September 11, 2007 -- Less than four years after expanding its headquarters in Oakdale, Pennsylvania, Knepper Press is constructing a brand new 100,000 sq ft production facility that will be anchored by two new MAN Roland presses. A five-color ROTOMAN web press and a ten-color ROLAND 700 HiPrint perfector will be installed this spring to inaugurate the opening of new plant.
"We are building the new facility near our current location and will relocate the entire company once the ROTOMAN is up and running," says Bill Knepper, who co-owns the company with partner Ted Ford. "We will also be installing a new 10-color ROLAND 700 HiPrint in our new facility."
Describing itself has a full-service graphic arts producer; the suburban-Pittsburgh printer currently runs a fleet of sheetfed and half web presses, producing a variety of commercial and publication work. "We focus on being able to deliver the most cost-effective print solutions to meet our customers' needs," says Ted Ford.
First Full-Size Web Press
The 16-page ROTOMAN was selected as the company's first full-size web press to bolster those customer-centric benefits. "We chose ROTOMAN for its speed, automation, engineering, and reputation within the printing industry," Knepper says. "We were also very impressed with the support team and commitment from both MAN Roland in the US and in Augsburg, Germany, where the press is manufactured."
The five-color system will be configured with a full superstructure, 65,000 copies per hour combination folder, and VITS Rotocut sheeter. It will also employ the latest press management technology from Quad Tech, including a Color Control System with Instrument Flight, Register Guidance, Ribbon and Cutoff modules. Installation of the press is scheduled to begin in the Spring.
ROTOMAN's printnet press automation and operating system equips the press to move rapidly from job-to-job, while its printing units are designed for optimum reproductive quality. Both are attributes that will come in handy at Knepper Press. "We will be producing a wide variety of both folded and sheeted products," Knepper says, "but we will be focusing on short-to-medium run lengths, concentrating on high-quality sheetfed-type work."

Growth Combo
Both new presses are expected to play big parts in the company's continued growth. "The ROTOMAN will obviously open many new markets for us as well as complement our ROLAND 700 HiPrint," Knepper declares. "The combination of both presses will make us very competitive in all four- and five-color printing from the shortest runs to much larger runs on which we cannot currently compete. Our expanded pressroom will allow us to provide our current and new customers a single source and a competitive solution for any of their print requirements."
One of Knepper Press' current sheetfed presses is equipped with a sheeter that lets it utilize less costly web rolls and lighter-weight stock for its catalog clients. The device will be transferred over to the new ROLAND 700 HiPrint once that press is installed.
Knepper Press' experience with MAN Roland service and support is another major reason the printer selected the press maker for its next two major capital acquisitions. "MAN Roland has a very talented and dedicated staff of mechanics, electricians, and technical support that make keeping us up and running their top priority," Knepper observes.
Starting and Finishing
As its pressroom power grows, so too will Knepper Press' prepress capabilities. "In the near future, we will be upgrading our Agfa ApogeeX workflow to the latest 4.0 version," Knepper reports. "We also will be adding an additional plate setter to handle our increased plate demands and to provide backup to our existing fully automatic system."
The Knepper Press bindery will also sport a more powerful look. "Finishing will be our greatest challenge, especially given the immense output capabilities of our new pressroom," Knepper says. "We recently purchased our second fully automated Polar Autotrim cutting system. Next, we will be looking at additional high-speed stitching solutions and folding capacity. We will actively increase our bindery capabilities, as we begin to bring the new presses online with the latest in finishing technology."
Vince Lapinski, CEO of MAN Roland, shares: "We are proud to continue to play a role in the success of Knepper Press. Being selected to provide their next sheetfed press as well as their first full-size web — a new ROTOMAN — illustrates how well we are working together. We look forward to partnering with the team at Knepper Press to help them achieve greater success for years to come."