The KEP Print Group of Tamworth in Staffordshire has recently added a Rho 700 to its other two Rho 205s.

Originally started as a screen printer 30 years ago, the company diversified into offset litho printing in 1996, which has continued to expand to the point where it now represents the major part of the business. The business has continued to grow rapidly and has always been ready to invest in the latest technology. KEP now has 65 employees and utilises the world’s latest most advanced Roland presses amongst other pieces of equipment.

Mark Plowman, Owner and Managing Director of KEP, said: “We first entered the digital market in 2005 with the purchase of the two Rho 205s, having identified a gap in the market between our silk screen and offset litho businesses. Today we offer a complete printing service, providing the best printing solution to a particular requirement, with several of our major customers using us as a one stop shop for all their print requirements. Over the last two or three years we have invested heavily in new equipment, replacing most of our old machinery.The fact that the two Rho 205s are still in daily use is a testament to their reliability and performance.”

Much of the work we do is for high street retailers and the three processes complement each other – we can, and do occasionally, use all three for a specific job. But the real advantage is being able to offer the best solution to a particular requirement.”

“Our business continues to expand rapidly, this year we anticipate an overall growth of 30 percent. That is one of the reasons for investing in the new Rho 700 - to help service the growing demand for digital.”

“We are always exploring new products and services and the Rho 700 has helped considerably in that respect. One of the main reasons for choosing the Rho is the ability to print white. Durst has perfected this option and we have already put it to good use, printing onto clear acrylic as well as other materials. We provide print for outdoor as well as indoor applications and, since its installation in December, we have received confirmation of an on going advertising campaign for the sides of vehicles. It comprises a fleet of 700 vehicles which will carry advertising campaigns requiring regular changing (monthly or even weekly). The Rho will enable us to provide a very rapid turnaround.”

“A large part of work is the production of POS and POP material for our 7 high street retail customers. They range from 300 to 1850 stores and require varying volumes of material. However, I do believe there is a general trend for shorter runs and more personalisation of publicity material. One-offs or just a few-off for special promotions are becoming more and more common and our digital capability with the Durst machines enables us to satisfy this demand cost effectively.

KEP’s digital operator has this to say about the Rho 700. “It is easy to use and has already proven to be extremely reliable. The quality is superb even on a fast speed setting which means that it is very productive. Most machines require a month or two to settle down – not the Rho, it was producing commercial work just four days after installation and now it is being used for two shifts a day. The Caldera rip has also helped to streamline the printing process – we rip each job at the workstation and then we can choose which of the three Rhos we send it to. There is no waiting and the autonesting function minimises media waste. Because the Rho is so reliable we can leave it printing unattended whilst getting on with the next job.”

When asked about the future, Mark Plowman commented: ”Environmental issues will continue to be increasingly important. We do not use any solvent inks and we are looking at environmentally friendly media as well as inks, which we will make available to our customers. On behalf of the business, we will always look to better and more cost efficient processes whilst we continue to explore new products to offer our customers.”

“For example, recently we have been involved with 3D design used on racing cars. My son is a racing driver and we have now started producing graphics for a couple of US Indy car teams. Naturally we will continue to look at ways of improving existing processes – offset litho and digital continue to expand and have taken work from the screen side of the business - litho the high volume and digital the low volume.”
       
For more information on the KEP Group, telephone 01827 280880.