From left to right Antoine Grandjean (Impritex), Alain Grandjean (Impritex), Denis Bourez (Impritex) , Stephan Vandroogenbroeck (Impritex), Ahmed Hassani (Impritex), Carl Vandermeersch (Manroland Benelux), Rafael Penuela (CEO, Manroland Sheetfed GmbH)
Continuing the impressive Roland 700 Evolution success story for Manroland Sheetfed after its acquisition by the UK-based Langley Holdings group, the 1000th press unit rolled off the assembly line at Offenbach on 17 October 2018. The landmark unit produced for a highly configured 6-color double coater press is scheduled for installation at the premises of Wavre-based Belgian packaging printer Impritex.
Since its first installation in early 2015 at Samson Druck in Austria, the Roland 700 Evolution has been sold to printers in 35 countries and praised for its many technical innovations. These include SPL (Simultaneous Plate Loading), which allows for cleaning of blanket and impression cylinders during the plate changing process, while the newly developed PPL (Power Plate Loading) delivers automated coating plate change to make the changeover process even faster and more user friendly.
Belgian Packaging printer Impritex’s new Roland 700 Evolution
Flexible utilization of equipment is a hallmark of the Evolution series, with printing units that are prepared for both conventional and UV inks. The newly developed UV ink mist extraction systems and four-fold detergent circuits serve to reduce changeover between different ink systems.
Alongside many technical innovations, Manroland Sheetfed has also provided the ProServ 360° service partnership package for all Roland 700 Evolution owners. For 24 months after installation, this maintenance contract provides periodic inspections, remote check-ups and machine maintenance, accompanied by performance analysis and information on how to exploit perceived improvement potential.
For many years, the Roland 700 HiPrint and Direct Drive have been significant factors in Impritex’s success in exporting products to many countries from its base just outside Brussels and the best of both machines have now been combined in the new Roland 700 Evolution. Based on its positive experiences, Impritex ordered the highly configured the 6-color plus double coater press specially tailored for long production runs. Highest productivity is the main focus of the machine configuration.
For Impritex, the fully automatic nonstop device in the feeder, the newly developed counterpart in delivery, the rollomat, the installation on plinth and the connection to the AUPASYS-Material logistics system create the best conditions for optimum market competitiveness.
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
