner off the sheet if the shell is printed offset.” In addition, LED-UV curing means no powder between sheets. Running an offset printed sheet with no powder allows a smooth workflow that allows personalization created in a digital device. “It’s ideal for pre-printed menus. It's ideal for a big company that has multiple locations that maybe wants to buy some of the offset-printed shells in large quantity and then personalize one side of them,” concludes Bowers.  “...The most profitable element of our business.” The RMGT 9 Series is the second RMGT press that Dynagraphics has purchased in the last 4 years. The strong work record of their first RMGT, a 7 Series press, made the 9 Series a natural purchase. “We had 5 service calls in 5 years on our first RMGT and we were only down for a day and a half during that whole time. We did look at a few other brands but none of the printers we checked with could match that reliability record, so we moved ahead with another RMGT.” In spite of the current economic challenges related to the COVID-19 crisis, the offset print operation at Dynagraphics continues to be the most profitable. “We installed the press in December 2019, and we are projecting 30% growth in our print revenue. The RMGT 9 Series press gives us the highest billable rate of any machine in our building. It is the only piece of equipment that we run three full shifts. So far, it consumes enough paper that we're selling at a markup that makes it the most profitable element of our business.” The economics of Print have meant down pressure on prices for years. “I think you're going to have to compete knowing there's going to be constrained margins,” concludes Bowers. “You're in a far better position to compete if your equipment set is still relevant and you can print jobs easily. That's probably why we've been able to be profitable and compete in the past and lately. Every job is not a wrestling match. When you have the right technology and the right equipment, you can print much, much more effectively… and that's the big difference.” “Scott and the Team at Dynagraphics have what we call The Unfair Advantage,” states Chris Manley, President of Graphco. “Printers that have an RMGT 9 Series press compete daily with commercial printers running a 40” press that requires two press operators, costs 35% more to plate, costs tremendously more to maintain and requires a much higher debt service. Naturally companies like Dynagraphics can produce their work much more economically on the RMGT 9 Series press. The Unfair Advantage is even more important today than ever and we look forward to the future success and profitability of Dynagraphics.” About Graphco
Graphco is the industry’s leading provider of offset, digital, and print finishing solutions. We proudly import the RMGT line of new offset printing presses featuring market-leading LED-UV curing technology, Smart Insta.Color automated make-ready, and our popular Packaging Edition presses. All RMGT presses offer best-in-class reliability and durability. The Graphco Technical Service Team stands behind every RMGT press and Graphco’s reputation for top-notch service is second to none. Since 1976, Graphco has thrived in an ever-changing market place by loyally adhering to our original model for success: Providing best-in-class print production equipment along with reliable and assured technical service. Learn more about Graphco at www.graphco.com 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 three authorized sales and service centers that serve commercial printers, offset packaging converters and in-plant printers in the United States. 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 GSNA at www.ryobimhi.com  Automated 6-Up Press adds 150% More Capacity SOLON, OH – May 27, 2020 -- A&B Printing is pleased to announce the addition of a full 6-UP RMGT (Ryobi MHI Graphic Technologies, LTD) five-color with coater offset press to help supplement their pressroom and allow for added capacity. The need for this new press was largely driven by much higher demand from A&B Printing's customers around the U.S. “A&B Printing produces most of our volume for other printers so our print quality has to be great,” comments Jim Sharp, President of A&B Printing. “Our customer’s demand is up and this press has allowed us to maximize our output in finishing as well. Many of our regular customers have remarked on the great image quality we are producing on the RMGT 7 Series.” "The RMGT 7 Series Press brings new capabilities to A&B Printing." A&B Printing operates from their extremely well kept 16,000 sq. ft. facility and they have made the Western part of Ohio home since the company was founded in 1988. "Workers in our part of Ohio are bright, resourceful and very hard working", stated Mark Bornhorst who leads A&B Printing’s manufacturing. “Some of our staff have been with us for nearly 3 decades so we are a lot like family. The RMGT 7 Series Press joins our high-speed webs and several sheetfed offset presses. The RMGT 7 Series full 23.63” X 31” sheet size brings new capabilities to A&B Printing.” "Booklets make up a large percentage of our finished product,” continues Sharp. “This new press feeds our Horizon StitchLiner with three 4-pagers whereas our other press only produced two signatures. The added capacity has come just in time since A&B Printing is in the midst of double digit growth over the past 3-4 years. We visited several RMGT customers with our Territory Manager from Graphco, Gary Greis, and the customers all raved about the quality, durability and productivity of their presses. So far their comments have matched our experience.” Over the past few years A&B Printing has been recognized by their international Print Management customers for their attention to quality, shipping deadlines and excellent value. Distributors such as Proforma have also recognized A&B Printing as one of their “Best of the Best” suppliers. “We are proud of the recognition that our customers have given us,” comments Sharp, “and we work hard every day to continue to be their number one supplier.” Prior to acquiring A&B Printing in 2004 Jim Sharp’s career included over 30 years with the US Navy where he retired with the rank of Captain. The next phase of his career led him to running a very large manufacturing plant for a major bicycle company in Ohio. “Many of the lessons I learned in both the Navy and making bikes come into how we operate here at A&B Printing today. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our processes in both manufacturing and customer service so that we can keep the customers we have and gain new ones as well.” “As I look back on Graphco’s over 20 year relationship with A&B Printing I’m extremely proud of the fact that from Jim’s pressroom to bindery practically every investment he has made came through Graphco,” states Chris Manley, President of Graphco. “Both of our companies share a similar work ethic and it’s rewarding that our two companies have very much grown our businesses together. We are proud of the company we keep.” About A&B Printing
