Two latest model manroland presses will go into Australian packaging printers as the sector reaffirms its commitment to the German press manufacturer. A third 700 press is scheduled for a similar time frame to a Victorian commercial printing company.
Two of the top three packaging firms in the country, Hannapak in NSW and Colorpak in Victoria, are installing new manroland 700 sheetfed presses in January. The multi-million dollar investments are a testament to the continuing focus of manroland on the packaging sector. Both companies are long-term supporters of manroland press technology.
Hannapak at Richmond will install Australia’s first high-speed R706 LV HS with automatic Aupasys Material Logistics System in the infeed and delivery. This is the most productive press in its class, with a rated speed of 18,000 sheets per hour. The six-colour HighSpeed press with coater is equipped with the latest in automation including InlineSorter, InlineInspector, and an Auto Plate Loading System.
According to Mr. Sam Hanna (pictured), managing director, Hannapak, the press was designed for the company’s strict requirements. “This high-speed press is built for folding carton packaging. When manroland Sheetfed built it they looked at companies, such as ourselves, with high volumes in the carton board packaging market. There are a couple of things that take this press to the next level. Apart from the AUPASYS that we tested on the previous machine, it has the latest in-line inspection system.
“We’re not just doing high volumes, we’re doing high volumes of very high quality work. Again we tested the inspection system on the last press with terrific results, but this is better,” said Mr. Hanna.
The InLine Inspector operates by taking the actual PDF stepped file from prepress and sending it straight to the press. That becomes the image against which the system checks. According to Mr. Hanna, pulling a check sheet every five minutes won’t do on a press running 18,000 sheets per hour. “A lot of bad sheets will have gone through by the time the printer picks up a glitch. With the InLine Inspector the warning is raised immediately there is a recurring print defect,” he said.
New manroland 700 for Victoria
The other new high-productivity manroland is a R706 LTTLV sheetfed press, which will replace at least two older machines at Colorpak’s Braeside facility in Victoria. The installation is part of the leading packaging printer’s rationalization of its extensive folding carton printing fleet. The highly automated 700 double coater is the latest in a long line of presses the company has bought from manroland.
According to Mr. Alex Commins, managing director, Colorpak has been a consistent investor in manroland presses. The latest acquisition is part of a continuing rationalization that began with the takeover of Carter Holt Harvey in 2010.
“The new press is going to be commissioned around Christmas. It fits nicely with the rationalization strategy we’re undergoing at the moment. It’ll give us greater productivity. We’ve been a long-term investor in world-class technologies,” he said. “Over many years Colorpak has been at the forefront of technology investment. There are not too many others that can boast the modern suite of equipment that we have.
“We have something like 27 presses in the group, and we’ve been consistently buying Roland 700s for six or seven years. We inherited a lot of the technology from CCH. The great majority of presses in our group are manroland.”
The new press has sufficient productivity to replace at least two older machines that will be sold overseas. “There’s enough capacity in the local market as there is. A couple of items will be sold, a couple of printing presses and cutting machines surplus to the requirements,” said Commins.
Alex Commins estimates the company services about 25% of the market. It is concentrating on upgrading its production capacity at the consolidated Braeside factory after quitting the old CCH Mount Waverly site this year.
The new press has a top speed of 17,000 sheets per hour, and like the Hannapak machines comes complete with the latest manroland Aupasys material logistics system for feeder & delivery. It is IPA free and has multiple quick-change options including automatic plate loading and an InlineSorter.
According to Steve Dunwell (pictured), managing director of manroland Australia, the investment by Hannapak and Colorpak is an affirmation of the ongoing success of the press brand. “The people at these top packaging printing companies know what they want in a sheetfed presses. They are very experienced printers and I believe the decision to go with the latest manroland 700 is a vindication of the high productivity technology now available for the packaging market,” he said.
A third manroland 700 press is also scheduled for a January delivery to a commercial printing company in Victoria, which has asked to remain unidentified.