October 2007 -- Fannon Fine Printing in Alexandria, Virginia has successfully installed a new ROLAND 500 29-inch press to accelerate its production flow. The six-color-plus-coating system replaces a pressroom full of equipment that had included a 40-inch six-color ROLAND Rekord, a 20-inch four-color GTO, and an 18-inch Quickmaster DI direct imaging machine.
"The installation went as expected," says Daniel Fannon, who owns and runs the facility. "We were faced with considerable restraints in terms of both space and time, but the MAN Roland team was able to make it all happen as planned, even with a couple of unforeseen obstacles."
During the last week of installation, it was necessary to operate the ROLAND 500 and Fannon's soon-to-be-removed Rekord in the same time and space to meet production deadlines. "We had the delivery of the Rekord only four feet from the feeder of our 500...and both presses were running," says Fannon. "But the MAN Roland crew made it work smoothly. When all is said and done, we couldn't have been happier with their onsite installation team."
New Press - New Business
Fannon Fine Printing's customers, both new and old, are also pleased. "The press has already brought in new business because of its capabilities, both in terms of print quality and fast turn times," Fannon reports. "We can confidently compete with the fastest presses and the highest quality printing...if not surpass…with our new ROLAND 500."
Fannon's new press is turning out to be a workhorse as well. In just over three months, it has produced more than three million impressions, running a single shift with the occasional overtime factored in.
Meanwhile, Fannon's press operators are going to the head of the class. "We have just completed one of the follow-up sessions with a demonstrator and his comment was that he is extremely impressed with how well we're learning the 500," Fannon notes.
Partial to printnet
The Fannon crew found MAN Roland's printnet PressManager, used for off press, online makereadies, to be easy to master. They had it and the press' TelePresence remote diagnostic system figured out in two months time. "printnet has improved our makereadies to the point where we can almost sell the first sheets off the press," says Fannon. "In fact, there are probably many printers out there who would sell these sheets."
Fannon reports it took an extra few weeks to fully understand all of the operational benefits the 500's feeder provides, but it was a lesson well worth learning. "Now it goes flat out and we're able to run steady at 16,000/hr on all sorts of paper stocks," Fannon declares.
MAN Roland's TelePresence remote diagnostic system also proved its value during the installation. "Along with the printservices support department, it has ensured that the machine continues to run reliably," according to Fannon.
Press Promotion
In the coming weeks, the ROLAND 500 could be running longer every day, thanks to market and promotional campaign on behalf of the new press. Fannon has produced a "birth announcement" for its ROLAND 500, touting all the benefits the press delivers to print buyers. The mailing is geared towards creative clients. Another piece is being designed to showcase all of the company's capabilities, and an open house event is planned for November.