  |
||||
|
||||
 |
||||
 |
LARGE U.S. POWER COMPANY TURNS TO RYOBI, AGAIN, xpedx Printing Technologies announces new 23x29” press installation at Dominion’s all-Ryobi print facility LENEXA, Kansas, June 20, 2006—xpedx Printing Technologies, the exclusive U.S. distributor and marketer of Ryobi-branded printing presses, said today it has sold and installed Ryobi’s first-ever 8- color press in the U.S. market to the in-plant print facility of Dominion, one of the nation’s largest producers and distributors of energy. The press, an 8-color Ryobi 758 with interdeck UV dryer/curing unit, is the third Ryobi press ordered by Richmond, VA-based Dominion, which operates an all-Ryobi in-plant print shop. Ryobi has been experiencing strong demand in the U.S. and worldwide for its mid-size, 6-up 23x29 750-series presses. “This Ryobi mid-size press delivers extremely strong print quality with unusual ease of operation,” said Joe Gilliland, coordinator for the $2 million annual budget Dominion in-plant facility that produces 15 million impressions each year. The company also has a 4-up 20x27-inch Ryobi 684 and a 2-up Ryobi 3302 press. He said Ryobi presses are very competitively priced given their world-class output quality, technology and automation. Gilliland said offset presses that deliver high quality print are usually very time- and labor-intensive to operate. But not so for Ryobi. “There just are no needless steps to achieving great work. And that, in turn, improves work turnaround time, efficiency and reduces total costs.” $500,000 in annual savings seen because of new Ryobi press Gilliland said makereadies with the Ryobi equipment are a snap, something that’s essential for a hardworking in-print facility that runs 60 hours a week, nearly year-round. The shop handles all color billing inserts, plus brochures, posters, annual reports, calendars—as well as pro bono work for Dominion’s philanthropic partners. He said he expects more than $500,000 in annual savings from the 8-color Ryobi because the 6-up format allows for fewer overall impressions and the UV dryer eliminates drying time. “Work literally leaves the press and heads for the cutter, the binder and is out the door. Our job turnaround time is just amazing because of this press.” Four years ago, Dominion bought the Ryobi 684, primarily for the company’s insert work, resulting in a $1.5 million annual savings in printing that used to be outsourced, Gilliland said. That press now has in excess of 80 million impressions. When there is a service need on either Ryobi press, Gilliland said, it’s often because the busy in-plant shop doesn’t have time for the routine maintenance it should be doing. Still, there’s been little downtime and problems that do arise are handled, typically with a phone call to the xpedx Printing Technologies dealer, G.E. Richards Graphics Supplies. “Our service technician is extremely knowledgeable and reliable, and rarely do we even have to wait for a house call,” Gilliland says. “Usually, he diagnoses the problem over the phone and we’re good to go.” G.E. Richards Graphics Supplies, Landisville, PA, via David Ball, branch manager of G.E. Richards’ Richmond, VA, office, sold the two Ryobi presses to Dominion. G.E. Richards is xpedx Printing Technologies’ dealer covering Virginia, Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and northern Florida. xpedx Printing Technologies said the 8-color long perfector prints at speeds up to 15,000 sheets per hour and handles up to 24-point stock. The company also reports that it has had significant success in placing UV and hybrid versions of the Ryobi 750 series throughout U.S. commercial and in-plant print facilities. About Ryobi Graphic Systems Ryobi Graphic Systems Division of Hiroshima, Japan, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of offset printing presses and is part of Ryobi, Ltd., founded in 1943. Ryobi offers multi-functional offset printing presses, hardware and software, that handle all aspects of a print job, from pre-press to binding. It is a world leader in high-precision large-, mid-size and small presses, DI presses and CIP4-JDF compliant digital workflows. With pressroom installations worldwide, Ryobi presses are respected for their superior print quality, cost-effectiveness, ease of press operation, high reliability and precision machining. About xpedx Printing Technologies xpedx Printing Technologies, a wholly owned division of xpedx, offers rapid-response, local technical support, press operator training, a large parts warehouse and a showroom/demo center at its metro Kansas City headquarters. It has a team of executive, sales and technical staff in Lenexa, Kansas, and currently has 50 dealers across the U.S. responsible for local sales and service. The company is on the web at ryobi.xpedx.com. The phone is 800-553-4980. In the U.S., xpedx Printing Technologies markets and distributes a wide variety of presses and printing technology including the following core offerings: • RYOBI 750 series, 6-up high-speed multi-color 20x29” and 23x29” sheet size offset presses; • RYOBI 680 series, 4-up-plus size high-speed multi-color offset presses; • RYOBI 520 series, 2-up plus size high-speed multi-color offset presses; • RYOBI 3404 DI series, 2-up size portrait format 4-color offset presses with direct imaging. The 750, 680 and 520 series can be equipped with perfectors, coating units, UV curing units and infrared dryers. About xpedx and its businesses Loveland, Ohio-based xpedx, an International Paper company, is North America’s largest marketer and distributor of printing papers and graphics supplies and equipment. It is also a large distributor of packaging supplies and equipment and facilities supplies and equipment. xpedx has more than 7,000 employees in 250 locations in the U.S. and Mexico. Major customers include commercial printers, publishers, manufacturers, retailers, facility managers and companies across many industry segments. In addition to delivering the world’s largest offering of printing papers from a single source, xpedx provides graphics professionals with advanced digital prepress equipment, hardware and graphics software, Ryobi presses and digital workflows, color management tools, finishing, bindery and packaging systems. xpedx also offers detailed operations analysis, advice and financing to help make a customer’s printing operations more efficient and profitable. xpedx is one of the largest providers of post-consumer waste content and recycled printing papers in North America. It offers the greatest variety of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certified papers in the U.S. Other xpedx owned-and-operated businesses include New York-based Bulkley Dunton, the xpedx National Technology Center (NTC), a pre-press laboratory and demonstration center based in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as a network of 140 retail paper stores in 32 states that operate under the names xpedx Paper & Graphics, xpedx Paper Store, If It’s Paper and Arvey Paper & Office Products. In Mexico, xpedx owns and operates 20 distribution centers and retail stores from the U.S.-Mexico border to Mexico City. xpedx operates one of the largest business-to-business e-commerce sites, xpedx.com, and also operates suiteshoponline.com for graphics professionals. ### EDITOR’S NOTE: xpedx is spelled all lower case. CONTACTS: Don Harvey, VP-General Manager, xpedx Printing Technologies, Lenexa, Kansas, 913-631-8700; Jeff Higgins, xpedx Director of Marketing Services and Information, Loveland, Ohio, 513-965-2923; Press/Analysts: Erik Godchaux, Media Strategy Group, Madison, Wisconsin, 608-256-4540 |
|||
 |
||||