Print Solutions
In just three years the Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, printer Oakdene has grown from its first RMGT 924 LED-UV litho press, via a second similar RMGT machine, to now confirming the order for an RMGT 978 LED-UV perfector. The press has been purchased through the RMGT distributor for the UK and Ireland, MPL Ltd, a division of the M Partners Group.
‘We just haven’t stopped growing,’ said Jamie McMullan, director of Oakdene. ‘The RMGT press quality, format, price, and reliability have all been critical in our amazing success.’
The RMGT 970 perfector once again incorporates LED-UV. ‘Above all though, the LED-UV has been the biggest game changer for us. It effectively means that we can produce prints that are dry the moment they arrive in the delivery – just like digital! But we can do it at a fraction of the price per page of any digital printing machine available on quantities of just 250 copies,’ added Jamie.
Oakdene’s order is for an RMGT 970PF-8+PQS-D, which includes RMGT’s Printing Quality System. This monitors ink density and print registration for each sheet via a camera inspection system.
‘Having seen the RMGT 970 perfector in action at drupa earlier this year, we could see clearly the next step forward for our business. The expanded format will give us added flexibility, opening the door to more work from the B1 sector. The perfecting solution means that we will immediately slash make ready times – auto plate loading for example. Anything that can take non productive time out of the day is an important issue for me and the team,’ he continued.
‘Many of the advanced features of this press will aid the press operator, and aid fast press set up. We are only too aware of the universal skills shortage across the UK and Eire, so anything that makes our press minders job a bit easier is always welcomed.
‘A core sector for us is the ever growing number of small Irish digital printers. Many of these have sprung up in recent years, creating successful small, local print businesses, by purchasing inexpensive short run inkjet machines. Many had no real appreciation of run length and cost per copy when they set up their businesses. They can handle work in the hundreds, but when a request expands beyond that, they have no immediate answer. The click charges just prices them out of the market. And that is when they contact us. We can run the quantity required and deliver back next day, white paper wrapped, to the print company, for them to brand as their own if required.
‘One other sector is the more mature print business. Typically, they had been state of the art printers in terms of kit 10 or more years ago. The owners have been considering their succession plan for some time: they don't want to invest big money in more heavy metal – that would leave them in a couple of million pounds of debt – so instead they have purchased a smaller digital print machine, thinking that would do for them, before potentially handing the business over to family members, or just putting it up for sale. They know of our service and can come to us for those longer runs.
‘For us, succession was also an issue. My father had started the business, and had been running a successful operation, so when we discussed handing the business over, I needed to make a decision: to carry on with the old, unreliable offset kit; to go down the digital route; or to invest heavily in a quality offset press.
‘Offset won the day for me, but it won because the guys at RMGT showed me how an offset litho press needed to look in the 2020’s and beyond – a very reliable, SRA1 format machine, with a B2 footprint, delivering dry prints, at a more than respectable speed. This combination would provide the Oakdene business with the answer to the question that all the digital printers were asking: how can I produce print volume at a sensible unit cost?
‘Having graduated to a second SRA1 RMGT press just one year after the first, we are now at the point where a perfecting press makes real sense for us and our customers.
‘Reliability is a critical component of the RMGT package. Since our first installation in 2021 we have called for technical support minimal times because of a mechanical issue. These presses just run and run. That is important here in Ireland particularly. We can’t expect every machine manufacturer to have a service guy sitting here twiddling his thumbs on the off chance of a call coming in. I speak to other printers across Ireland, and I have heard some real horror stories regarding general service issues, response times, spares required, and the total cost. I can’t afford for my press to go down. Having worked with RMGT presses, and MPL, for three years, so I've got every confidence that the system will keep us going.’
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