New England Printer Chooses LITHOMAN Press for its Automation and Waste Reduction Capabilities

Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA — Bradford & Bigelow, the New England specialty printer well-known for its diversified and best-in-class product portfolio, announced the purchase of a LITHOMAN  48-page four-color press for its 50,000 square-foot pressroom addition at its Newburyport, Massachusetts plant location.

Bradford & Bigelow’s President John Galligan stated, “We are delighted to partner with manroland Goss. Very simply, the LITHOMAN technology with its advanced color and quality control, automation, minimal waste, two-color zero makeready feature, and excellent setup times makes 70% of the existing web presses in North America obsolete. The 48-page LITHOMAN will enhance the productivity and capacity of our existing sheetfed, digital, and web press platform with increased quality, speed, and significantly lower waste.”

The LITHOMAN press, one of several new machines planned for the updated facility in the future, includes a full portfolio of automated inline controls, including InlineRegistration Control, InlineCutoff Control Dynamic, and InlineDensity Control (IDCm). The press also includes the DynaChange imprint function, which uses only the blanket cylinders of engaged printing units, allowing for increased production speed, and a fully automated printing plate changing device (APL). Remote diagnostics systems will allow technicians from manroland Goss to quickly and accurately diagnose any variables to the printing process and ensure uptime for maximum productivity results.

Bradford & Bigelow Executive Vice President Rick Dunn appreciates the value of automated controls for the company’s role as a best-in-class print facility. “As an ISO9001:2015 and G7 certified supplier, we measure twice and cut once, and these tools are the next step in maintaining our technological excellence. More and more of our clients are asking B&B to expand our 4-color capacity and also offer a print warehouse & distribution model which economically and environmentally makes sense.” Along with the increased press capacity, Bradford & Bigelow will add 50,000 sq. ft. of warehousing space.

“Bradford and Bigelow has positioned the company for growth by adding LITHOMAN presses to their pressroom operations,” stated Jason Elliott, Vice President of Sales for manroland Goss web systems, “The automation, efficiency, and speed of the LITHOMAN is currently unmatched in the market, and has become the preferred press equipment for companies looking to create new opportunities.”