Located in Fort Loramie, Ohio, A&B Printing is proud to be a veteran-owned business. From small to large runs and digital to offset jobs, A&B Printing offers a wide variety of equipment and presses to be able to provide quality work with quick turn times at a competitive price. A&B Printing: great service, great print! About Graphco Graphco is the industry’s leading provider of offset, digital, and print finishing solutions. We proudly import the RMGT line of new offset printing presses featuring market-leading LED-UV curing technology, Smart Insta.Color automated make-ready, and our popular Packaging Edition presses. All RMGT presses offer best-in-class reliability and durability. The Graphco Technical Service Team stands behind every RMGT press and Graphco’s reputation for top-notch service is second to none. Since 1976, Graphco has thrived in an ever-changing market place by loyally adhering to our original model for success: Providing best-in-class print production equipment along with reliable and assured technical service. Learn more about Graphco at www.graphco.com 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 three authorized sales and service centers that serve commercial printers, offset packaging converters and in-plant printers in the United States. 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 GSNA at www.ryobimhi.com  PLACENTIA, CA – April 15, 2020 — Cockrell Enovation, based in Fort Worth, Texas, recently installed the RMGT 9 Series five-color press with LED-UV curing. For over 50 years, they have been leveraging printing technology to produce marketing collateral, packaging, point-of-sale, direct mail, signage and displays in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Their recent investment in offset continues a trend of commercial printers re-defining their digital strategy as the economics of print manufacturing continues to evolve. “In 2002, I had just finished my undergraduate studies,” states John Cockrell, Jr., Managing Director of Cockrell Enovation. “Coming into the family business, my first task was to write a business plan on digital printing. At that point in time, we were trying to drive the valuable part of digital printing. The assumption was that everything would be personalized with variable data… and that's not actually what transpired.” Cockrell describes their third-generation company as a “high touch” company with their clients generally falling into one of two buckets. About half of their customers are trying to solve problems related to some form of distribution, having multiple locations, a dispersed nationwide sales force, or multiple departments looking to streamline that print procurement process. The other half are looking to solve brand critical problems, usually event driven, or fairly complex pieces with a die-cut component or multiple types of coatings. The latest iteration of Cockrell Enovation came in 2009, when they merged the digital print part of their business with their traditional offset print operations. “I had developed our large format division of the company,” continues Cockrell. “I had developed our digital store fronts. So my approach was always skewed to thinking of a digital solution.” Cockrell observes that their business flattened about three to four years ago, without a lot of opportunities for growth. Their typical print run was 7,500 impressions or less, so they made a strategic decision to remove two offset presses and replace them with an HP 10000 and two other Indigo presses. The assumption was that digital could handle the short run commercial work while making them competitive in the digital space. "I took a deep dive into how offset with LED-UV stacks up with the digital print process and the results were startling" “First of all, the click-charge cost model went out of control and it almost put us under,” declares Cockrell. “That’s when I started exploring offset solutions because I knew this wasn’t working. I took a deep dive into how offset with LED-UV stacks up with the digital print process and the results were startling. The more shops and presses that I saw, the more I realized that it's been ingrained in our heads that digital was going to be the less expensive, more efficient solution. The fact is, that assumption is incorrect.” Cockrell observes that the kind of work their clients are looking for is not simply pleasing color, which digital is capable of. Many jobs require the kind of specialty coatings that push the limit of the capabilities of digital. “It was startling to see the efficiencies of the offset side versus the digital side. The reality is that a digital press is just, flat out, not the print manufacturing solution for what we're doing in a commercial environment. From a cost side, it was taking about an hour to run 1,000 sheets, four-over-four. Then with the monthly payment and the click charges that can run from $0.07 to $0.16 per sheet, and the cost for some specialty stocks, offset was a more cost-effective print production solution.” "The reality is that a digital press is just, flat out, not the print manufacturing solution for what we're doing in a commercial environment." Cockrell Enovations evaluated a number of offset press manufacturers such as RMGT, Heidelberg and Komori. “We want to align ourselves with people that are thinking about our business and not just trying to put something on our floor. I think that's where RMGT really stood out. They took the time to understand what we were trying to accomplish and interpret that, as much as humanly possible, to help us explore options to solve print problems for our clients.”
