Piscataway, NJ - The primary goal of Graphic Packaging International, Inc. is customer satisfaction. With end users of packaging demanding more colors and higher quality, the Marietta, Ga.-based innovator purchased an eight-color Mitsubishi Diamond V3000LX equipped for applying ultraviolet (UV) coatings and targeted the highly automated press for its consumer products division in Piscataway, N.J.

"We purchased the new press to give us some more print capacity along with offering our customers a more competitive price structure," said Joe Mahoney, plant manager. "The eight-color configuration also will give designers more creative options than before."

Staffed by 150 employees, the Piscataway plant, formerly Arko Paper Products Co., Inc., specializes in package printing for the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, medical and more recently food industries. About 65 percent of its work is 7,500 sheets or less.

"Efficiency is critical with the high number of job changeovers we perform each day," Mahoney noted. "Right now, around half of our time is spent on makereadies. As a result, we wanted every bell and whistle on the new press. For instance, the SimulChanger plate-changing system was added to reduce makeready time. The quicker we can get a job up and running, the more throughput we have."

The Diamond V3000LX is the fourth Mitsubishi press at the Piscataway location and one of three featuring fully interdecked UV systems. The existing Mitsubishi presses on the pressroom floor are all six-color, 40-inch models. Only one of the presses includes an aqueous coater.

"We invest in UV capabilities because most of the work we do is high-end cosmetic packaging with a high degree of value-added," Mahoney explained. "We emphasize flood and spot UV coatings, stamping and embossing."

The Diamond V3000LX accommodates a maximum sheet of 29 1/2 x 41 11/32 inches and handles up to 40-point board.

"Since we run a lot of combination forms and a lot of small cartons, the larger sheet size will be able to give us a more robust layout," Mahoney said.