Eastbourne, Sussex, 10 April 2008 —Book printer CPI Antony Rowe is ramping up its on-demand digital as part of double-digit growth annual expansion by securing three award-winning Océ VarioPrint 6250 for its production site in Eastbourne. These presses are being run 24 hours on a five-day week for on-demand printing. 

 

The three Océ VP6250s have been added to existing cut-sheet printers and will be replacing other printing systems, as part of a big hike in productivity and quality, which is described as virtually the same standard as traditional litho printing. Océ PRISMA software control systems have also been purchased to provide a common platform for the production control of all digital presses.
CPI Antony Rowe, which is part of the CPI Group, the world’s largest mono book printer, has also added an inline folder allowing books to be produced as eight-page signatures.

 

Other important considerations in the investment from CPI Antony Rowe included the ‘flat product’ from low temperature fusing, which simplifies book binding and improves the overall appearance of the finished book; a large sheet size allowing books of up to Royal size to be printed eight pages per sheet, the large sheet high capacity and the simplicity of the Océ VP6250’s paper path to optimise efficiency.

 

The successful installations followed a trial at CPI Antony Rowe just over a year ago when more than 30 book publishers attended an Open Day to mark the official unveiling of its new £1million ‘on demand’ printing plant in Eastbourne, employing 55 people, which is four times larger than its previous site.

 

Martin Collyer, CPI Antony Rowe’s General Manager at Eastbourne, said: “We looked very hard at all the presses in the market, but the Océ VP6250 was a clear winner in every single department. The installation has proved so successful that we have taken two extra presses to cope with our growing order book. This is a major breakthrough for Océ - its VarioPrint 6250 is a fast, efficient and productive machine, and that makes a huge difference.  The VP6250 has been running exceptionally well and has been producing books the same as litho quality. All our operators have been very pleased with its performance, and our growing numbers of customers are delighted as well.”

 

Mike Taylor, CPI Group chief executive, said: “Overall, Océ offered unrivalled price performance. We are looking forward to working with the company as part of our future strategy.”

 

Steve Wilson, Océ UK’s Director of Production Printing, said: “I’ve visited Antony Rowe in Eastbourne and seen how the new presses are delivering and, indeed, exceeding the promised productivity for CPI Antony Rowe. There has been unprecedented interest in the Océ VarioPrint 6250 and we are delighted that it’s been so well received by CPI Antony Rowe in Eastbourne, a company that has a worldwide reputation in the book printing and publishing industry.”

 

He added: “These new presses are setting new standards for cut-sheet production printing and we are delighted that these are seen as the first installations of hopefully many Océ VarioPrint 6250s that will also include the provision of digital web presses across the group.”