The Mannin Media Group attributes sound advice from Heidelberg as one of the keys to safeguarding its position during the economic downturn and positioning it for growth moving forward. The Isle of Man company installed a Linoprint C 901digital press a year ago and now it has returned to Heidelberg with an order for a Speedmaster SX 74-5+L, a B2 five-colour press with coater and Easy Control off line colour control.
Servicing local needs but also taking 15% of its revenue from the mainland UK, Mannin Media needs to produce everything from business cards through to magazines and full colour corporate brochures. Many of its blue chip clients require a special colour, explaining the fifth unit, and the coating facility means that it can give print jobs an aesthetic lift as well as a faster turnround as dry work can immediately move through to postpress processes.
"This press will be fast at 15,000sph and is easy to use," says Steve Brown, chief executive. "The speed, combined with the makeready efficiency we achieve using Prepress Manager and Pressroom Manager workflows means we can significantly increase our capacity which is exactly what we need right now."
In readiness for the new press operators are being sent across to Heidelberg's National Showroom in Brentford for training. The company aims to have ISO 9001 quality, IS0 14001 environmental and Heidelberg ISO 12647-2 colour certification in place by early next year.
"Our operators feel a sense of excitement and pride with this investment and our customers look forward to a further enhancement of our quality and colour standards, consistency and fast turnaround times," says Mr Brown. "I've worked all my life in print and so did my dad. I was raised to believe that the Heidelberg product was as good as it got – and it is. They have never seen our island location as a barrier and their staff always go that extra step to ensure we are well serviced here."
Litho still accounts for 80% of the company's revenue. The Heidelberg Linoprint C 901 installed last year along with a Duplo booklet maker was the company's debut in digital but it has found the press technology "brilliant".
That is not the only diversification. Mannin Media has also teamed up with a long established office supplies company and will partner them in expanding sales in the Isle of Man and North West England.
In addition to printing, the Mannin Media Group also publishes a number of titles including Manx Tales, Manx Life and Money Media from its site just outside Douglas.
