Ripon Printers Preps for Robust 2010 with Second manroland Rotoman Press

RIPON, WI—10/14/09—With an eye toward the future and a close look at the present, Ripon Printers is bolstering the company’s ability to serve their customers with the purchase of its second high speed and efficient Rotoman web press from manroland, due to enter production in December. A leading printer of catalogs, publications, and manuals, plus soft-cover educational products, Ripon cites financial stability and the current buyer’s market for presses as reasons for the investment. The move also positions the firm to make the most of short- and long-term opportunities with proven Rotoman production capabilities.

“We expect to emerge from the current downturn as an even stronger player, better able to deliver on every client need,” said Andy Lyke, Ripon Printers’ president. “Our latest Rotoman N press brings proven capabilities and increased flexibility, which will enable us to do precisely that. It complements our current Rotoman and provides important production backup along with expanded capacity.”

“Investing ahead of demand always pays dividends,” said manroland, Inc. CEO Vince Lapinski. “Advanced press technologies that help make your operation more responsive to customers, plus be more productive and efficient, ultimately produce more profits for you. That’s the Ripon Printers plan, and we are pleased to be associated with their forward-thinking strategy and growth.”

Ripon’s latest Rotoman comes with numerous automated features that speed job turnaround while ensuring production quality and reducing waste. QuickStart helps get every job up to color fast, with automatic pre-inking before press start-up. ClosedLoop color systems ensure precise control of color register, cut-off register and ink density throughout each run.

Both folding and sheeting options provide additional flexibility. The 1:2:3 folder with magnetic brakes in the quarterfold produces at speeds up to 65,000 copies per hour, and also enables format changeover in minutes. The modular folder superstructure was re-configured to meet highly diverse production requirements. Key functions can be remotely operated using the manroland printnet system.

Continuing award-winning traditions and a track record for growth

Founded in 1962 with 13 employees, Ripon Printers has grown steadily by adding new equipment and services to meet the needs of its expanding clientele. Today, few can match the spectrum of printing and binding solutions offered in a single facility. Ripon Printers moved to its current location in 1975 and made no fewer than eight facility additions, including one in 2003 that increased the square footage to 244,000. That same year, the company also purchased its first manroland Rotoman N press, the first “stacked” installation in North America.

A G7 Certified Master Printer employing more than 300 people, Ripon Printers also was recognized by the Printing Industries of America with its “Best Workplace in the Americas” award. In 2009, the company‘s work for its clients has earned numerous honors for print excellence, including two PIA Premier Print Awards.

“Over the years, customers have come to count on our ability to deliver the quality output they need, on time and within budget,” Lyke added. “Our first Rotoman press produced much of that work since 2004. Its consistently reliable performance provides further assurance that our new addition will do likewise. When you couple the equipment with the talent, initiative and resourcefulness of our employees, you can understand why we’re moving forward with such confidence.”

manroland Inc., a division of manroland AG, is the world’s second largest printing systems manufacturer and the world’s market leader in web offset. manroland employs almost 8,700 people and has annual sales of some Euro 1.7 billion with an export share of almost 80%. Web and sheetfed offset presses provide solutions for publishing, commercial and packaging printing. For more information visit the web site at www.manroland.us.com.