We went over the early years of Roularta Printing in a previous article and we will now present its recent history, picking up where we left off in 1990. That year, the company started printing for its first international customers. After an initial focus on neighbouring Netherlands and France, other markets like the Scandinavian countries soon followed. The newly installed 32-page four-colour Harris Marinoni M 4000 short grain press was put to full use for commercial printing, in addition to the printing of Roularta’s own magazines. The extra production capacity was soon to be filled by work done for external customers.
Commercial printing on the rise
The exponential growth experienced by commercial printing called for further investment. A Harris Marinoni N1600 hybrid newspaper press, a Mitsubishi 48-page magazine press (equipped with a pinless folding device) and two hybrid Mitsubishi newspaper presses were installed, greatly expanding production capacity. This in turn called for teams going from three to four people and working Monday through Saturday, Sunday being the only day with no production. Shifts ran from 5 am on Monday morning to midnight on Saturday night. And considering the amount of customer orders, these extended hours were by no means a luxury.
Continued investment in high-tech printing presses ensured a steady growth in the in-house magazine segment, but the commercial printing also experienced a real boost. A good example was Intermediair, a magazine with job listings designed for the Dutch market. Turnover was also generated on the French market with the printing of magazines such as A Nous Paris.
Roularta launches Style in the Netherlands and Jornal da Regiao in Portugal.
Investment budget of EUR 100 million
The acquisition of Groupe Express-Expansion’s magazines by Roularta Media Group was a real revolution. In 2006, the Board of Directors approved an investment budget of no less than EUR 100 million to be allocated to the construction of a brand-new printing workshop and to the purchase of new presses. The new equipment included three 72-page presses, the Rotoman for the covers, five saddle stitchers, a new perfect-binding line, and four (soon to be five) lines for paper wrap and seal.
The Colorman newspaper press started to be used in 2008. This press prints up to 4 paper lanes simultaneously, offers a unique capacity of 64 pages in broadsheet and as many as 128 pages in tabloid. Thanks to its specific configuration, the Colorman can also handle sections of, for example, 48 pages in tabloid, which is unique in the market.
The manroland Colorman press was installed in 2008.
Top performance
In 2011 Roularta Printing’s annual sales reached around EUR 106 million. For a time, the in-house magazines segment accounted for over 70% of sales. As a result of the continued focus on international markets and steady investments in production and finishing, the revenue is now distributed evenly between the two segments.
Today, Roularta Printing is a leader in the graphics sector and one of the most modern printing companies in Europe. With an ambitious investment plan, constant attention to sustainability and energy efficiency, and close long-term partnerships with customers, Roularta Printing is ready to perform at top level in the years ahead.