Installation is underway at Windles Group in Thame, Oxfordshire, of a new six colour Rapida 106 X sheetfed offset press following its delivery ahead of schedule. As the company’s first investment with Koenig & Bauer, the press marks a significant milestone in Windles’ pursuit of a carbon neutral production process.
Left to right: Robert Peters, Bruce Podmore, Norman Coyde, Miles Podmore.
This press investment was driven by Windles’ ambitious LOOP-IT scheme which encompasses a wide range of efforts and initiatives aimed at a more sustainable approach to producing high-quality printed products and packaging. The many energy-saving features of the 106 X were crucial to the choice and specification.
Bruce Podmore, Managing Director, says, “It was the can-do attitude of Koenig & Bauer that first impressed. They were positively enthusiastic and committed to working on this with us. We are bound by our culture of environmental commitment, which is not negotiable. With other suppliers we came up against a blank ‘this is what we offer’ attitude. But Koenig & Bauer seemed to relish the challenge. As a machine man myself, they were speaking my language. We even had the personal attention of Ralf Sammeck throughout the project, as he felt personally so engaged with what we were trying to do.”
Podmore is clear about the many positives from choosing Koenig & Bauer for the project. “Quality can no longer be a printer’s main emphasis. It’s not a differentiator – you need to be assured of good quality every time you roll the press,” he states. “And with this press, we will now be able to do the same amount of work in half the time, using 35 percent less energy, while making it a much more pleasant place to work.”
Chris Scully, Managing Director, Koenig & Bauer (UK), adds, “This project has fired up everyone’s imagination as it was a clean sheet from the beginning. Windles came to us with a list of things they wanted to achieve and an open mind as to how to do it. They are proven innovators many times over, from their biomass heating to waste management systems, consumables alternatives, to a private wind turbine. They have big plans for their eco business. Joining them on their journey has been a stimulating and enjoyable experience for us all and we feel very proud to be contributing to their success in this. I personally can’t wait to see what comes next.”
