The crew at Allied Printing Providers is proud to be working a brand new Rapida 106 X double coater UV perfector press, the primary of such a configuration within the U.S. They’re (left to proper) John Sommers, president; Kevin Howard, vice chairman sheetfed, net and postpress; Gerry Dugan, sheetfed supervisor; and Jon Kaufman, senior vice chairman of expertise.
Manchester, CT set up marks the sixth press in 12 years of this long-lasting partnership and Allied’s robust development
- Eight colour four-over-four double-coater perfector configured to print each standard and UV inks for each two-sided coated or straight mode productiveness
- Allied’s development is spurred by range in business, unsolicited mail, and packaging fueling double-digit earnings
- New totally automated perfector and straight press offers a number of modes appearing like a “Swiss Military knife” to assist 20% development
As one other new yr commences at Allied Printing Providers, there’s a brand new refined high-performance mannequin on the pressroom flooring on the Manchester, CT facility: a brand new Rapida 106 X double coater UV perfector press, the primary of such a configuration within the U.S., which proudly sits subsequent to an array of Koenig & Bauer Rapida printing presses.
“We pleasure ourselves on offering the very best high quality work, it doesn’t matter what we print,” says John Sommers, president and CEO of Allied Printing Providers. “This funding is a recreation changer for our enterprise. It demonstrates the versality, creativity, top quality, and speed-to-market that we will ship to our clients.”
The brand new press is a specifically configured eight-color four-over-four perfector working at 18,000 sph that prints each standard and UV inks. It’s designed with 4 print models, plus coater, two drying towers, one other 4 models, and one other coater with a 12-ft supply. It’s totally automated with FAPC (Totally auto-plate altering), auto blanket/Impression cylinder washing, and the award profitable sidelay free SIS system. The vast majority of its work is two-sided coated business work however it’s also used for various mixtures of packaging jobs in straight mode.
“Versatility for us is essential,” says Sommers. “With any funding, we don’t purchase gear for one particular buyer or challenge. You by no means know what’s across the nook, buyer demand can change, and we have now a really numerous buyer base. Having the Rapida 106 X provides us redundancy in six-color UV, permits for preventative upkeep and scheduling, and way more versatility.”
Whereas unsolicited mail and variable knowledge digital printing are additionally a few of Allied’s quickest rising areas, all of its vertical markets are growing their advertising budgets. For instance, the journey business is promoting a premium product to draw vacationers. Allied is producing refined coffee-table like booklets with digital and standard parts.The agency can be inviting journey executives to go to the Connecticut facility to show the completely different strategies that may be achieved on the Rapida 106 X. Having a UV press with a coating unit within the center permits Allied to collaborate with designers for additional particular appears to be like and processes.
“2021 was a document yr for us at Allied and final yr we have been up 20%,” says Sommers. “In 2023 we count on continued robust development. Including this press provides us additional capability, which we’ll want. Packaging is one other rising marketplace for us and we’re seeing clients growing their advertising budgets to face out on the shop shelf or the mailbox. They’re all rebounding from the pandemic, pushing the envelope and attempting new issues to promote their merchandise.”
“We have been reluctant to put in a perfector press up to now,” says Sommers, “however I stored seeing increasingly more printers putting in perfector presses. After I discovered about Koenig & Bauer’s superior expertise after which seeing a Rapida perfector press in motion, it opened my eyes to the numerous prospects of proudly owning one. This pointed to a optimistic ROI on investing within the Rapida 106 X double coater perfector press.”
Allied’s buyer base calls for speed-to-market on this aggressive panorama and the brand new Rapida 106 X offers them with an enormous benefit. Press operators have had it working at its prime velocity of 18,000 sph two sheets per facet. However, as Sommers notes, that quantity is even larger as a result of they aren’t performing makeready or hanging new plates. In his thoughts, it’s a win for everyone because the agency derives extra capability.
Allied is networking its 4 Koenig & Bauer presses along with the newest model of LogoTronic software program to supply extra effectivity, scheduling, and upkeep studies. It permits managers to get up-to-the-minute knowledge on press exercise and OEE outcomes. The brand new Rapida 106 X is networked to Allied’s Rapida 106 six-color double coater UV press, Rapida 106 eight-color standard press, and Rapida 106 six-color standard press; these present presses are working at 20,000 sph. Now Allied has two UV presses and two standard presses.
“The Rapida 106 X provides us a lot alternative and differentiates us from our opponents,” says Sommers. “It’s like a Swiss Military knife with a number of instruments and benefits. When clients come to go to, they’re blown away by the aesthetic magnificence and class of the brand new press. You’ll be able to’t miss the shiny black print models with LED lighting that appears like a variety of iPhones sitting side-by-side. Some clients describe it as a spaceship. It actually stands out on our pressroom. Extra importantly, we’re proud to be working Koenig & Bauer’s distinctive equipment.”