Changing print forever. Again.
Central Illinois was once considered the commercial print capital of the world. For over half a century, Kingery Printing has led a steady charge back to the forefront through reinvestment in people, equipment, and sustainability. This spring, in partnership with RICOH USA, Kingery Printing will be the first book printer in the world to install the RICOH Pro™ VC80000 high-speed digital inkjet web press.
The RICOH Pro™ VC80000 launched in November on the heels of the RICOH Pro Z75 cut-sheet inkjet press and is the newest addition to Ricoh’s inkjet portfolio. Leveraging AI, the press enables commercial, book, and direct mail printers to experience a new standard for inkjet quality, productivity, and media flexibility to expand their competitive edge and profitability.
“After visiting the Ricoh team at their Customer Experience Center in Boulder, we knew Ricoh had the solutions and expertise we were looking for to successfully enhance our digital capabilities,” said Mike Kingery, President of Kingery Printing Company. “We are incredibly excited to be the first to market with the VC80000, which increases our printing capacity, and addresses a wider market through additional applications. The printing market continues to evolve, and the features and technology built into the VC80000 ensures Kingery Printing and our clients have the benefit of the latest efficiencies available today.”
The VC80000 digital inkjet web press adds to the arsenal already on the floor of Kingery’s two facilities—one in Effingham and one in Mattoon, Illinois. There are nine presslines, currently, all in traditional offset printing. The digital press will open new avenues to short- and medium-run print jobs in local and national markets. In addition to investing in hardware to aid the shift of certain business from offset to digital, Kingery Printing Company will utilize Ricoh’s software solutions, the FusionPro VDP and Ricoh TotalFlow BatchBuilder, to simplify and automate the production floor and workflow. Mike Kingery added, “The Ricoh software solutions team took the time to understand our applications and helped us develop the automation necessary to be competitive in today’s print environment. Their expertise and creativity brought results.”
“We have broken new ground in the industry by offering a true offset alternative that will take our customers’ businesses and their clients further,” said Gavin Jordan-Smith, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Head of Global Sales Strategy Division & RICOH Graphic Communications North America Sales, RICOH Graphic Communications. “The VC80000 equips customers with the highest level of automation, ensuring they can increase profits and efficiency with unmatched quality, simplicity, speed, and media flexibility to deliver maximum results and streamline workflows.”
The RICOH Pro™ VC80000 will receive is worldwide public debut at drupa 2024 from May 28 to June 7, in Düsseldorf, Germany. Visitors will be invited to experience the HENKAKUVERSE, a virtual production environment where they can learn about how Ricoh’s leading-edge technologies can be harnessed for the benefit of their print operations. For more information visit https://www.ricoh-europe.com/news-events/news/step-into-ricohs-henkakuverse-at-drupa-2024/
