Offset Printing

Enhanced performance: IGR Group invests in Komori GL-537 H-UV LED

Friday 15. March 2024 - Launched in 2016 by Komori, the 37-inch offset press continues to prove its relevance and appeal to print professionals year after year. The investment made in 2023 by IGR (Industrie Graphique Responsable) is a perfect example of this.

To support an ambitious strategy and build a strong future, the newly created IGR Group invested in a Komori offset press: the GL 37-inch, 5-color H-UV Led with a flexo coating unit.
The formation of the IGR Group itself illustrates the current underlying trend in the printing industry. The Group was formed in September 2023 from the merger of two printing companies in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central France. The first, Neuville Impressions, was established in 1990 in Digoin (Saône-et-Loire), serving a national clientele of public bodies, ad agencies, and communication departments. The second, SEIC (Société d’Edition et d’Imprimerie du Centre), was also founded in the 1990s but catered to local business clients. The two printing companies had highly complementary activities, a fact that motivated the acquisition of SEIC by Neuville Impressions in 2017, with a plan to eventually merge the two entities.
When size makes a difference
“To cope with rising production costs and meet the demands of clients seeking quick turnarounds, printers need to improve performance and responsiveness” explains Jean-Philippe Neuville, President of IGR. “This requires accelerating investment cycles and enhancing capabilities in areas complementary to offset, like digital printing, large format printing and production workflow automation. To achieve this, companies must reach the critical size required to obtain attention and support from banks.”
By merging Neuville Impressions and SEIC to form the IGR Group (which also included the acquisition of Imprimeries Buxynoises, a label printing specialist, in 2022), Jean-Philippe Neuville and his associates Emmanuel Gaillard (General Manager) and Carine Neuville (CFO) have created a team of 25 employees, capable of achieving a turnover of €4 million in its first fiscal year, with the means to invest in all necessary dimensions.
New offset capabilities
As part of the initiative, the IGR Group moved into a 4,000 m2 building in Monceau-les-Mines and launched a €2 million investment plan. This included acquiring a Komori GL-537 press with H-UV-Led technology and a flexo coating unit, operational since September 2023. The company also deployed a new generation ERP, invested in a new CTP, as well as a perfect binding system to complete the finishing equipment. The new press replaces the two existing presses of Neuville Impressions and SEIC, both 29-inch, 4-color Komori models, in H-UV and H-UV Led, respectively. “With one press, our aim was to match the production of our previous two presses while also anticipating our business’s expected growth,” confirms Jean-Philippe Neuville. The GL-537 was the perfect choice to achieve this goal.”
Optimal machine format
The 37-inch format chosen by IGR is an intermediate between the 29-inch half-format and the 40-inch full format. The GL-537 runs at 15,000 sheets/hour and supports paper sizes up to 650 x 940 mm (640 x 940 mm with perfecting), allowing 16-page impositions to be printed with registration marks and color control bars. The GL-537 also comes with a price tag 15% lower than a 40-inch press. “Choosing the GL-537 allowed us to limit our investment,” confirms Jean-Philippe Neuville. It also helps us save on production costs, energy costs (the press uses significantly less power than a 40-inch), offset plates, blankets, etc. At the end of the day, we are saving €50,000 on a yearly basis.” The new press also enhances the Group’s responsiveness and versatility. “The 37-inch format cuts the production time for a given job by 50%, highlights Jean-Philippe Neuville. We are now competitive for short-turnover jobs. Also, the fifth unit allows us to include spot colors or metallic colors in the print run, which we could not do before. This is something that is increasingly requested for the packaging jobs that we’ve been developing at SEIC in recent years.”
The IGR Group was formed with strong CSR ambitions. They are already an ImpriFrance gold medalist for several years for its CSR approach, the company embarked on a carbon footprint assessment and has already initiated several steps to limit its environmental impact (e.g., providing staff with two electric cars for carpooling). By handling production on a single press with the optimal format, IGR streamlines its energy and raw material consumption while reducing its emissions. This is a perfect response to customers’ increasing concern about the environmental impact of print production.
New business opportunities thanks to the H-UV Led technology
The savings made on the investment of a 37-inch press, compared to a 40-inch press, often allows to finance additional options. In the case of IGR, the management team opted for the H-UV Led technology for their GL-537 press, consistent with a decision made ten years earlier by Neuville Impressions and SEIC. “We originally invested in an H-UV press in 2010 as a differentiator,” explains Jean-Philippe Neuville. We wanted the ability to print on closed substrates, like vinyl, PVC, and other synthetic materials. We then had a demand for horticultural labels. This choice helps us to quickly respond to market trends and their changing environment. Currently, these types of products represent 25% of our overall business.”