The impact of investing in offset has had a very positive impact on the bottom line at Cockrell Enovations. The RMGT 9 Series press has automatic plate changing technology along with LED-UV curing technology that takes what used to be a 30-minute make-ready consuming 600 to 1,000 sheets down to a fraction of that. “In addition, we’re moving volume off the digital presses. At a thousand sheets per hour, running a job digital for two, three or four hours is just too long. When that happens, you start accumulating quite a bit of all the other hot things that have to get out today. So, we'll be able to move short run jobs over to offset and, obviously, run that with a lower cost model.” “I think the interesting thing is for us it's almost like it's coming full circle,” concludes Cockrell. “When we started with digital we learned to focus on those higher value applications, whether it's variable or online storefront. We believed that as digital technology got more efficient, longer runs jobs and specialty jobs would just migrate over… but, that that didn't happen. Don’t get me wrong, digital has a great place and brings great value in personalized applications that tie in with your online storefronts. But in a day in, day out, print environment, digital is not necessarily your best solution.” “Cockrell Enovations has been an honest evaluator of the current print manufacturing landscape,” comments Kian Hemmen, Director of Sales, Print & Finishing Solutions, the RMGT distributor for the western United States. “They understand that commercial printers will flourish, not only by focusing on high value, high margin work, but also enabling that by choosing the most efficient print manufacturing technology available today. We are proud that offset print is a major part of the production mix and look forward to their continued success.” About Print & Finishing Solutions (PFS) Print & Finishing Solutions (PFS) is the largest graphic arts service and supplies company west of the Mississippi. PFS services California, the country, and the world with quality new and used machinery, installation and training, and post-sale support. Specializing in new and refurbished machinery, parts, supplies, and service for the print and graphics industry, PFS supports commercial printers and binderies of all sizes as well as digital printers and corporate and public in-plants. Within its facility, PFS offers two demonstration centers catering to both commercial offset / bindery and digital solutions. The Commercial Showroom features the latest machinery from RMGT, Horizon, Challenge, Perfecta, and Preferred Pack. The Digital / On-Demand Showroom features the latest products from MGI, OkiData, Mimaki, Rhin-O-Tuff, MBM, James Burn, DRYLAM, and others. 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 three authorized sales and service centers that serve commercial printers, offset packaging converters and in-plant printers in the United States. 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 GSNA at www.ryobimhi.com 
SOLON, OH – February 25, 2020 — RMGT (RYOBI HMI Graphic Technology Ltd.), a global leader in LED-UV equipped sheetfed offset presses, solidified its North American presence in 2019 with a large number of existing RMGT printers investing in their second press. The strategic decision to merge and integrate the respective press manufacturing strengths of Ryobi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) led to a totally revamped RMGT product lineup in the fall of 2015. By eliminating just a few inches off the width of a 40-inch press, RMGT has created economies in footprint, staffing and consumables while still producing a full 8-up sheet and 16-page signature.
In just over four years, this innovation has taken RMGT to a leadership position among offset press manufacturers, to the point where RMGT has become the number one 8-up sheetfed offset press in North America in this category. In this time period, there have been seventy new 9 Series presses delivered to companies from every segment of the printing industry. Included in that remarkable number are nearly 20 multiple RMGT (Ryobi and Mitsubishi) printing press owners. “Looking back on 2019, we are thrilled to see our market share grow in sales of new RMGT offset presses in this 8-up space,” states Kozac Takata, Manager of International Sales and Marketing, RMGT. “After 12 years as a leader in providing LED-UV curing on our offset presses, it is gratifying to see how this technology has changed the business of customers in the commercial print, packaging, and in-plant markets.” The following companies represent a sampling of the nationwide printers who have already invested in their second RMGT press. Push Solutions
Push Solutions, a print service provider based in New Berlin, Wisconsin, commissioned their first RMGT 9 Series press in the spring of 2016. They were already on an incredible growth trajectory in the highly competitive retail marketing, retail packaging and nationwide distribution segment of the print market. “To be honest our strategic plan didn't include a second RMGT 9 in year two since that major investment,” states Nick Bova, Vice President, “but our growth is practically being forced on us. We had to keep our production levels in line with our sales volume.” Push Solutions’ President Brad Flagge adds, “Our first RMGT 9 has been a great producer for us, and we feel our manufacturing cost is significantly less than our competitors, so pairing up on our second press was a natural.”
