Having enjoyed great success since it acquired a seven-color ROLAND 700 HiPrint two years ago, Kawashima Printing Co., Ltd., the prestigious Tohoku-based Japanese commercial printer is returning to Manroland by purchasing another two ROLAND 700 presses.

Kawashima Printing specializes in glossy brochures, postcards and leaflets – all of which are much in demand because the Tohoku region is a favourite tourist destination and home to the world-famous Hiraizumi temples.

To grow its business, Kawashima continuously invests in the world’s latest printing technologies. For years, the company has been using Manroland sheetfed offsets.

Having expanded its production facility, Kawashima is adding two new ROLAND presses – an eight-color ROLAND 700 Perfecting press with DirectDrive technology and a seven-color ROLAND 700 HiPrint equipped with inline coating module. Its aim is to meet the growing demand in the commercial printing market and provide more added value to the products of its customers. ?

Kawashima's president, Mr. Yoshinori Kikuchi, points to the "ground breaking technologies" of the InlineColorPilot and DirectDrive as main reasons for the company’s choice of presses. "They will definitely enable us to deliver better service and bring more added value to our customers,” Mr. Kikuchi adds.

The InlineColorPilot ensures stable and high-quality printing by automatically measuring and regulating the ink density, and detecting and correcting inline even the slightest color variation -- all while the press is in full production speed. This is done without having to pull the sheets out of the press or interrupting the smooth production flow. Hence, it does not only guarantee color consistency, but also reduces wastage and make-ready time. Job changes are also easier and quicker.

Production requires considerably less make-ready time and less labor cost with the help of the DirectDrive. With this technology, the printing plates in all the printing units can be changed at the same time. Automatic and simultaneous cleaning of the blanket and impression cylinder is also possible. So plenty of time is saved in changing print jobs. Shorter production leads to prompt delivery to the customers.

“In such a competitive commercial printing industry in Japan, we are trying to be a company who can propose solution planning in communication media with design planning service,'' Mr. Kikuchi said. "With the world’s more advanced printing technologies and the strong support from Manroland, we are ready to help our clients in the best possible way, including in sales activities.”