Roland makes CM tops in Malaysia

The ability of MAN Roland presses to handle a wide variety of stocks enables printers to create new business opportunities. An good example is the Malaysian packaging operation CM Printing, in Kuala Lumpur, which, 40 years after its foundation, took the decision to "move seriously" into labels. The company was established in board printing, and had three rotogravure lines. It was also 'dabbling' in labels, printing occasional jobs whenever customers asked for them.

However, after examining the market and the press technology available, CM owner and chief executive Chia Kar Yih believed that if the company installed a new five colour Roland 700 with coater, it would be able to provide the market with an excellent proposition in wet glue labels. "Firstly we believed offset would offer better products and service to our clients in terms of speed and flexibility," he explains. "And secondly, after a thorough examination of all the press technology available, with a live job of ours, we concluded that the Roland 700 was best suited to our target market."

Number one

Two years after installing the press, CM claims to be the number one label printer in Malaysia, with the Roland running at full capacity and working 24 hours a day. Within this short period, the company is said to have become the preferred printer for breweries in Malaysia and the surrounding countries. Currently, more than 50 per cent of its labels are exported.

Such has been the success of the Roland 700 that CM has just formed an entirely new company around the press, rather than run labels as a division within itself. Chia Kar Yih says: "Having a separate company will enable us to focus better on the business, to provide the right investment, and to take the business forward."

He adds: "There is no doubt that the press has been one of the major contributors to the success of our label business. Its quality and productivity are a winning combination for us, and for our customers. Its reliability and consistency have also been key factors; our label customers need the millionth label looking exactly the same as the first. The Roland 700 achieves this for us."

This level of work has won rich rewards for the company, with many breweries in the region switching their label production from the US, Europe and Australia to CM.

He continues: "Key factors for us with the Roland 700 have been its ease of use and the consistent delivery of quality products. We have built up a reputation for producing top quality work since we began, and clearly we wanted this to be the case with our labels. When we examined the press technology available we found the Roland most suitable to our needs, and certainly capable of producing the level of work we require."

Growth

Although CM Printing operates in three market segments - tobacco, beer/beverage and household products - it is the beer/beverage section that is growing the fastest. Chia Kar Yih says: "Labels also have a huge export potential, particularly for us within the Asean trading region, where import tariffs for goods are coming down rapidly. We are already competing successfully against European printers and we are winning because we provide quality, service and price advantages to our clients. They see tremendous value in buying from us."

CM places great emphasis on the quality of its products, and while its ISO9002 accreditation is an achievement, good process control in manufacturing is mandatory. The company is considering installation of a second Roland 700 in the near future, as the present machine is now running at full capacity. Space is available for a new press, and more units if necessary.