Taylor Graphics
Taylor Graphics, based in Irvine, CA, is the largest trade only printing facility in Orange County, California. They purchased their first RMGT press in 2017. Investing in LED-UV technology allowed them to run on different substrates, printing on foil board, plastics, and vinyls. “This really open up the door for us to widen our gamut of printing to all of our customers,” states Dean Taylor, President, Taylor Graphics. The second offset press they purchased from RMGT was equipped with a DAK camera system, allowing them to get into the lucrative packaging and pharmaceuticals market. “The system actually takes a picture of every sheet and compares it to the proof, detecting whether the density of color is off, if any text is broken or missing. If we had a smashed blanket or any hickies, the DAK system can identify anything that's different than the original proof.”
Print Direct For Less
Print Direct For Less (PDFL) became a multiple RMGT press shop in 2019 when they made the decision to upgrade to the RMGT 920PF-8+LED-UV Long Perfector press. This 8-up model brings not only faster speeds, but also prints sheets that are 25% larger, giving PDFL far more capacity as well.
“The new perfecting press prints both sides in a single pass,” states Ed Perron, Owner, Print Direct For Less. “We jumped from 6 pages per pass to 16 pages per cycle as far as total throughput. That, along with a higher press speed, translates to over 270% more work from the same labor hour. Turnaround times are shrinking from two to six days to sometimes same day, with a max of three days on most projects. LED-UV curing allows us to go directly from printing into finishing, increasing the max throughput, which is the key to future growth. In fact, we already have a market for this work — not only will we be able to go after work from new customers, we are also picking up a sizeable amount of work from our current customers that we couldn’t handle previously.” Pacific Printing
Pacific Printing, based in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose, CA also invested in their second RMGT press in 2019. The RMGT 9 Series press had the same footprint as their older 28-inch press it was replacing, allowing them to expand capacity and capabilities without redesigning their layout. “Compared to a 40-inch press, when we did price comparisons, it was 30-40% less than most manufacturers were quoting us,” states Andrew Goett, President, Pacific Printing. “We felt the RMGT 9 Series was the best ‘bang for our buck.’”
“The common thread among our customers who have added additional RMGT horsepower is their commitment to excellence in print quality and their desire to have pressroom equipment that just runs and runs.” states Kian Hemmen, Western Region Sales Manager—RMGT, Print & Finishing Solutions. “It is also a statement on behalf of the prominent place offset printing continues to have in print manufacturing. In the hybrid print manufacturing environments for commercial printers, managing both offset and digital, we are pleased to see the economics of offset driving higher margins for our customers.” 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. 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 GSNA at www.ryobimhi.com PLACENTIA, CA – March 3, 2020 — Taylor Graphics, based in Irvine, CA, is the largest trade only printing facility in Orange County, California. As part of a growth strategy that began two years ago, Dean Taylor, President of Taylor Graphics, has expanded the services traditionally provided by trade printers by investing in technology that caters to the unique needs of design agencies and brokers that service the packaging and pharmaceutical markets. “We are an ISO certified company with a razor focus on providing print services for the trade,” states Dean Taylor, President of Taylor Graphics. “As such, when we put something in a box and ship it out, nine out of 10 times, our customers don't see it. We're shipping directly to a fulfillment house, or to the end user, the customer of my client. So, for Taylor Graphics and for the design agencies and brokers we work with, we need the absolute assurance that what's going in that box looks perfect from sheet one to sheet 10,000, and that they all look the same.” A unique growth strategy that paying dividends
The path of Taylor Graphics is similar to what many trade shops have experienced. While they provided a lot of the typical commercial print services for agencies and brokers, they noticed that certain packaging jobs for cosmetic companies and pharmaceuticals were being done somewhere else. Since they already had the ability to die-cut and glue, Taylor took the first step of their growth strategy by investing in an offset press that could produce high quality packaging on thicker stocks.
“In 2017 we bought our first RMGT press,” states Taylor. “We went with that press for a couple of reasons. One reason was we always had Mitsubishi presses, and they have treated us very well as far as print quality and durability. We did our due diligence and looked at all the press manufacturers. We are thrilled that we chose the RMGT 926 six-color LED-UV press. This was our first venture into UV offset printing. Investing in LED-UV technology allowed us to run on different substrates, we can print on foil board, we can print on plastics, and vinyls. This really open up the door for us to widen our gamut of printing to all of our customers.” "LED-UV technology allowed us to run on different substrates"
The next stage of their growth strategy had to do with quality control. As an ISO compliant company, they were doing work for medical device companies. The books that they printed had to have zero defects. Initially, this involved a very labor-intensive process of inspecting books after they were all produced.
