With more than 35 years of experience, four factories, 370 employees and 120 thousand tonnes of paper printed every year, Rotolito Lombarda is a firmly established brand in the Italian and global print market. The company mainly produces magazines, books, catalogues, brochures and marketing collateral on its wide range of equipment, which includes sheet-fed, web-offset, gravure and digital printing.

Rotolito Lombarda considers innovation a key ingredient to its success, and a 140 million Euro investment in R&D over the last 14 years strongly supports this ethos. In order to always stay ahead of the competition and satisfy its customers’ needs, Rotolito Lombarda undertook a review of its pre-press department in 2013.

Joseph Marsanasco, managing director at Rotolito Lombarda, explains: “We are committed to equipping our company with the most advanced technology to deliver high quality jobs in the most efficient way. We are constantly on the lookout for innovative products, and the production and environmental advantages of Fujifilm’s low-chemistry plate solutions caught our attention.”

He continues: “We approached Fujifilm to further investigate its offering, and the sales team did an outstanding job in supporting us with the choice of the most appropriate product to suit our diversified production environment.”

The company initially installed an FLH-Z ‘ZAC’ processor together with positive-working Brillia HD LH-PLE thermal plates for medium-run commercial print applications, at its main plant in Seggiano di Pioltello (Mi). This was followed by a further investment in Fujifilm’s technology, with a second ‘ZAC’ processor and Brillia HD LH-PXE plates for very long-run commercial applications at its Cernusco Sul Naviglio (Mi) premises. The benefits of this investment decision soon became obvious.

Andrea Mari, pre-press manager at Rotolito Lombarda, highlights: “Lower chemistry consumption, lower processor maintenance, lower wastage, a cleaner working environment and better plate stability during the printing process are the main advantages achieved following the adoption of Fujifilm’s ‘ZAC’ processor and Brillia ‘lo-chem’ plates.”

He adds: “We expose approximately 160 plates per day, and are always looking at options that will reduce remakes to ensure non-stop production. Thanks to the investment in Fujifilm’s ‘lo-chem’ solutions, we are achieving consistent, high quality plate production, saving time as well as reducing costs.”

The FLH-Z ‘ZAC’ processor incorporates unique Fujifilm developed software to intelligently control the amount of replenisher used in the plate development process. This improvement means that a full bath can develop up to 15,000 m2 of plates, resulting in substantial savings in developer consumption.

Joseph Marsanasco is also eager to underline the excellent support offered by Fujifilm. He states: “Plates are a commodity, and print is our bread and butter. Although it makes a big impact on our productivity, it’s the relationship with reliable and knowledgeable suppliers that contributes to our success.”

He adds: “Print service providers are increasingly under pressure to deliver high quality jobs with quick turnaround times, and the opportunity to work with a leading manufacturer like Fujifilm that offers the best products and immediate support is unparalleled.”

Joseph is positive about the developing relationship with Fujifilm. He comments: “We highly value Fujifilm’s product portfolio, and its ongoing research and development of innovative products closely aligns with our ongoing drive for technological excellence. We are confident that Rotolito Lombarda will continue a long-lasting partnership with Fujifilm in the future.”