DirectDrive in Double Pack

Fälth & Hässler orders two ROLAND 700 DirectDrive presses

The delicious Sunday roast in stylish surroundings – this may be thanks to Fälth & Hässler AB. And also in future two ROLAND 700 DirectDrive presses which will be printing the high-grade books in cooking, gardening, art, design and catalogues.

Fälth & Hässler AB in Värnamo, southern Sweden, is one of the largest book printers in the country and was formed in 1997 following the amalgamation of the long-established Fälths Tryckeri AB (printing company) and Hässlerband AB (bindery). One of the factors behind their success is the portfolio of services offered: from digital photography through image-handling and control, prepress and printing right through to bookbinding.

High-grade books and catalogues demand production efficiency and top print quality. As Managing Partner Anders Ekberg reports: “A production highlight was without doubt an IKEA furnishings book for 21 countries in 16 languages. That went off very well indeed.” To ensure that such large projects run smoothly, the company’s business philosophy includes using the latest technology and so it was only logical to invest in two eight-color ROLAND 700 DirectDrive presses each with a perfecting system. And how farsighted Fälth & Hässler’s planning is can be seen by the PRINTVALUE services they have ordered: an extensive ProServ maintenance package and a PreAct productivity enhancement package which contains suggestions for process optimization based on regular analyses. Environmental aspects are also important for Fälth & Hässler; their entire production is certified as complying with the ISO 14000 and EMAS environmental management standard.

The competitive advantage of DirectDrive

With runs of up to 5000 sheets and more than ten jobs per shift, the ROLAND 700 DirectDrive system is unbeatable. The world record of 169 plate changes in 24 hours proves this. Fälth & Hässler are not expecting quite as many job changeovers but with average runs of 3000 the ROLAND 700 DirectDrive is absolutely convincing. The same applies to perfecting quality. Besides the cylinder geometry advantages, the OptiPrint jackets on the impression cylinders with their special ink-repelling surface ensure outstanding print quality. Anders Ekberg: “Our investment in the ROLAND 700 DirectDrive with the latest technology gives us a competitive edge. We have carefully considered how we can best utilize the new presses. Now it’s up to us to provide the performance that will convince our customers about the added value.”