Allentown, Pennsylvania - Nacci Printing is expanding its production capabilities and extending its marketplace reach with the acquisition of a six-up six-color ROLAND 300 press with in-line coating and perfecting. "We’re trading-in a two-up four-color GTO perfecting press with no automation to make room for our new ROLAND 300," says Frank Nacci, President and CEO of the company he founded in 1974. "This press has the automation we’re looking for to get to the next level of business." That level includes using the six-up format of the ROLAND 300 and the press’ 15,000 sph speed to go after jobs that used to be restricted to 40-inch presses. The company also has its eyes on projects that are now being printed four-up, because the six-up format yields 50% more product on every sheet. "The ROLAND 300 puts us right into the middle of the market," Nacci explains. "It’s more agile than the 40-inch machines out there and it more productive than conventional half-size presses." One of the keys to the ROLAND 300’s market-making capabilities is its PECOM operating system. "It’s a tremendous time saver," Nacci declares. "We’ll be able to send job files right to the PECOM console and the system will automatically adjust our ink fountains and preset dozens of other parameters on the press." The Nacci 300 will be equipped with the advanced PECOM modules JobPilot and PressMonitor. The first will allow the company’s press operators to makeready a job online, but off-press. That means the press can be running a job while the next project is being preset. PressMonitor will provide both real time and archival data on every job the 300 prints. The stats are useful in nailing down such variables as press crew performance, the printabilty of different stocks, and the compatibility of different plates and blankets. Frank Nacci looks forward to such efficiencies because his staff of 25 has been racking up significant overtime hours in recent years to keep up with the increasing demand from the company’s growing client list. Holding things up is the fact that the company’s GTO takes 45 to 50 minutes to makeready. "We’re in a short run environment, like all printers," he says. "And the long makeready times on the GTO really limit us to the number of jobs we can do in a given day. That’s where this new press is going to be a tremendous asset to us. It’s a six-up system that will makeready in less than half the time it takes our current two-up machine to get rolling." One of Nacci Printing’s regularly recurring jobs — a 4/2 booklet that requires coating — is now produced on two presses. The perfecting and coating capabilities of the ROLAND 300, will allow the company to complete the entire project in one pass. "We want to react to what our customers’ needs are, not to what the machines have the capacity to do," Nacci notes. "We’re fulfilling their requirements, not trying to suit their work to our equipment." That customer-centric perspective has served the company well in recent years. Nacci Printing registered an 18% increase in sales in 2001, a 15% rise in 2002 and is on track for a 20% boost this year. "We figure that if we can grow at those rates in poor market, we’ll be expanding even more in a good economic climate," Nacci says. "But we need the capacity to get there. That’s why we went with MAN Roland." Nacci will surround the new machine, slated for a December installation, with a CTP workflow powered by Presstek and PCC Artworks and a full-service bindery. The company also runs a Docutech 2045 for very short digital runs, an Epson wide format printer for proofing and signage, and a two-color Speedmaster 74 perfector. "I had Heidelbergs, so MAN Roland really had an uphill road not only educate me about its technology, but just to get through the door," Nacci recalls. "But the more I learned about MAN Roland technology and the more people I met, the more comfortable I became. Then I called up some MAN Roland customers. They are very pleased with their equipment. Their feedback made me a believer." Nacci Printing differentiates itself from other printers in its Lehigh Valley marketplace by maintaining an on-site graphic arts and digital photography studio. "We’ve got four artists and they’re busy all the time. A customer just needs to bring us an idea and we can do it all from design to delivery." The company’s location is also a key to its success. The 10,000 sq ft facility sits right off Interstate 78/22, and boasts a large sign that highlights its services to the 82,000 daily commuters who pass by every day. "We moved to this building eight years ago from a 2,000 sq. ft facility because I knew this location would attract some attention," Nacci says. "It continues to do that job." Nacci’s ROLAND 300 will expand the types of jobs the company can handle. The printer is looking forward to capturing work that require heavier stock or even same day turnaround, and plans to expand its presence in the nearby New York and Philadelphia markets. "We have the good location, the great people and the valuable experience to excel at what we do," Frank Nacci declares. "With the ROLAND 300 we’ll have a press to magnify those advantages."