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Printing Presses and Machinery (New and Used, Service and Repair)
News Release from: MAN Roland GB | Subject: Roland 500
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 05 October 2006
Merged Print Business Opts For 10-Colour
Roland
Ward Knowles of Oswaldtwistle, near Accrington (UK) has reached an agreement to acquire the shares of Manchester-based colour printer Armin and Butler Limited.
Ward Knowles of Oswaldtwistle, near Accrington (UK) has reached an agreement to acquire the shares of Manchester-based colour printer Armin and Butler Limited Armin and Butler, in Openshaw near Manchester, has a turnover of approximately GBP2 million, and a staff of 25 people
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 8 Nov 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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The company has 30 years of experience in the production of fine colour work and the acquisition will create a combined turnover of GBP15 million for the new look Ward Knowles business.
The Manchester site currently runs two B2 presses - a 1999 Komori six-colour plus coater and a Roland 500 five-colour, plus coater, installed last year.
The announcement of the acquisition also included the news that the Komori will be replaced by the UK's first 10-colour version of the Roland 500 press.
Further reading
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Wandsworth (UK) Impress Print Services has placed an order for its first MAN Roland press - a Roland 500 - in a five-colour plus coater configuration.
Irish Printer To Host MAN Roland B2 Press Demo
Walshe Print in Waterford (Republic of Ireland) is to play host to a number of UK printers as MAN Roland GB will demonstrate its flagship B2 press, the Roland 500.
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The Print Room in Liverpool (UK) has ordered a Roland 500 five-colour plus coater press to install at its new premises in March.
This MAN Roland configuration was first shown in the UK at IPEX earlier this year, where it printed 5/5 at 15,000 sheets per hour, said MAN Roland.
The Roland 500, which is equipped with the in-line perfector option, provides premium performance in eight-page perfected printing, not only because of its maximum speed of 15,000 sheets per hour in perfecting mode but also because of its concept and design.
Thanks to the single-drum sheet turning system the Roland 500 with in-line perfector takes up no more room than a straight press configuration.
Optiprint jackets for the impression cylinders downstream of the sheet turning station meet the highest demands for maintaining high print quality on both sides of the sheet.
Configured for the commercial market, the Roland 500 is an automated press, with features such as Printnet, the updated version of MAN Roland's computer control system, which handles a range of make-ready parameters.
The press is also equipped with Colorpilot to maintain accurate on-the-run colour quality, it is claimed.
Colorpilot is said to measure a complete print control strip from the printed sheet, attend to automatic calibration, and display any deviations on the screen in less than 14 seconds.
Correction of the ink slide positions takes just another four seconds because all of the printing units are regulated simultaneously, added the company.
The news regarding the 10-colour press purchase superceedes a previous announcment suggesting that Ward Knowles was intending to invest in a six-unit version of the Roland 500 machine.
Commenting on the UK's first Roland 500 10-colour perfector order, Gary Doman, sales director for sheetfed and finishing products at MAN Roland GB, said: "Everyone who saw this machine at Ipex was stunned by its incredible performance.
We are, of course, delighted to have secured the first order for this configuration and we believe that this purchase, along with the acquisition of Armin and Butler, will create a B2 colour print business of the highest quality." Tony Scott, sales director at Ward Knowles, commented: "These are very exciting times for all those involved with both Ward Knowles and Armin and Butler.
Ward Knowles is best known for its production of business forms work, although we have developed a strong colour print side to the business in recent years.
This acquisition puts the new business in to the premier league of B2 colour print businesses, and the addition of the 10-colour press means that we will have two of the fastest sheetfed presses in the country." The Armin and Butler business will continue to trade under its own name, but will also be marketed to Ward Knowles customers as W K Colour.
All colour production for the group will take place at the Manchester site.
As part of the acquisition Armin and Butler's Paul Greasley will join the board of Ward Knowles with immediate effect.
No job losses are anticipated and it is likely that additional jobs will be created over the coming months, said the company.
The Manchester site also houses a studio, a pre-press operation, including computer-to-plate systems, and a fully equipped finishing department.
Ward Knowles was founded in 1904 and developed from being a general jobbing printer in to a business forms specialist.
T he company operates from an 80,000 square foot site in Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, and employs 135 personnel.
It was purchased by four senior managers from within the company via a management buy-out in January 2000 and has since undergone significant changes with major investments in the latest production technology.
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