Graphco Installs 8-UP+ Five-Color RMGT 970 Press at 3 Dimension Graphics

RMGT, manufacturer of 8-UP sheetfed offset presses in North America, announces that Graphco has installed an 8-UP+ five-color RMGT 970 press at 3 Dimension Graphics, Inc. in Doral, FL. Situated 14 miles northwest of Miami, the commercial print firm employs 34 full-time employees who produce flyers and folding carton work as well as brochures and magazines for travel/tourism customers and direct mail for Florida’s convention business. The RMGT 970 press features a coater as well as LED-UV technology for instant ink curing.

Running at 16,000 sheets per hour on the one-year-old machine, print quantities have ranged from as small as 500 pieces up to 60,000 or more. On the lower end of the volume spectrum, the RMGT 970’s 8-UP+ format allows the company to compete with digital devices, according to Jaime Cadena, Owner and President of 3 Dimension Graphics, Inc. Cadena says he appreciates the RMGT’s versatility: “From 60-lb. text weight [paper] to 24-pt. board, synthetic paper to plastic; there’s no throughput limit. It’s very versatile and reliable.”

His 24-year-old firm occupies three buildings spanning nearly 40,000 square feet. The full-size 8-UP+ RMGT 970 sits in the same spot as the 28-inch offset press it replaced. “We don’t have a lot of space, and this machine is so compact that it fit where our L528C was located, but we are now producing double the sheet size,” Cadena points out. He normally runs three full shifts with a head pressman and helper – except when it comes to the new, automated full size 38-inch press, which is highly efficient and only requires one operator.  “Our cost savings over 3 shifts is incredible.”

“Productivity is up, and labor cost is down,” reports Chris Manley, President of Graphco. “That formula is a win-win for any provider of printing services.  On a national average, a press helper adds over $53,000 in overhead cost per shift, so our 3 shift customers enjoy a $160,000 in annual labor savings versus a 40” press.  We talk about The Unfair Advantage a lot at Graphco, and this savings alone pays for WAY more than half of the 9 Series press’s monthly payment.  Add in a lower capex and much lower operating costs on a press that prints beautifully and runs full blast, and you can see why we are landing these machines in 28” and 40” shops all over the country.”

Consistent color & increased capacity
Cadena notes that, despite its high-end automation, the new press is intuitive and easy for semi-skilled operators to run. “There’s a little bit of an adjustment, like when you buy a new cell phone,” he says. With 12 months of press history now in the books, he confirms that plate changes are quick, with complete makereadies averaging 15-20 minutes. Overall, “our efficiency and savings have improved by 25% to 30%,” he reports. “The RMGT is my dream machine . . . better than any other machine in the market, and buying it is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!”

Such strong feelings stem from the consistently high level of performance he has witnessed. Cadena estimates that quality levels have jumped by a factor of 20%. “Our customers, especially those in the resort and packaging businesses, can be very demanding,” he notes. “We’re proud to receive many compliments about how amazing everything is looking.” Even leaders at other printing firms, for which 3 Dimension Graphics, Inc. produces trade jobs, have taken notice in the past year.

“We get up to color fast,” Cadena says. Not only do colors “pop” vibrantly, but the new press’s consistent output is what really has captured his attention. “Listen, every manufacturer can offer high quality [output] today, but consistency is the key,” he explains. “The registration and sharpness of the dot from this RMGT 970 press is outstanding. My operators can pick a sheet, any sheet, and the color is the same throughout the run.”

Also, the ability to “go from little to big” complements 3 Dimension Graphics, Inc.’s existing 40-inch sheetfed press on the floor, Cadena believes. “On the RMGT, we can easily switch from 11x17” format to full, 25x38” sheets,” he notes. In addition to flexibility, an added advantage is that consumables cost less for the smaller format press.

Cadena considered trading in his 40-inch press, along with the 28-inch model, for a new, faster, automated 40-incher from one of the other major Japanese suppliers. Losing capacity was a big issue in the other supplier’s proposal. “By going with RMGT and Graphco, I got more power with less investment,” he notes. In fact, capacity has doubled at 3 Dimension Graphics, Inc., which now can run 16-UP with both presses, versus only 8-UP with the alternative proposal. 3 Dimension Graphics, Inc. also has a complete finishing department, including a die cutter and inline gluer, for the packaging boxes it produces for cosmetic, food and vitamin products.  The 970’s .024” board stock specification meets 95% of all folding carton requirements, and the great thing is that in 2-3 minutes time this highly versatile press is producing 80 lbs. text weight jobs as well.

American success story

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Cadena received a vocational scholarship to Universidad de Puerto Rico, earning a Graphic Arts associate degree in 1990. In 1994, he began a six-year stint at Colonial Press International (Miami), one of Florida’s largest printers, where he progressed to General Manager of its sprawling, 300,000-square-foot sheetfed and web-offset printing facility. As General Manager, Jaime directed all facets of this $60 million dollar operation, so his background includes management of pre-press, web and sheetfed pressrooms, and full-service bindery operations.

Taking all the valuable experience he gained at Colonial, Cadena ventured out on his own in mid-2000 to start up 3 Dimension Graphics, Inc. For the past 23 years, he has worn many hats. “I do sales, production, estimating, you name it!” he says with a friendly smile – and he does it all for his wife, Yasmin, and their three boys, who joined him last year for a memorable trip to Japan to visit the RMGT factory. “I also wish to acknowledge our fantastic employees, some of whom have been with us for over 15 years,” concludes Cadena. “Finally, I wish to extend special thanks to Chris Manley and the RMGT executives for their professionalism, kindness and for making us feel part of the family, it has been a priceless experience!

Manley concludes with this observation: “All of 3 Dimension Graphics’ departments – prepress, pressroom and post press – are so well organized. Graphco has sold over 50 of these machines in the United States, and the cohesion among staff is phenomenal.  During the week that Jaime, his family, and I enjoyed in Japan, the deep understanding I gained of how a gentleman who came to the USA from another country can not only succeed but thrive here in the USA was refreshing. We visited the RMGT factory, the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima, plus Kyoto and Tokyo during the trip, and Jaime’s young sons kept up with our tour 100%.  I think 3 Dimension Graphics, Inc. truly embodies that same family achievement atmosphere, and Graphco is proud to play a role in making 3DG a great company.”

Source: RMGT

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Packaging Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Packaging Impressions.