Extra capacity will take the pressure off running 24/7 in the lead up to Christmas while ensuring deliveries are still always made on time.
The new RMGT 9 A1-size eight-colour offset press is the 13th press CMYKhub has put in over the ten years of its existence. It joins three other similar Ryobi presses spread across Sydney, Brisbane and Perth as well as a Komori in Melbourne.
According to Trent Nankervis, CEO CMYKhub, the installation amazed the CEO of Mitsubishi, Akira Urakami, when the two met in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago. Engineer, Ryan James, who used to work for Ryobi agent Cyber and is now with CMYKhub, was heavily engaged with the installation. “The CEO said he’d never had a customer install their own machine before. And while we still had Ryobi engineers here, Ryan did most of the work,” said Nankervis.
Chad Chalmers, NSW manager, brought the new press up to speed over the weekend before putting in its first week of production, just in time for the traditional busy run-up to Christmas. The original drupa press model with the CMYKhub’s name (pictured) on it was sold to a Dutch company after the show, but Nankervis was able to secure another in the company’s full production slot
"The Ryobi is a really good machine that’s getting a reputation around the world. It’s nine to twelve months wait now to get one. They used to be able to respond quicker but the lead time has blown out,” he said.
“We talked about it a bit, going ‘do we or don’t we?’ If we didn't get in in by September there wasn't much point. But they got us another model in time.”
The new arrival is an indication of the growth in sales that is powering CMYKhub in Sydney. While the flow of work is not as seasonal as many in the industry the company is still dealing with highs and lows.
“There’s more revenue than before but it’s patchier. One day we do a record and the next there’s less. I think everyone’s feeling that,” he said. "But the key is always responding in time which is the DNA of CMYKhub."
A major motivation in the new investment is to claw back from operating 24/7 to 24/5, which Nankervis says is more productive. Running around the clock can exhaust the staff and put a strain on the presses. It also builds up print on the floor for a Monday morning, so everyone is playing catch up all the time.
“Bottlenecks are where the problems are. You have pallets all over the floor when you come in. Better to match the bindery capacity to the press,” he said.
He is full of praise for the new RMGT 9 press, citing many small improvements including a new ink train and more oscillating rollers. A new Mitsubishi feeder is especially good, allowing changes from light and heavy paper without serious adjustments.
“The improvements are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. It’s a very mature press. I’m very happy with how it’s going so far and I'm sure we will look back in years to come and be proud of our decision," he said.