The Stockport-based business said the press, which is set to be delivered in September, is an updated version of the first Rapida 75 Pro that was installed in 2015 and will bolster its capacity and increase its efficiencies.
The Rapida 75 Pro is configured to handle lightweight materials and can run at speeds up to 15,000sph. Colour and quality are controlled automatically using Koenig & Bauer’s ErgoTronic ColourDrive with lab option for special colours.
The press is configured to run without IPA from the outset, and for fast changeovers it features semi-automatic plate changing and simultaneous washing of blankets and impression cylinders.
SF Taylor managing director Simon Young told Printweek the company had carried out a full due diligence exercise prior to purchasing the new press. This spanned over 12 months and included all the main press suppliers, with Koenig & Bauer ultimately demonstrating that it was the best fit for the company to move forward with based on its findings.
“Koenig & Bauer are our preferred partner for printing presses, and we have a strong relationship built on the successes we enjoyed with the first press we purchased,” Young said.
“We often host customer visits and demonstrations in our factory to show people what the machine can do and the last investment in a Rapida 75 Pro has contributed significantly to our business growth since 2015.”
He added: “We consider ourselves a ‘hybrid business’ providing solutions for our clients across a range of disciplines including manufacturing, communications and creative design – essentially an extension of your marketing team.
“However, print is still a significant part of our offering and with this latest investment we are ensuring that we have the capacity to respond to growing customer demands, not only from our existing clients, but also our continued growth in the private sector.”
SF Taylor also runs several small Heidelberg offset presses as well as a suite of digital presses, all of which support its hybrid print management model.
Young said the business has grown “substantially” over the past five years and currently employs 60 staff and is targeting turnover of over £6m in 2021.
It has acquired a new Central Distribution Centre (CDC) in order to scale its production capabilities.
“Our new CDC allows our hybrid production and print management service offering to support our growing customer base,” Young added.
Koenig & Bauer UK director of sales Chris Scully said the business was “thrilled” that SF Taylor had returned to the manufacturer for another Rapida 75 Pro.
“Their business continues to evolve into other areas, and we have really enjoyed our role in the company’s growth so far.
“We have a very strong partnership, and this latest investment has borne this out. The new press investment will ensure that SF Taylor can meet their clients demands for both capacity and quality and we look forward to playing our part in their future successes once again.”
SF Taylor supplies the NHS as well as private sector clients. It has also recently invested in both IT, with its own brand HubTec – a central command suite for creating web-to-print, templated, and on-brand collateral; as well as improvements to its existing infrastructure.
“In addition to the ongoing investment in our web-based solutions and marketing innovations, which support our customers communications, we will also be reviewing a further stage of investment in the final quarter of 2021,” said Young.
“This will mainly surround post-press equipment and anything that supports the changing needs of our business and that of our clients. We are always on the lookout for ways that we can evolve and improve, and we believe this is the reason behind our success to date. We look forward to further growth in the 2021.”
