HIROSHIMA, Japan, and LENEXA, Kansas, November 21, 2006 -- Driven by strong U.S. and worldwide demand growth for offset printing presses, Ryobi Graphic Systems of Hiroshima, Japan, said it will begin construction on a new press manufacturing facility in January 2007. The new facility will be the third at Ryobi’s Hiroshima East central production center. Ryobi also recently reported that its second factory, completed earlier this year, is running at full operation. Ryobi is one of the world’s leading producers of multi-color, mid-size offset printing presses. Ryobi’s newly expanded 215,000 square foot manufacturing center—known as Hiroshima East Plants 1 and 2—generated a 60% increase in production capacity when the second plant became fully operational in late October 2006, according to the company. Ryobi officials said the newest facility, Hiroshima East Plant 3, will be at full-scale operations in September 2007. It will add another 99,000 square feet of manufacturing space and represents a total expected investment of $27 million, the company said. When the third facility is completed, Ryobi will have 314,000 square feet at its Hiroshima East operations, more than double the production capacity Ryobi had in March 2006, officials said. xpedx Printing Technologies, the exclusive U.S. importer and distributor of Ryobi-branded presses, said this expansion will significantly increase capacity to meet growing demand for Ryobi’s six-, four-, and two-up high-speed, multi-color offset presses. The presses range from two- to 10-colors and feature state-of-the-art print technologies including UV coating and drying as well as convertible perfectors. ‘Important development for U.S. printers’ “Ryobi’s capacity expansion is an important development for U.S. printers who understand that mid-size presses help generate profitable growth and meet increasing demand for shorter-run, extreme-quality color,” explains Don Harvey, vice president and general manager of xpedx Printing Technologies in Lenexa, Kansas. “Commercial and in-plant printers who have Ryobi presses say they produce very high-quality print—cost effectively, at high speeds and with quick makereadies,” Harvey said. “These printers consistently tell us Ryobi’s presses are very hardworking, versatile, reliable and easy to operate.” Harvey and xpedx corporate director of marketing services Jeff Higgins late last month led an xpedx delegation to Japan to meet with senior Ryobi executives and discuss sales and marketing plans for 2007. The Ryobi Hiroshima East center represents global best practices in manufacturing and printing equipment production, said Harvey. Workers build each customer’s press to order. All press components are individually checked for quality and inspected by technicians and specialized machines in micron-level detail. Each press is thoroughly tested before being shipped to the customer. Citing increased responsibility to minimize environmental impacts, Ryobi said it has installed special equipment at its Hiroshima East facility to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. It also unveiled new press technology designed to reduce waste and use of chemicals.