Warners Midlands has cleared space in the factory for the installation of a new sheetfed press. This arrives early in January with commissioning expected several weeks later.
The investment follows on the construction of a new press hall now housing a Manroland Goss Lithoman III and delivery of a Kodak Magnus 800 platesetter in recent weeks.
The new press, selected after an extensive examination of all potential suppliers, will be a long perfecting Manroland Sheetfed 700. It will be bristling with the latest technology to automate processes, reduce makeready and cut waste, says marketing director Michael Warner. “Energy efficiency will also be better,” he says.
The press will be capable of printing the magazines and commercial work that the Bourne company has specialised in, particularly with shorter runs, and will also be able to handle carton work when required.
“When we looked there was a lot of good technology out there. What was key was to find the one that was right for us and we found that this particular press met our needs the best overall.” It has been more than a decade since the company installed a Koenig & Bauer Rapida and it has also used presses from Komori and Heidelberg in the past as well as Manroland.
What is more important, says Warner, is the relationships, both with suppliers and with customers. The company has gained work as run lengths have shortened and customers have moved from the biggest web offset printers to the likes of Warners. “We have geared our business to be efficient on low runs that perhaps cannot do quite so well. This has led to a shift in our customer mix to include more commercial customers rather than having the majority provided by publishers.
“We have a much more consultative approach to customers where they can feel insignificant with the large groups. Customers find this refreshing.”
The company is also aiming to extend the use of processes plates across sheetfed and web areas, reducing the amount of water that is used as a result.
