The Cramlington, Northumberland-based company has been using Manroland technology since 2007 when it purchased a Roland 700 HiPrint press, followed by a second machine in 2011.
Its new 18,000sph B1 Roland 700 Evolution Elite six-colour press with coating unit is due for installation this autumn and will replace two existing presses at the company; one of its two B1 Roland 700s and one of its two B2 Heidelberg Speedmaster XLs.
It will retain its other Roland 700 and Speedmaster XL presses to work alongside the new machine, while it also runs a Speedmaster 52, Xerox digital presses and an array of wide-format kit.
Potts Print (UK) managing director Shaun Johnson told Printweek the press would boost its makeready times and its turnaround times as well as increasing its quality.
“When we’ve looked at the market, the main differentiator for us was [the manufacturer],” he said.
“We’ve had only B1s off Manroland and they’ve looked after them very well, which is why we’ve got the faith in them to do the same for us here. Service and reliability is massive for us and they’ve always delivered on that front.”
Potts is BRCGS Packaging Materials accredited for the production of bespoke hygiene-sensitive folding cartons, blister cards and shelf-ready packaging and is a supplier to the international giftware, healthcare and cosmetics sectors.
Accredited to ISO 14001:2015, the business is continually improving its environmental impact by adopting new products and processes including alcohol-free printing, vegetable oil-based inks, water-based coatings and the use of recycled and carbon balanced paper. It has also just become the first Carbon Balanced Printer in the North East of England.
Manroland said the eco-friendly Evolution family of presses encompass a wide range of features to meet these environmental challenges.
These include TripleFlow inking, where three different ink distributions deliver precise distribution of ink density at the push of a button, with high colour consistency during the whole print run and a reduction of start-up waste.
The new SelectDryer hot air IR/TL system recirculates vented air and cuts down the amount of air sent into the atmosphere, reducing running costs and producing fewer CO2 emissions.
Meanwhile, Automatic Plate Loading technology and the InlineColourPilot 3.0 system is said to deliver significant cost savings, higher productivity and superior print quality.
Manroland Sheetfed UK managing director Peter Redmond described the deal as “great for all involved and also the industry” and said industry confidence is growing and that investments are now being decided.
“We are absolutely delighted that Potts Print (UK), with its impressive commitment to quality and sustainability, has chosen our technology to achieve its future goals,” he added.
Potts Print (UK) employs 125 staff and has a turnover of £12m. It works across two sites totalling 9,000sqm space and produces commercial work, packaging, direct mail and wide-format print. It also offers warehousing and distribution, pick and pack, and stockholding services to its customers.