“The second offset press we purchased from RMGT was equipped with a DAK camera system,” states Taylor. “It actually takes a picture of every sheet and compares it to the proof. The system detects whether the density of color is off, it will pick up if any text is broken or missing. If we had a smashed blanket or any hickies, the DAK system can identify anything that's different than the original proof. Every sheet going through the press gets a number inkjet sprayed on it. When a press run is done, we have a report that shows every number on the sheet that was rejected. In finishing, we can pull out those sheets before it ever hits a folder or any other piece of equipment. That has eliminated the need for inspection after everything's done. We know before it goes to a cutter or a folder that everything's perfect.” RMGT with a DAK Camera System
“So I tell all of our customers that I can print from a business card to a billboard with all the equipment we have in house, from press to wide format to digital to all of our binding equipment. I can make sure that we get it done in time on time and everything looks great.”
“The partnership that we've developed over the past few years with Taylor Graphics has been something I'm extremely proud of,” states Kian Hemmen, Director of Sales, Print & Finishing Solutions, the RMGT distributor for the region. “Watching Taylor Graphics grow from the shop they were seven years ago to what they are today is just exciting. Dean Taylor is a great partner of Print & Finishing Solutions and has become a great friend of mine. I look forward to his success with the two RMGT presses and can't wait for a third one to be installed.” About Print & Finishing Solutions (PFS) Print & Finishing Solutions (PFS) is the largest graphic arts service and supplies company west of the Mississippi. PFS services California, the country, and the world with quality new and used machinery, installation and training, and post-sale support. Specializing in new and refurbished machinery, parts, supplies, and service for the print and graphics industry, PFS supports commercial printers and binderies of all sizes as well as digital printers and corporate and public in-plants. Within its facility, PFS offers two demonstration centers catering to both commercial offset / bindery and digital solutions. The Commercial Showroom features the latest machinery from RMGT, Horizon, Challenge, Perfecta, and Preferred Pack. The Digital / On-Demand Showroom features the latest products from MGI, OkiData, Mimaki, Rhin-O-Tuff, MBM, James Burn, DRYLAM, and others. 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. 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 GSNA at www.ryobimhi.com  RMGT 9 Series joins highly successful 10 Series installed in 2017 ADDISON, IL – February 13, 2020 — When VISOgraphic commissioned their first RMGT in the fall of 2017, the new 10 Series press had to absorb the output of three legacy Heidelberg presses. The pressure was squarely on VISOgraphic's Team to rethink possible. “We were amazed at how quickly we could move dozens of projects per day onto our new RMGT press, but after two years and 60 million impressions it was clear that our rapid growth would soon exceed our capacity,” states John Dahlke, Chief Operating Officer. “So, we decided to order an RMGT 9 Series press to meet our customers demand for high quality LED-UV cured print projects. The footprint, print quality and efficiency of the new press fits perfectly into our all-RMGT pressroom. We are proud to be the first printer in the United States to have both the RMGT 10 series and 9 Series combination.” A Commercial Printer with a visionHow does a commercial printer in the highly competitive Chicago print market grow so quickly? One key to VISOgraphic’s rapid rise has been the clear vision that the Dahlke family had for their company, starting well before their first RMGT investment in 2017. They knew that in order to compete and succeed they had to bring a high degree of value to every customer engagement. Under the leadership of Bob Dahlke Sr. and his two sons, Bob Jr. and John, the VISOgraphic team manages every aspect of their customer’s projects from conception to completion. “We’ve found that a highly personal approach builds great customer relationships that last for many years,” says Bob Dahlke Jr. “When we added the tremendous advantages of LED-UV curing and vastly improved print quality that our RMGT 10 Series press provided, our growth really took off. The RMGT brand has been a critical growth driver for our company. Above all else, RMGT gives our employees state of the art equipment to make their jobs easier, while offering our clients a better product offering – all at a better price --- with more speed and accuracy. An overall winning value proposition for our clients.” Diversifying production of extremely high value-add products with LED-UV Practically overnight, John Dahlke’s pressroom team began production of extremely high value-add products, such as: soft-touch with high-gloss spot UV for high-end travel industry projects; chemical emboss applications for corporate presentation pieces; and, CR80 plastic cards for very long run, direct mail programs. “Since we use LED-UV curing for all these projects our learning curve was very short and our vendors constantly brought us new coating materials to enhance our projects,” observes Dahlke. “Frankly, I believe we were testing some of these materials for the first time in commercial use, but time after time the jobs just ran fine.” The RMGT 10 Series press that was installed in 2017 is equipped with a special package that allows plastics to run trouble free. The AMS Spectral LED UV curing system has passed every test of curing inks and coatings at full press speed of 16,200 sheets per hour. VISOgraphic has always provided an impressive on time and on budget track record with their quality conscious customer base. Understandably, the decision to funnel the work of three legacy presses onto one platform was initially a concern in the fall of 2017. John Dahlke remembers, very well, the day he really relaxed. “We were backed up with a lot of new work at the beginning of 2018. I knew we had made the right decision purchasing the RMGT 10 after we had one of the biggest production weeks in the over 70-year history of our company. In that one-week period, we printed 1.3 million impressions with 120 make-readies representing all types of work. We were printing on stocks ranging from 40# offset to 24-point cover - from one color to six color jobs with spot and UV coating. We exceeded our own lofty expectations of the press and we had only been running the press for a few months at the time.” The production floor where it all starts The ink was barely dry on VISOgraphic's sales contract when Bob Dahlke was invited to tour the RMGT factory in Fukuyama, Japan. The RMGT Management Team rolled out the red carpet for another second time RMGT customer. “After having two plus years of round-the-clock production success under our belts, I knew what a great press RMGT builds. Seeing the clean, well-organized and productive factory solidified our decision to moved ahead with another RMGT. Not only did Katsushi Hirokawa, President of RMGT, explain the manufacturing process for building our new press, but then his team showed me every step in the manufacturing process on the factory floor. I was blown away by the build quality and lean manufacturing process being used. They even showed me sheets being printed during testing on a press that was nearing completion. We can’t wait to see our new press roll up its first jobs on our floor."
