Langenhagen, Germany - Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH has today named PLS Print Logistic Services Germany GmbH in Markkleeberg, Germany, as the first European beta site customer for its KM-1 UV digital sheet-fed press. Live printing is expected to start in March.

PLS is a subsidiary of the American online printing service OvernightPrints that employs 400 people worldwide, of whom 70 are based in Europe. The company provides a fast overnight, reliable all-round printing service for a wide range of products, servicing clients through its online European web stores.

It has been achieving “double-digit” annual turnover growth thanks to the success of its expanding OvernightPrints online service. In the past, PLS has been using both offset and Konica Minolta bizhub products to fulfil its clients’ needs due to the high expectations they place on quality, fast turnaround times and service. PLS’s business model is based on an average run length of 160 sheets. Conventional offset printing has become impractical for the company, because the quantity of wastage using this technology ranges from 70 to 150 sheets per job.

Konica Minolta’s KM-1 was delivered in January 2016 to PLS, which is already a user of inkjet as well as toner and liquid toner digital technology. According to PLS, the three main benefits of the KM-1 press for their business are:
Enhanced paper handling and workflow technologies

Using UV inks enables the company to move work quickly and easily to finishing with offset quality on standard offset stock. This means it is not penalised by having to pre-coat or use a digital stock.

Superior production capabilities compared to competitor models because of the Konica Minolta expertise in inkjet head design and inline controls that monitor quality.

Arndt Eschenlohr, President of PLS Print Logistic Services Germany GmbH, said: “Moving forward, we are looking at a maximum of 5-10 sheets wastage. The quality of the prints coming off the KM-1 has been fantastic. It is better than offset printing, that is for sure.” 2

“We are looking for alternatives for our gravuflow inking systems and to replace offset completely with a product that can produce offset quality for short-run work. We can’t currently do this on toner devices due to our clients’ demand for exceptional quality. However, another important aspect for taking on a KM-1 is looking to move into new markets, such as packaging, which we know will be a growth area for digital printing.”

Olaf Lorenz, General Manager of the International Marketing Division, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, said: “We’re proud to be announcing PLS Print Logistic Services as our first beta site customer in Europe. We had a number of companies interested in being part of the beta programme, as KM-1 represents a new area in digital production that will provide application innovation and create a wealth of new opportunities for our customers.”

He added: “We are looking forward to making further announcements soon, since this is just the start of the industrial print revolution we showcased at drupa in 2012. We are confident that KM-1 will become the product of choice for commercial printers looking to capitalise on bridging the gap between toner and offset cut sheet production and wanting to develop new markets.”

The full commercial launch of KM-1 will be at drupa in Düsseldorf, Germany, from 31 May to 10 June,