Slate Group’s Inspirational Approach to Printing Leads to Purchase of Second Komori Press
Slate Group’s Director of Sales Development, Trey Laverty, in front of the new press.
Slate Group, based in Lubbock, Texas, has installed its second Komori press, a five-color Lithrone G40 with coater (GL540C) with Komori’s LED/UV curing system. The five-color, 40-inch press is a duplicate of the Komori press installed just two years ago. With the addition of the GL540C with LED/UV, Slate Group plans to double the company’s production capacity for its much-in-demand, value-added marketing pieces it creates for a diverse range of clients. Slate Group offers a wide variety of interesting finishing capabilities, such as soft touch laminates and spot UV coatings on difficult stocks, like uncoated or matte.
Additionally, the company is on the leading edge of using an innovation called “motion coat,” a coating that gives the visual appearance of movement on a printed piece. Slate Group is advancing the applications and effects that can be enhanced with the coating.
“We know we have a unique approach to how we model our business,” said Brad Phinny, COO of Slate Group. “There is a big sign in our hallway that says “Inspire,” as a reminder to all of us that every day we are here to inspire our customers. We’re constantly looking at how we can help grow their businesses with new ideas when it comes to marketing applications. Our sales staff is younger than most salespeople in the commercial print space and they have backgrounds and degrees in marketing or advertising. Having the second Komori press on the floor gives them confidence that we are investing in our future to continue to support their customers.”
The GL540C offers capabilities that make it possible for Slate Group to produce products that interact with the five senses by using embellishments to create visual and tactile effects, such as soft touch coating and reticulated varnishes that give printed items a soft, warm feel or enhance the texture of a printed item. Another example of the company’s creativity is the specialty motion coating used to add a streak of shimmering sun rays beaming from an airplane’s wing for a piece Slate Group printed for an airline.
In some cases, Slate Group has utilized custom-made Cyrel flexo plates on the Komori offset press to create special effects with glossy UV coatings to highlight certain areas of a booklet cover or brochure. The 40-inch Komori presses can handle substrates ranging from .004 point to .040 point, making this high-end creativity possible.
Regarding the new GL540 press, Brad Phinny stated, “We didn’t look at any other press manufacturers after the first Komori purchase. With the capabilities of that Komori 40-inch press, we were able to increase our customer base even during COVID-19. This second press will further enhance our ability to be on the leading edge of delivering unique print applications that no one else is doing. With Komori’s support and the expanded capacity this press brings us, we will continue to do what we do best: coming up with new ways to make our customers’ marketing pieces stand out.”
Watch the installation of Slate Group’s second Komori GL540C press at this link.
The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of Printing Impressions.
