SUN MeDIA pushes digital publishing volume, quality with Xerox
S
UN MeDIA, one of South Africa’s leading inte-
grated digital publishing, printing and design
businesses, has upgraded its Xerox digital col-
our press equipment in order to significantly boost
volume, improve quality and expand the range of
products it can offer its customers.
SUN MeDIA Stellenbosch recently deployed the
new Xerox Colour 1000 at its Stellenbosch branch,
replacing a Xerox Colour 700 press which has sub-
sequently been relocated to its sister company in
Bloemfontein. Stellenbosch-based Cape Office Ma-
chines, South Africa’s first authorised Xerox resell-
er, supplied both machines through its partnership
with Xerox distributor Bytes Document Solutions.
‘As a digital publisher first and foremost, we
have very different requirements compared to a
traditional publisher, print room or copy shop,’ said
SUN MeDIA CEO and MD, Justa Niemand. ‘For
example we put a premium on consistency and
colour accuracy, to the point where even a small
alignment shift or change in the colour from print
to print becomes a serious issue for our products
and customers.’
SUN MeDIA Stellenbosch was founded in 2003
in partnership with Stellenbosch University, which
remains its core client. In August 2007 it privatised
the University’s print centre, and continues to pro-
vide the University with most of its printing servic-
es. At the same time, the business has expanded
from high-end digital publishing to also offer a wide
array of diverse products and services – from flyers
and booklets to fully-bound books and premium-
quality annual reports.
Niemand said one of the downsides of digital
publishing, when compared to offset printing, is the
comparative cost for higher volumes. ‘In the past
we’ve had to outsource some of our work to offset
printers due to high click costs, colour consistency
and limitations of equipment,’ she said.
‘With the Xerox machines most of our work is
now designed, printed and bound in-house, making
us one of the only digital publishing companies in
South Africa to offer this integrated service. When
you’re outsourcing you’re just another number and
are at the mercy of your supplier, whereas with our
own equipment – and the backup and support we
get from Cape Office Machines – we can give our
customers the high levels of service they expect
from the increase in quality and product range.’
The Xerox Colour 1000 boasts a powerful print
engine capable of running 24x7, and features an in-
tegrated design that accommodates two 2000-sheet
media trays capable of handling both lightweight
and heavyweight stocks from 55-350gsm at speeds
up to 100ppm. It also features advanced colour cali-
bration software for more accurate colour output at
high volumes, and a new dry ‘clear’ ink technology
for high-quality spot colour applications without the
expense of additional lamination.
‘The most important part of our service is under-
standing the customer’s business before we even
start to talk technology,’ said Cape Office Machines
Director Marco Ortelee.
‘SUN MeDIA is a completely different business
to a digital printer; their requirements are different,
as is our approach, set up, machine calibration and
support. As such the features of the Colour 1000
that benefit them most are different – from the
automated web updates that reduce downtime to
the clear-ink technology that results in publications
with a unique flair and finish.’
Since going into production in Stellenbosch, the
Xerox Colour 1000 has boosted production volume
by more than 20 percent, while SUN MeDIA Bloem-
fontein – servicing a much smaller market – has
seen its output increase more than 24 percent with
the introduction of the Xerox Colour 700. The range
of products both companies have been able to offer
has also increased.
‘We’re able to say “yes” to a much broader
range of products, especially with the introduction
of the Xerox Colour 1000,’ said Niemand. ‘From the
number of different page folds to the outstanding
quality and finishing options, this machine has tak-
en our work to the next level in terms of speed and
quality at high volume.’
Ricoh SA launches local Business Driver Programme
R
icoh SA has brought its successful Business
Driver Programme to South Africa from the UK
and the US. The programme helps print service
providers (PSPs) to increase revenues by promoting
their existing product and services portfolios, as
well as broaden those portfolios, based on digital
print capabilities.
‘The Business Driver Programme has been
highly successful in the UK, the region with which
we have the closest ties,’ said Vaughan Patterson
who heads up the Production Printing Business at
Ricoh SA. ‘It is essentially a kit, backed up by our
consultation services, that helps PSPs to drive new
business, either through new operational models
that take advantage of digital technologies or new
products for their customers that do the same.’
The system works when customers of digital
high volume devices register at the website:
http://
businessdriver.ricoh.co.za
, and gain access to
numerous online tools. These includes business,
sales and marketing strategies, tools and informa-
tion on industry developments, as well as advice
on how to maximise the return on their production
printing investments.
The resource has all the information PSPs need
on print products, including substrates information
and settings from the Ricoh Europe lab in the UK,
gives them access to webinars and special offers
as well as e-learning modules specific to their in-
dustry.
‘The Business Driver Programme is a really use-
ful resource that will help PSPs, who are immensely
experienced in their markets but traditionally on
litho equipment, to make the transition to the digi-
tal world,’ said Patterson. ‘There are some funda-
mental differences between the two types of equip-
ment, even if the output they produce is in many
cases nearly identical today. Those differences
enable PSPs to create additional revenue streams
for their businesses. Much has been said about this
in the media and many people in the industry have
been exposed to it but many of the guys struggle to
see just how that’s going to fit into their personal
business and meet the needs of their existing and
potential customers.
‘We’re giving them a nuts and bolts means of
understanding exactly what they can change, when
they can and should change it, and how they can
use that to attract new customers or build on their
existing customers.’
Patterson said Ricoh consultants will work hand
in glove with PSPs to ensure they gain access to the
resource, for which they automatically qualify by
owning any Ricoh production printing equipment,
and ensure they know how to use it and put it into
practice.
‘They’ll be exposed to a whole set of ideas, right
from integrating operations and workflows to op-
timising digital production setup,’ said Patterson.
‘They can also learn how designers can use creative
and pre-press solutions that integrate directly with
their production environments to add value and ca-
pacity. And they’ll learn how to expose specific and
useful information to their customers to automate
many of the time consuming administrative tasks
normally associated with production environments.’
Wilna Oosthuizen, JustaNiemand
andWikus van Zyl of SUNMeDIA
Vaughan Patterson head of the Production Printing
Business at Ricoh SA
JustaNiemand andMarco Ortelee
Printed on supplied by
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