The new RMGT 9 Series press that VISOgraphic ordered from Graphco at the end of 2019 will feature RMGT’s well known Insta.Color makeready technology, a revolutionary new AI calibrated feeding system that optimizes throughput automatically and the latest automation package from the leader in the 8-up press market. “The VISOgraphic, RMGT and Graphco partnership has been rewarding for everyone and we look forward to helping our friends at VISOgraphic reach their ambitious growth goals,” states Derek Gordon, Graphco’s Midwest Regional Manager. “Being aligned with such a great organization has been a real pleasure. It will be exciting to see how far and how fast our friends at VISOgraphic will grow their business with their all-RGMT pressroom." About Graphco Graphco is the industry’s leading provider of offset, digital, and print finishing solutions. We proudly import the RMGT line of new offset printing presses featuring market-leading LED-UV curing technology, Smart Insta.Color automated make-ready, and our popular Packaging Edition presses. All RMGT presses offer best-in-class reliability and durability. The Graphco Technical Service Team stands behind every RMGT press and Graphco’s reputation for top-notch service is second to none. Since 1976, Graphco has thrived in an ever-changing market place by loyally adhering to our original model for success: Providing best-in-class print production equipment along with reliable and assured technical service. Learn more about Graphco at www.graphco.com 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. 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 GSNA at www.ryobimhi.com We couldn't have done it without you, our customer
2019 was quite a year. For us at RMGT, it was all about our customers, saving you time, money, and stress. You've helped show that offset is alive and well, augmented by new advancements in LED-UV technology.
So read on and watch our video highlights, and let's look forward to an even better 2020.
Major productivity gains, along with opening up new revenue opportunities drove the decision to invest.
SAN JOSE, CA — November 12, 2019 — Pacific Printing, a union commercial printer based in Silicon Valley, recently installed their second RMGT 9 Series offset press. The president of the company, Andrew Goett, noted that they were looking to expand their offerings to a wide range of services, including offset, digital, wide-format, mailing and fulfillment work. “Strategically, we needed to address some major obstacles to profitability that many printers face in our current economic climate,” states Andrew Goett, President of Pacific Printing. “Back in April 2019, we took the first step by replacing two half-size Komori presses with just one RMGT 9 Series press. This 37-inch press prints an 8-up sheet but fits in the same footprint as the older 28-inch press it replaced. So, we immediately doubled capacity and capabilities without redesigning our floor layout.” This enabled Pacific Printing to gain larger clients and service their existing customers with the upcoming elections. "We have effectively cut that time in half on our first 5-color RMGT 9 Series, and now in half again with the new 8-color Perfector"
Time is a major factor for a mailing and fulfillment shop, where it is all about getting the job done and into the mail stream as fast as possible. “Recently, we ran 125,000 6x11 inch pieces that, on our old press, would have taken us 10-12 hours of press time to produce. We have effectively cut that time in half on our first 5-color RMGT 9 Series, and now in half again with the new 8-color Perfector. We can now go from the press to Post Office in two days. This is going to change our world,” said Goett.
As well as being able to take on larger runs in a shorter time frame, Pacific Printing has seen the advantage of reducing click costs and moving digital work, back to high quality offset, “We probably would not have thought we could go from digital back to offset a year ago,” he continued. “With the cost of plates, chemistry, ink, setup, etc., we wouldn’t have thought the break-even would be that low. But we went to Japan and saw the factory as well as visited RMGT users in Japan. We saw people setting up the press in 5-7 minutes and literally running 70-100 sheets then doing a new setup. That was pretty eye-opening.” In fact, they are already starting to bring some digital work back to offset, with the sweet spot currently falling around 300-400 sheets. “But we anticipate that ‘Mendoza line’ to go even lower as we get better with the machine,” Goett stated. Reducing click costs and moving digital work back to high quality offset
One of the draws for Pacific Printing was that the 37-inch press fits in the same footprint as their older 28-inch press it is replacing, allowing them to expand capacity and capabilities without redesigning their layout. “The price was a draw as well,” said Goett. “Compared to a 40-inch press, when we did price comparisons, it was 30-40% less than most manufacturers were quoting us. We felt the RMGT 9 Series was the best ‘bang for our buck.’”
