RNB Group makes double Konica investment to manage growing demand

Increasing demand for daily output has prompted RNB Group to ramp up digital output by spending around £300,000 on two Konica Minolta bizhub Press C1100 colour digital production presses.

The machinery is due to be installed in early October and is expected to be up and running within a couple of days. The two new presses are in addition to the company's existing digital kit, said RNB Group business development director Alan Cruickshank.

“We are finding a lot more requirements for daily output and larger cut-sheet production volumes,” he said. “The new machines will give us greater flexibility by working on more substrates.”

The C1100s can print on materials up to 350gsm and join two existing Konica Minolta bizhub Press C8000s and a bizhub Pro 1200.

The new kit will produce financial services and transactional material as well as products for the automotive sector, where high production values and short runs are required.

Cruickshank said: “Being able to produce fast-turnaround and often complex multi-document packs is all important in order to give our customers improved speed to market.”

Joint managing directors Bob Rhodes and Ryan Metcalf said the decision to stick with Konica rather than look elsewhere was “quite straightforward” because of excellent service levels.

The business has also recently taken on new staff, with John Tracey joining as sales manager and Mike Dalton as account manager.

In March RNB Group spent just under £300,000 on a B2 Komori Lithrone S29 litho press and now operates 24-hour shifts to keep up with demand.

Cruickshank said: “This was our first foray into litho: a lot of customers wanted us to source litho work and the new kit means we can produce most of our own stationery for personalisation.

“We were also finding a lot of our work required folders so we can now produce them in-house. Continual investment is important, it helps us do what we can to ensure our future.”

RNB Group employs 50 staff and generates sales of £4m. Cruickshank said he hoped the new machinery could help add about £1m to the turnover in 18 months.

“We are looking at further investment such as a stitching line and other finishing equipment after the new kit has been up and running and we can assess our needs more clearly,” he said.

Print production director Patrick Whitworth said the company had also installed a Screen PlateRite platesetter to manage the vast majority of work in-house to further increase flexibility.

Earlier this year RNB Group celebrated 10 years in business and will shortly launch a new website and brand identity to reflect what Cruickshank called "intelligent print and mail solutions".