The Challenge: The 51 printing presses at Reynolds & Reynolds’ plant feed 16,000 dealers with the business forms that grease the wheels of their dealerships, running through a lot of printing plates – around 500,000 square feet per year. If you laid out all those plates on the ground, they would cover a small neighborhood in New York City. These plates used to be processed, kicking off waste from all the chemicals and water used and the associated costs from chemical disposal and processor maintenance. 

Reynolds and Reynolds 51 printing presses include sheetfed, half web, and rotary presses for forms and jet presses for envelopes. At an operation as large as Reynolds & Reynolds, the numbers can be staggering. Every year, the company consumes over 13,000 tons of paper, plastic and other materials that flow through the company’s 51 printing presses and manufacturing equipment.

Mercer County, where the company sits, regularly hits the Ohio EPA’s list of top recyclers in large part because of the Reynolds & Reynolds contributions. The impact of their recycling program has cut in half the amount of waste it sends to the county’s local landfill. The company is a voracious recycling machine. To continue their commitment to recycling, the company was in need of printing plates that reduce waste and effortlessly fit their business practices.

The Solution: Three years ago, Reynolds & Reynolds switched 100% of their plates to Kodak’s SONORA Process Free Plates, which are imaged using Kodak’s TRENDSETTER 800 and MAGNUS 800 Platesetter.  The decision to go process free with SONORA not only fit in perfectly with the company’s ongoing environmental practices, but also integrated seamlessly into their operating environment. 

“The Sonora plates are incredibly durable, work exceptionally well on the variety of printing presses we employ and they have cut our costs. The plates are now a big part of our company’s continued commitment to reduce the impact of our operations on the local environment through smart printing practices and our dedication to recycling.”

- Steve Kuhn, Vice President of Operations at Reynolds & Reynolds 

The Results:

• SONORA plates improved the company’s expansive environmental program that covers everything from monitoring energy use, using eco-friendly printing supplies and its remarkable recycling & waste management program.
• Unburdened by plate processing, the cost savings dropped right to the company’s bottom line.
• Kodak recently recognized the company for its comprehensive environmental strategy with the SONORA Plate Green Leaf Award.