(November 10, 2008) Automated efficiencies, output quality and service support propel Western Michigan printer’s expansion of manroland sheetfed presses Wynalda Litho is at it again.  Hardly had the Belmont, MI, firm’s new ROLAND 900 XXL large format press become fully operational earlier in 2008 and a new 6-color ROLAND 700 press was on its way.

The one-time all-Heidelberg shop now relies on six manroland sheetfeds: two    ROLAND 900 large format presses — a 56-inch, 8-color press with UV coater and a newer, 64-inch, 6-color with aqueous coater — plus four ROLAND 700s.  Each of Wynalda’s back-to-back buildings houses a 7-color and a 6-color 700 press.  The company signed off on its latest, complete with in-line UV coating and a sheeter, in mid-September.

The new 700 also has lenticular capabilities, said Mickey Waite, Wynalda Litho’s marketing manager.  “We’ve been getting more inquiries for lenticular packaging as studios look for ways to differentiate their DVDs and increase shelf impact.”
Western Michigan’s movie mogul

The bulk of Wynalda’s business (over 80 percent) comes from DVD packaging, for which the firm has earned numerous awards, plus CDs and specialty packages for the Entertainment industry.  Wynalda has developed its own molded paper DVD-CD trays as production companies increasingly opt for environmentally friendly,  renewable-resource based packaging.  Wynalda trays are made from 100 percent recycled post-consumer paper and are recyclable as well.  The trays also are lighter in weight and less expensive to ship than traditional plastic.

Whichever packaging clients prefer, paper or plastic (which, by far, most DVD and CD packages still are), Wynalda’s manroland press corps is primed to deliver.

“Along with enabling us to produce lenticular packaging, our newest ROLAND 700 allows us to do better work on plastics, period.  We get better registration and heat dissipation,” Waite said.  “Heat is a big issue when you are printing on plastics.  It can start to melt and change size on you.  This press eliminates some of the heat.” 

Wynalda also does a lot of printing on PET and PVC, plus SBS (Solid Bleached Sulfate paperboard), foil board and other substrates.

‘Bigger, better, faster, stronger’, and automation is good, too

What prompted the shift to manroland?  “The biggest thing for us is to get more done and fast, because the studios don’t give us a lot of extra time.  Compared to our previous 40-inch presses, the 56-inch, 8-color ROLAND 900 with UV coater turns out a lot more in less time,” Waite said.

“When we went for ‘bigger – better – faster – stronger’ with manroland, we also got ‘easier to use’, with automated plate loading and other computer-assisted setups.  Everybody liked that.  Based on the performance with these systems and the great customer service we get, it just makes sense to keep replacing and, in essence, upgrading with manroland.”

All six of Wynalda’s manroland presses are networked with the printnet® system, which speeds make-readies on every press and every job.

“Our guys really like printnet and the ColorPilot color control system.  The newest generation of printnet software is easier than ever to use and a real benefit to us,” Waite said.  “It allows our prepress department to input information directly into the press, dramatically reducing the amount of make-ready time required to prepare the press.  In addition to the software, we are also discovering the benefits of the ColorPilot system.  It gives us a visual representation of color information that we can now control and automatically correct.”

Expanding with complementary press capabilities

After the initial decision to replace their previous presses with the ROLAND 700s, strategic Wynalda growth plans led to the 64-inch large format ROLAND 900 XXL.  The ROLAND 900 press has taken over most of the shop’s non-entertainment         production, including folding carton and other packaging for electronics (software), pharmaceutical, personal care, and food clients. 

“Many of the boxes are for macaroni ’n cheese, pizza, ice cream cones and the like.  The 900’s capacity, speed and flexibility allows us to handle a multitude of    diverse package printing needs quickly and efficiently,” Waite said.

This also frees up the 8-color ROLAND 900 and ROLAND 700s to focus on more extended DVD packaging color work, along with embossing, varnishes and other special effects.  The newest ROLAND 700 broadens Wynalda capabilities further, while also expanding its capacity.

More capacity + more capability + more efficiency = Wynalda Litho’s three-pronged strategy for more on its bottom line.