“This is the perfect example of how the RMGT 9 Series can help transform a shop with the added benefit of creating great new friendships,” said Kian Hemmen, Western Region Sales Manager—RMGT, Print & Finishing Solutions. “During the evaluation process we had the opportunity to really get to know the team at Pacific Printing/Printed Union in their local surroundings, demonstrations in Southern California and a trip to Japan. They really are wonderful people and I look forward to a great, long term relationship with them. Sitting in the lobby and offices of Pacific Printing you feel as home and you can tell that their customers do as well. They currently have political printing down to a science and are very productive. It will be exciting to see where they go with new abilities for specialty work and value add with the new RMGT 9 series Perfector. I believe Pacific Printing is going to see measurable growth in the coming years with this press, and I am looking forward to serving them throughout the entire process.” Creating the Print Shop of Today
As well as investing in two new RMGT 9 Series Presses, Pacific Printing has been dedicated to technology and advanced features. The presses are equipped with Fully Automatic and Simultaneous Plate Changing, 55 Inch Press information displays, Pamarco Ink Sentinels, and proudly boast the 3rd Generation, high powered, Panasonic LED-UV systems. The latest addition was adding the LithoFlash inline color control system from Lithec. “We want our customers to know that we care about what their work looks like. We take pride in our quality and run to G7 Standards.” says Goett
With all the firepower in the pressroom the next bottleneck was the bindery. Pacific Printing quickly reacted and installed a new Horizon Mark III Saddlestitcher with an integrated knife fold unit for cross folding the direct mail booklet, Horizon CRF-362, and Tech Lighting UV Coater. “By being able to skip the folding of signatures it freed up the folders to fold finished product and doubled our production speeds of saddle stitched books. The Horizon Mark III is perfect for our shop, we are tight on space and it uses half as much as our older traditional stitcher.” Slipping a Horizon CRF-362 Creaser/Folder into the bindery also freed up time. “Being able to skip the letter press or the more complex set ups on the folder with scoring wheels and 8 page sections has given us even more time to take on more work and better yet produce a better finished piece. With a dwindling talent pool and peak seasons, Pacific Printing has chosen productivity and automation to meet the demands required. “We are doing a lot more work for our clients in a shorter time period today with the same amount of employees and in the same amount of square footage” The Bay Area has one of the highest costs of living in North America and having the correct equipment and through put capabilities has allowed Pacific Printing the ability to expand and grow the business. About Print & Finishing Solutions (PFS) Print & Finishing Solutions (PFS) is the largest graphic arts service and supplies company west of the Mississippi. It services California, the country, and the world with quality new and used machinery, installation and training, and post-sale support. Specializing in new and refurbished machinery, parts, supplies, and service for the print and graphics industry, PFS supports commercial printers and binderies of all sizes as well as digital printers and corporate and public in-plants. Within its facility, PFS offers two demonstration centers catering to both commercial offset / bindery and digital solutions. The Commercial Showroom features the latest machinery from RMGT, Horizon, Challenge, Perfecta, and Preferred Pack. The Digital / On-Demand Showroom features the latest products from MGI, OkiData, Mimaki, Rhin-O-Tuff, MBM, James Burn, DRYLAM, and others. About RMGT (RYOBI MHI Graphic Technology) RMGT is among the world’s largest manufacturers of sheet-fed offset printing presses and the world leader in LED-UV technology with over 450 placements worldwide. Our high-speed, fully-automated presses are respected worldwide for unsurpassed print quality, low total cost of ownership, extreme ease of operation, and unmatched reliability. In partnership with Panasonic, RMGT released LED-UV Curing for Print at DRUPA 2008 and we now offer the only G3 LED-UV technology on the market. Headquartered outside of Hiroshima Japan, RMGT is a joint venture company bringing together the best technology and manufacturing expertise of Ryobi Limited and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The enhanced product lineup and strengthened manufacturing prowess makes RMGT an indispensable brand for the printing industry. Learn more about RMGT at http://www.ryobimhi.com  RMGT 920 Long Perfector with LED-UV Adds Over 270% More Capacity to an On-Line Early Adopter SOLON, OH — October 30, 2019 — Print Direct for Less (PDFL) epitomizes the incredible success commercial printers can attain when they aren’t afraid of growing in new directions. Founded in 1984, the shop began as a small commercial printer with a two-color offset press that accepted any work that walked in the door. But in 2004, the shop was one of the first to embrace the e-commerce revolution. The rest, as they say, is history. “We began selling online printing and using a gang run approach to jobs very early,” notes Ed Perron Jr., current owner and son of the original founder. “In the world of print, we are a pioneering company. In 2004, there were only a handful of businesses that were willing to take the risk in web-to-print.” Over time, Print Direct for Less strategically upgraded