CPI UK’s divisional general manager Martin Collyer has praised the reliability and consistency of Ricoh’s Pro C9500 digital press having installed a pair of the machines at the Eastbourne print on demand book factory. These follow six earlier installations of the toner press at CPI Books plants across Europe. Sites in Germany and France have also installed Ricoh technology.
The machines in Sussex have replaced earlier digital presses for printing covers and colour plate sections for the books printed on a pair of Canon ColorStream inkjet presses in use to mirror similar set ups at other plants in the group. The Ricohs are also capable of short run higher quality book production.
“Our collaboration with Ricoh supports our strategy to localise more book production across Europe,” says Collyer. “The latest Ricoh technology allows us to produce high quality colour and mono books more efficiently and closer to our customers, helping us reduce waste, turnaround times and our environmental footprint.
“It is a proven reliable and robust technology. They provide good levels of uptime and when necessary the service and support is good.” The presence of a Ricoh assembly and toner plant in the UK is a help in this regard he adds.
CPI will be able to split production across sites where relevant so reduce the need to print, ship and store books for publishers, part of what CPI Books considers its digital transformation. Under its Global Print Solutions approach this extends to partnerships with providers in the US and Asia.
The deal for the new print engines underlines a deepening relationship between printer and supplier, that to date has meant partnership with Canon and HP PageWide on printing. These will not change says Collyer. Equally the company keeps a close watch on wider technology developments.
Covers and jackets that are printed on the Ricoh will continue to be laminated to provide additional resistance against scratching and scuffing.
Ricoh UK strategic account director Simon Wheeler adds: “CPI has been a key partner for Ricoh across Europe, pushing the boundaries of automation, workflow and print on demand innovation. This next phase of their investment demonstrates the shared vision we have: delivering reliable, flexible and sustainable book production solutions for publishers.”
