May 22, 2008 – Trumbull, CT– Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, announced today that direct marketing leader Direct Group has purchased 32 Océ VarioStream 8750 systems to upgrade capacity; increase uptime, speed and operational efficiencies; and take advantage of some of the industry’s latest digital technology, including flexible color and MICR printing.

Direct Group, a fully integrated direct marketing solutions provider, serves clients in financial services, insurance, nonprofit and other industries. The first of the new Océ units will ship this month, with the majority of the systems expected to be in place by August of this year. With the addition of the Océ VarioStream 8750 systems, in the last 60 days Direct Group has completed a dramatic reconfiguration of its personalization platform with a total of 47 printing engines from Océ, including the industry-leading Océ JetStream ink jet system and Océ VarioPrint 6000 systems with Océ Gemini Instant Duplex technology. This fleet of machines improves Direct Group’s ability to meet its customers’ complex requirements for fulfillment, quality, speed and versatility. 

“With the help of Océ, Direct Group now has one of the most advanced personalization platforms in the United States leveraging the newest technology,” said Direct Group President and CEO, Don McKenzie. “Only Océ can go end-to-end with the full scope of print solutions that we need, from the Océ VarioPrint 6250 cut-sheet systems to the very high speed, full color Océ JetStream ink jet system, and now with our 32 Océ VarioStream 8750 printers. We have tremendous confidence in the Océ team to continue to evolve technology that helps us meet the needs of our sophisticated multi-channel clients.”
With the latest Océ technology, Direct Group is positioned to deliver fast, large-scale personalization as well as highly targeted, multiple-cell trigger mailings using fully variable color formats – all for customers who do business in highly competitive industries. The systems will produce materials for direct marketing campaigns, primarily for clients in the financial, telecom and insurance sectors, where sophisticated personalization capabilities, speed-to-market and cost control are paramount to providing maximum campaign ROI. 

“We are extremely excited about the continued growth of our ongoing relationship with Direct Group. We understand how important it is for Direct Group to provide state-of-the-art personalization campaigns to serve their customers, and we are committed to helping them achieve their goals,” said Mal Baboyian, President, Production Printing Systems, Océ North America.

The new Océ VarioStream 8750 systems will deliver high quality digital output 25 percent faster than the existing systems. As a result, Direct Group can take on additional business opportunities without increasing footprint in their production space. Print volumes on the Océ VarioStream systems are expected to be up to 300 million personalized letters per month, depending on format. 

Key features of the Océ VarioStream 8750 systems include black and white, highlight color, duplex and MICR printing capabilities. At Direct Group, all of these printers will be configured for two-sided output with MICR printing, thus ensuring consistency on every engine and every page. Operators will centrally and efficiently manage all the systems from one console using Océ PRISMA® workflow software, thus improving operational efficiency as well.