capacity, adding presses that were both faster and that offered more features. In 2008, PDFL purchased a Ryobi 755XL 6-up offset press, which served them well for more than a decade. They were so pleased with its performance, they recently made the decision to upgrade to the RMGT 920PF-8+LED-UV Long Perfector press. This 8-up model brings not only faster speeds, observes Perron, but also sheets that are 25% larger, giving PDFL far more capacity as well. Perron anticipates that sales will at least double within the next 12 months as his staff gets up to full speed with the RMGT 920. Perron anticipates that sales will, at the very least, double within the next 12 months as his staff gets up to full speed with the RMGT 920. “And that growth is just from work we already know is coming in, so that might be a rather low projection,” states Perron. “We are one of the few printers in this area with this type of press, so customers are jumping on board because the LED-UV technology provides something they really need.” “The new perfecting press prints both sides in a single pass,” he says. “We basically just jumped from 6 pages per press pass to 16 pages per cycle as far as total throughput. That, along with a higher press speed, translates to over 270% more work from the same labor hour. Turnaround times are shrinking from 2-6 days to sometimes same day, with a max of three days on most projects. LED-UV curing allows us to go directly from printing into finishing, increasing the max throughput, which is the key to future growth. In fact, we already have a market for this work — not only will we be able to go after work from new customers, we are also picking up a sizeable amount of work from our current customers that we couldn’t handle previously.” The new press was installed in early September, with Perron anticipating a week of training for his staff to get up to full production speed in just two weeks. He notes that because the press it is replacing was also an RMGT product, his staff has an advantage since many of the functions of the press are similar so he doesn’t anticipate a large learning curve. “It’s just going to be learning the news bells and whistles,” he says. Less shifts with increased productivity per shift The new press will allow Print Direct for Less to decrease the number of shifts it operates; currently the shop has two shifts, running 20 hours per day, but Perron believes the RMGT 920 will cut that to a single shift — for now. “With all the new work we anticipate for this press, I think we’ll be loaded back up pretty quickly,” Perron says. “I think we’ll be back to two shifts and maybe a third as our turnaround time and enhanced print quality brings in more and more work.”
Even more than the technology, Perron attributes the success of his shop to the hard work of his 20-plus employees, as well as a loyal customer base that keeps returning — some have been continuous customers since 2004. “We separate ourselves because we are much more customer friendly. Clients are able to get hold of us, and we take a personal interest in every job. A lot of them leave other online printers because they can’t get any real service, but I feel that’s a critical factor in long-term relationships. It’s harder to get a new customer than to keep an old one, if you do all the right things.” “Ed’s story is a true inspiration — a family operation that has grown into a powerhouse printer. And they have done it by being fearless when it comes to investment in new ideas and new equipment, but at the same time, they are smart and strategic about when and how they do it,” notes Chris Manley, president of Graphco, the RMGT Distributor in the Midwest and Southeastern US. “It’s inspiring, and I am proud that Graphco has been part of their journey since Ed’s family purchased their first Ryobi press from us in 2008. I am looking forward to working with PDFL as they grow in the next decade, with the new technology and opportunities the RMGT 920 will bring to their operation.” About Graphco Graphco is the industry’s leading provider of offset, digital, and print finishing solutions. We proudly import the RMGT line of new offset printing presses featuring market-leading LED-UV curing technology, Smart Insta.Color automated make-ready, and our popular Packaging Edition presses. All RMGT presses offer best-in-class reliability and durability. The Graphco Technical Service Team stands behind every RMGT press and Graphco’s reputation for top-notch service is second to none. Since 1976, Graphco has thrived in an ever-changing market place by loyally adhering to our original model for success: Providing best-in-class print production equipment along with reliable and assured technical service. Learn more about Graphco at www.graphco.com About RMGT (RYOBI MHI Graphic Technology) RMGT is among the world’s largest manufacturers of sheet-fed offset printing presses and the world leader in LED-UV technology with over 450 placements worldwide. Our high-speed, fully-automated presses are respected worldwide for unsurpassed print quality, low total cost of ownership, extreme ease of operation, and unmatched reliability. In partnership with Panasonic, RMGT released LED-UV Curing for Print at DRUPA 2008 and we now offer the only G3 LED-UV technology on the market. Headquartered outside of Hiroshima Japan, RMGT is a joint venture company bringing together the best technology and manufacturing expertise of Ryobi Limited and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The enhanced product lineup and strengthened manufacturing prowess makes RMGT an indispensable brand for the printing industry. Learn more about RMGT at http://www.ryobimhi.com |
