Düsseldorf, Germany — One of the first North American press purchases at drupa 2004 was made by Bentley Graphic Communications (BGC). The company selected a six-color MAN Roland 700 with in-line coating and hybrid UV printing capabilities to expand the services it offers to print buyers in the Mid Atlantic region. The 28,000 sq. ft. facility, which is located in the suburban Philadelphia community of Pottstown, will add the new system to a pressroom that currently runs a five-color ROLAND 700 and a six-color ROLAND 300 — both perfectors. A North American First The new 41-inch 700 at Bentley will be the first in North America to be equipped with MAN Roland’s new QuickChange suite of makeready enhancement modules. The package of automated advancements is designed to trim an additional 30% off the ROLAND 700’s already efficient makereadies. “The ROLAND 700 already provides the fastest makereadies in the industry,” says Jamie Bentley, CEO of the commercial shop. “With QuickChange on the new press, we’ll be able to compress our production timeframes even tighter so we can be more responsive to our customers and their quick turn, short run needs.” Market Making Capabilities Bentley says there is a long list of other reasons the new machine will be a market-maker for his company: “Being able to print with conventional and UV inks and coatings on the same press is a very unique and powerful combination. We can apply spot UV as well as flooding the sheet with a UV coating. That gives our customers more options.” The new Bentley 700 will be equipped with integrated interdeck and delivery dryer modules that instantly cure the UV chemistry, drying the sheet so it’s ready immediately for the next stage of production. In addition to their production efficiencies, UV inks and coatings provide superior gloss and greater rub resistance than conventional formulas. That makes them a favorite for a wider variety of print buyers. “This co-cure technology also will allow us to print on plastics, and will equip us to enter the packaging market as well,” says Bentley. “We already know it’s a fantastic press for commercial printing because we’ve been running a five–color 700 for years.” BGC will use the coating capabilities of its new machine to accelerate its production workflow. “Coating allows us to handle a sheet as soon as it comes off the press, so it can go right to the bindery. That will enhance the service aspect of the business. We’ll have the ability to save critical time on certain jobs. That can be a critical factor to winning the business or meeting a client’s tight deadline.” Bob Tursack, Bentley Graphic Communications’ Chief Operating Officer and Principal, sees the new press from a somewhat different perspective. "After 25 years of working with another manufacturer, I was very hesitant to deviate from what I know,” he says. “However, I am increasingly impressed with the speed and virtual ‘markless’ printing capabilities of the 700 machine.” Tursack also has views on the press’ job-to-job efficiencies and MAN Roland’s potential as a production partner. “The speed at which you can makeready on this press is really quite amazing,” he notes. “And, the organization is forward-thinking and poised for future efficiencies to be gained by integrating manufacturing with MIS systems. MAN Roland presents itself as a credible partner for profitable growth and market capture." Training for the Future The printing executive sees an easy learning curve for his press crews on the new equipment. For one thing, Bentley pressmen are already well versed in operating MAN Roland presses via the PECOM operating system. Secondly, MAN Roland will provide an intense training package with the new press, designed to help the operators make the most of every automated advantage. Bentley crews are slated for 160 hours of PowerPrinter training. That educational opportunity can take place before the press arrives, since it is conducted at MAN Roland’s Graphic Training Center outside of Chicago. An additional 200 hours of onsite training on the new press also has been reserved. The Pennsylvania printer already knows how to convert technological advancements into benefits for its customers. Bentley Graphics Communications was among the first facilities in North America to run the advanced PECOM modules JobPilot and PressMonitor. JobPilot lets Bentley’s VP of manufacturing, Peter Korpel, makeready the company’s MAN Roland presses from a Windows PC, while the machines continue to print the previous job. That maximizes press uptime, while shrinking the set-up interval. PressMonitor, meanwhile, provides detailed reports on virtually ever aspect of print production, so that variables like crew performance and stock selection can be analyzed and refined. From PECOM to Printnet “We look forward to integrating our new six-color 700 into our PECOM network, which we are going to upgrade to MAN Roland’s new Printnet,” Bentley says. Printnet is the digital backbone developed by MAN Roland’s ppi division that enables JDF-compliant devices to communicate and work with each other in an integrated workflow. The printnet module is backward-compatible with all PECOM functions on existing MAN Roland presses, while superceding PECOM on new models. “We’re very pleased with the new JDF capabilities of printnet and we’re very excited about our EFI Management Information System — PSI — becoming JDF compliant,” Bentley observes. “With the two working together, we’ll see the time spent doing off-press makereadies decrease further because the info that our project managers put into the virtual job jackets will flow directly into printnet and right to the press.” Service Scope Bentley was also impressed with MAN Roland’s new TelePresence service, which was announced at drupa: “TelePresence will tie both my new 706 hybrid UV machine and my existing 705 perfector to the Internet and into MAN Roland’s service and technical offices. With our permission, they can look into our machines and respond immediate to any of our service needs — 24/7.” TelePresence also brings remote control capabilities to the table, so that repair or maintenance procedures can be carried out immediately by Bentley press crews. The development allows MAN Roland technicians to pull digital images from the press’ database and put them up on the console monitor to help pressmen identify replacement parts or find the location of a problem. BGC press crews, in turn, will be able to send live video images of the problem area to the MAN Roland technicians, using the systems wireless video camera. “We expect that many service calls will be eliminated, thanks to TelePresence,” Bentley says. Bentley Graphic Communications runs Artwork and Creo in its prepress department, and plans to test stochastic and other special screening techniques on its new ROLAND 700. The company also recently opened a digital division, running two Xerox DocuTechs and a 6060 digital press that boasts in-line finishing capabilities. “The 6060 gives us the ability to quickly knockout a couple hundred copies of a 32-page full-color magazine for a board of directors meeting,” Bentley says. “Then in two weeks we can come back and print 15,000 copies on the 700 for wider distribution.” BGC also plans to take advantage of the quick turnaround capabilities of the new 700 to print the shorter runs its clients require to keep their print inventories low and their promotional material timely. “Our customers rely on us to make sure that they’re always just enough copies on the shelves of our fulfillment facility, but not so many as to become obsolete,” notes Bentley. “Our new ROLAND 700 will keep both BGC and our customers current and growing.”