News
UK First for KEP with ROLAND 706 and Inline-Coater Smart
Tamworth-based KEP Print Group has announced details of an order for a ROLAND 700 HiPrint six-unit B1-format press. The machine will be the first in the UK to be equipped with manroland’s Inline Coater Smart unit – a “swing-away” coating system. The press will replace an existing, similar five-unit manroland machine.
“We continue to expand, and continue to win more business from both new and existing clients,” said Mark Plowman, Managing Director of KEP. “This purchase will provide us with a higher level of automation on the press, a sixth printing unit, and the option of turning that unit into a coating device if we need to. We decided on the Inline Coater Smart configuration as it provides for a more compact unit. To opt for the dedicated manroland coating system would have added significantly to the overall length of the machine, and space is still at a bit of a premium for us.”
Inline Coater Smart consists of an anilox roller which applies the coating direct to the blanket of the last printing unit. It is suitable for applying coatings from 9 to 11gsm. The ROLAND 700’s automated brush wash-up system ensures a thorough clean up of the printing unit, ensuring that it is suitable for standard ink printing on jobs requiring a sixth colour. The system includes IR dryers installed in the standard delivery of the press. Inline Coater Smart is available as an optional upgrade for existing ROLAND 700 users (post-1995 models).
In addition to the B1-format machine, KEP runs a B2-format ROLAND 200 and a five-colour size-8 ROLAND 900XXL. The company also provides screen printing and large format digital print production.
The KEP Print Group was started some 28 years ago by Mark and his father. Originally dedicated to screen printing, the company moved into offset-litho printing in 1995 with a B0 format press for poster printing. The company then stepped into commercial litho printing with two Roland Rekord machine in 1999. The company now employs over 50 personnel and operates a double-day shift for national and international clients.
“We also selected the six unit version of the ROLAND 700 HiPrint with future upgrade potential in mind,” added Mark Plowman. “manroland’s excellent inline foiling system has certainly grabbed our attention when we have seen it demonstrated. Our workload doesn’t yet demand an expenditure in that direction, but if we find an increasing demand for foiling work in the future, we can adapt this press to incorporate the Inline Foiler Prindor system onto the first two printing units, and then still add four-colour printing to the foiled base.”
“Mark and his team have been manroland enthusiasts for many years, and we are, of course, delighted to see how much KEP has grown during that time,” said Gary Doman, Sales Director for Sheetfed Products at manroland GB. “We are excited by the inclusion of the Inline Coater Smart option – the first such installation in the UK. We believe that a number of other UK printers will be keen to see how well it performs, and the benefits that KEP will achieve by keeping the press configuration flexible.”
For further information on KEP Print Group please visit www.kepprintgroup.co.uk or call 0182 728 0880.
UK First for KEP with ROLAND 706 and Inline-Coater Smart
Tamworth-based KEP Print Group has announced details of an order for a ROLAND 700 HiPrint six-unit B1-format press. The machine will be the first in the UK to be equipped with manroland’s Inline Coater Smart unit – a “swing-away” coating system. The press will replace an existing, similar five-unit manroland machine.
“We continue to expand, and continue to win more business from both new and existing clients,” said Mark Plowman, Managing Director of KEP. “This purchase will provide us with a higher level of automation on the press, a sixth printing unit, and the option of turning that unit into a coating device if we need to. We decided on the Inline Coater Smart configuration as it provides for a more compact unit. To opt for the dedicated manroland coating system would have added significantly to the overall length of the machine, and space is still at a bit of a premium for us.”Inline Coater Smart consists of an anilox roller which applies the coating direct to the blanket of the last printing unit. It is suitable for applying coatings from 9 to 11gsm. The ROLAND 700’s automated brush wash-up system ensures a thorough clean up of the printing unit, ensuring that it is suitable for standard ink printing on jobs requiring a sixth colour. The system includes IR dryers installed in the standard delivery of the press. Inline Coater Smart is available as an optional upgrade for existing ROLAND 700 users (post-1995 models).
In addition to the B1-format machine, KEP runs a B2-format ROLAND 200 and a five-colour size-8 ROLAND 900XXL. The company also provides screen printing and large format digital print production.
The KEP Print Group was started some 28 years ago by Mark and his father. Originally dedicated to screen printing, the company moved into offset-litho printing in 1995 with a B0 format press for poster printing. The company then stepped into commercial litho printing with two Roland Rekord machine in 1999. The company now employs over 50 personnel and operates a double-day shift for national and international clients.
“We also selected the six unit version of the ROLAND 700 HiPrint with future upgrade potential in mind,” added Mark Plowman. “manroland’s excellent inline foiling system has certainly grabbed our attention when we have seen it demonstrated. Our workload doesn’t yet demand an expenditure in that direction, but if we find an increasing demand for foiling work in the future, we can adapt this press to incorporate the Inline Foiler Prindor system onto the first two printing units, and then still add four-colour printing to the foiled base.”“Mark and his team have been manroland enthusiasts for many years, and we are, of course, delighted to see how much KEP has grown during that time,” said Gary Doman, Sales Director for Sheetfed Products at manroland GB. “We are excited by the inclusion of the Inline Coater Smart option – the first such installation in the UK. We believe that a number of other UK printers will be keen to see how well it performs, and the benefits that KEP will achieve by keeping the press configuration flexible.”
For further information on KEP Print Group please visit www.kepprintgroup.co.uk or call 0182 728 0880.
