Parent firm buys powerful One & Done Solution to print books, magazines, and catalogs in Ohio manufacturing facility

SOLON, OH — Graphco, distributor of the leading 8-UP sheetfed press in North America, has delivered an RMGT 8-color 9 Series perfecting offset press to BR Printers, Inc.’s 200,000-square-foot plant in Cincinnati, OH. After an extremely short installation period, the BR Ohio press crew completed the final calibration of their new press, which features Benford LED curing for instantaneous drying as well as INSTA.COLOR makeready technology with SMART simultaneous auto plate changing. This system allows BR to move from job to job without any interruption using what is known as the ASAP (Automatic Smart Assist Program) System.

“We have finished the ‘finger-printing’ process, and the press now is in full production and printing beautifully,” reported Tim Ruppert, President of BR Ohio. Able to reproduce book and catalog quantities from as few as 50 to as many as 50,000 copies, the RMGT 9 Series replaces a vintage press that served the Ohio printer for over 30 years.

“Now we can more effectively compete in the shorter run (under 5,000), 4-color book market due to the perfect fit 16-page signature sheet configuration,” continues Ruppert. “The newer press basically triples our sheetfed capacity because its maximum speed tops out at 13,000 sheets per hour and as a perfecting press prints double-sided work at double the speed of the older press.”

“The company bought the RMGT 920PF-8+LED to further solidify its high-quality, full-color printing capabilities,” observes John Edwards, President of BR East. “This is not only an 8-up press, but it can also run 16-up on smaller trim sizes.” In addition to BR Ohio, BR East also operates two printing plants in Wisconsin and one in Kentucky. The 31-year-old parent firm, headquartered in San Jose, CA, also runs facilities in San Diego and Denver.

“This latest purchase is part of BR Printers’ ongoing journey and evolution,” noted Graphco President Chris Manley. “Over the past few years, BR’s leadership team has made significant investments to upgrade its printing, fulfillment, and distribution technology. Graphco is proud to have played a leading role in this major expansion including digital, sheet-fed offset and web-offset press equipment, the latter for larger publication volumes.”

Less paper and zero VOCs
Substantially faster makereadies between jobs yield less paper/sheet waste, which means “the RMGT press handles 8-up printing at 6-up prices,” notes Ruppert. “We can get up to color in 100 to 200 sheets, two-sided,” he said. “Before, printing one-sided on the older press, it took about 500 sheets. So that subtracts down to at least a fourfold improvement when it comes to paper waste.”

“Moving from Job A to Job B in a few minutes also opens up our schedule,” states Edwards, “so our speed to market advantage over others has already become a huge selling point. Our finishing capabilities are strong, and now we have the horsepower in the pressroom to load up our binders.”

This RMGT 9 Series perfecting press also features LED technology that instantly cures BR’s printed sheets. While productivity is a top priority throughout the company, employee safety and environmental sustainability also are important factors. “With LED curing units, there are zero VOC [volatile organic compound] gases emitted into the pressroom,” says Manley. “Their old press produced literally tons of VOCs vapor annually.” An added benefit of LED curing: not requiring anti-setoff spray (drying) powder means fewer marking issues on printed sheets as they move through finishing.

LED curing changes liquid ink into a solid using ultraviolet energy. When the energy is absorbed, a polymerization reaction occurs, changing the photo-reactive material into a solid. This process happens instantaneously, making it an appealing alternative to traditional drying methods because it speeds up production workflow. BR Ohio is operating more efficiently because printed product no longer needs to be set overnight to dry. The facility saves on space, and shift workers can pick and choose which jobs to move into post-press based on what makes the most sense for customer deadlines.

Manley cited an energy-related intangible: “Due to the LED dryers, the number of impressions per Kilowatt used has more than doubled while the electrical draw of this press is about the same or less than their 30-year-old machine. This press is now our 15th RMGT Long Perfector placement, and most of our customers report a 3-to-4-fold increase in total throughput. The speed, perfecting, LED curing, and the lowest incidence of downtime in the business all contribute to our customers enjoying The Unfair Advantage. We are proud to continue our decade-long partnership with BR Printers and look forward to many decades to come.”

Learn more about Graphco at www.graphco.com, 800-458-2769.