4-colour B2 press accelerates job turn-rounds

Following its relocation to a new facility in Abingdon (UK) Leachprint has installed its first four-colour press in the form of a B2 Lithrone S429 with in-line coater from Komori.

The development followed what the company described as a few months of rigorous testing that involved four different press manufacturers.

The Komori machine was then chosen on the grounds of speed, flexibility, Komori's technical support and the purchase price.

Lack of space at Leachprint's former premises, as well as the need to install a four-colour press instigated the move to Nuffield Centrum and a larger, modern unit.

Leachprint's production director, Ian Austin, said: "Aside from the move itself, this is the biggest single purchase in our history, so it was important to evaluate all the options and ensure that we made the right choice." And the company's managing director, Neil Stratford, explained: "Traditionally we have used two-colour presses to print four colours but in today's competitive market this is no longer always time efficient.

Turn-around times have increased steadily and pricing has become tighter so we needed a new press to address these issues.

The Lithrone's quality was the best of all the models we looked at and Komori came out top in production speed and flexibility, whilst Komori also put the right deal on the table." He continued: "The new press prints and coats in-line, which will drastically speed up turn-around and the whole process will be much faster and the sheet will be finished as it comes off the press.

Because Komori is based in Leeds we will benefit from the service support on offer and the speed of getting engineers out to us if we ever need them." Turnover at Leachprint has climbed and, whilst many other printers have close their doors, Leachprint's sales director, Chris Williams, said he is buoyant about the future.

He added: "Despite tough trading conditions, we have made remarkable progress in the last two years.

Now that we have the new press we can move in to markets that were previously beyond us.

There should be no holding us back." Phil Holland, Komori UK's general sales manager for the south, commented: "This is an exciting time for Leachprint with the move to a new factory.

The Lithrone S429 press will produce the quality and productivity Leachprint is looking for and I would like to wish the company all the best for the future and take this opportunity to welcome it in to the Komori family.".

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