The University of Leeds has invested in four new Konica Minolta presses, production workflow options, and a full suite of Duplo finishing equipment to refresh its print and mail facility.
‘The level of investment that the management has allowed, shows the confidence they have in the new direction and strategy that the University is going through,’ commented Ollie Renshaw, business and systems manager, print and mail service, University of Leeds. ‘Underneath every decision that they make, the University has always put the experience of the students at the very top. With the new digital strategy taking hold, we are bringing our print production facilities in line with all the multi-functional devices (MFDs) in each department. We at print and mail want to be the best at what we can do, the University has a three-year plan for us, and the director of campus innovation is excited to see all our new developments.’
Mr Renshaw continued, ‘From Konica Minolta, we purchased the AccurioPress C12000 – the first in our sector in the UK – the AccurioPress C7100 and two AccurioPress 6120s. All are powered by Konica Minolta’s print controllers with AccurioPro Flux Ultimate workflow. The setup gives us flexibility as well as the capacity to keep up with extremely heavy periods of work.’
Jon Hiscock, head of production and industrial print at Konica Minolta UK said, ‘The package provided to the print and mail centre at the University of Leeds represents the latest in Konica Minolta production print technology, automation tools and workflow integration. We are pleased to work in partnership with Duplo UK to deliver the University a future proof solution that once optimised will enable it to meet its strategic goals and deliver a best-in-class student experience.’
For Duplo, this includes the UK’s first installation of the DC-648 multi-finisher, the flagship iSaddle 5.0, the PFi Blade B2 and the DuBinder DPB-500 binder.
‘The Duplo machines are just fabulous. My operators think the automation and ease of use on the DC-648 is second to none. Normal jobs are all set up and the print is just fed through, taking the stress and hours upon hours of manual work away. We have so many different jobs coming through that this machine is a lifesaver. The iSaddle 5.0 was a much more in-depth learning experience, it gives us so much more options to give to the students and staff, and it’s easy to set up and run. Students can buy a coffee and the job is usually ready before they’re finished!’ Mr Renshaw continued, ‘I’m really excited about the PFi Blade though. That is definitely something we want to expand upon. It allows us to make print sexy again when Covid decimated our volumes. Duplo has sent us their sample jobs and we’ve been playing around with the machine. It allows our event products to be much more exciting.’
Wendy Hogg, regional sales manager for Duplo UK said, ‘The combination of Konica Minolta’s high-speed presses along with Duplo’s offline finishing means that print and mail can produce more jobs, much faster, more sustainably with minimal waste, and much cheaper than ever before. The University has a very strong corporate strategy and it’s amazing to see that the student experience is still 100% at the core of everything they do. It allows print and mail to make coming to the University of Leeds as special as it can be. When you look at the production facility, it’s clean, it’s hi-tech and there are screens everywhere. It really impresses students when they see it, and it challenges their expectations of what print can be.’
