Ryobi Builds a New Printing Press Manufacturing Center in Japan to Meet Growing Demand

Full Operations By October 2006; U.S. Printers To Benefit







LENEXA, Kan., June 26  /PRNewswire/ -- Ryobi Limited of Japan said it has more than doubled the size of one of its three printing press manufacturing facilities in Hiroshima. Press production and assembly is now underway at the new, $17.3 million, 215,250-square foot facility, and full operations are set for October 2006.

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020701/IPLOGO )

xpedx, the exclusive U.S. importer and distributor of Ryobi-branded presses for the last 31 years, said the expansion will result in increased availability of all Ryobi offset presses across the U.S.  xpedx said demand is strong for Ryobi printing presses at commercial printing companies and in-plant printing operations.

"This factory expansion is significant for U.S. printers because it brings them quicker access to the kinds of offset presses in high demand today," said Don Harvey, vice president and general manager of xpedx Printing Technologies, the Lenexa, KS-based, wholly owned division of xpedx.

Harvey said the growing demand for Ryobi presses stems from increasing demand for short run, high quality color print.  He said these jobs demand faster makereadies, faster turnaround, and benefit from press options of up to 10 colors, UV printing and drying technologies, perfecting and coating capabilities.

The U.S. is Ryobi's largest press market

Ryobi Limited Graphic Systems Division of Hiroshima said the increase of its printing press manufacturing capacity is in response to growing demand for printing presses in the U.S., Europe and Asia.  Ryobi also said its new state- of-the-art manufacturing facility will further strengthen the company's supply chain to printers throughout the U.S. and worldwide.

Ryobi said its new manufacturing center features ultra-modern production equipment and techniques.  All assembly, inspections and shipping will be done from the new facility.

Ryobi produces a variety of 2-up, 4-up and 6-up ultra-modern offset presses.  Ryobi presses produce world-class color output cost effectively, at high speeds and with quick makereadies.  Customers say Ryobi's presses are very versatile, reliable and easy to operate.  A network of rapid-response local service, provided by the xpedx network of local dealers, supports all Ryobi presses in the U.S.

The Ryobi press manufacturing center expansion comes amid steadily rising economic growth in Japan.  The Japanese government said it ended its most recent fiscal year with the strongest annual economic growth rate since 1991, and is on track for its longest expansion since the 1940s.  Business investment in Japan has remained strong for the third consecutive year.

About Ryobi Graphic Systems

Ryobi Graphic Systems Division of Hiroshima, Japan, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of offset printing presses and is part of Ryobi, Ltd., founded in 1943.  Ryobi offers multi-functional offset printing presses, hardware and software, that handle all aspects of a print job, from pre-press to binding.  It is a world leader in high-precision large-, mid-size and small presses, DI presses and CIP4-JDF compliant digital workflows.  With pressroom installations worldwide, Ryobi presses are respected for their superior print quality, cost-effectiveness, ease of press operation, high reliability and precision machining.

About xpedx Printing Technologies

xpedx Printing Technologies, a wholly owned division of xpedx, offers rapid-response, local technical support, press operator training, a large parts warehouse and a showroom/demo center at its metro Kansas City headquarters.  It has a team of executive, sales and technical staff in Lenexa, Kansas, and currently has 50 dealers across the U.S. responsible for local sales and service.  The company is on the web at ryobi.xpedx.com.  The telephone is 800-553-4980.

In the U.S., xpedx Printing Technologies markets and distributes a wide variety of presses and printing technology including the following core offerings:

  * RYOBI 750 series, 6-up high-speed multi-color 23x29" and 20x29" sheet
    size offset presses;
  * RYOBI 680 series, 4-up-plus size high-speed multi-color offset presses;
  * RYOBI 520 series, 2-up plus size high-speed multi-color offset presses;
  * RYOBI 3404 DI series, 2-up size portrait format 4-color offset presses
    with direct imaging.



The 750, 680 and 520 series can be equipped with perfectors, coating units, UV curing units and infrared dryers.

About xpedx and its businesses

Loveland, Ohio-based xpedx, an International Paper company, is North America's largest marketer and distributor of printing papers and graphics supplies and equipment.  It is also a large distributor of packaging supplies and equipment and facilities supplies and equipment.  xpedx has more than 7,000 employees in 250 locations in the U.S. and Mexico.  Major customers include commercial printers, publishers, manufacturers, retailers, facility managers and companies across many industry segments.

In addition to delivering the world's largest offering of printing papers from a single source, xpedx provides graphics professionals with advanced digital prepress equipment, hardware and graphics software, Ryobi presses and digital workflows, color management tools, finishing, bindery and packaging systems.  xpedx also offers detailed operations analysis, advice and financing to help make a customer's printing operations more efficient and profitable. xpedx is one of the largest providers of post-consumer waste content and recycled printing papers in North America.  It offers the greatest variety of Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified papers in the U.S.

Other xpedx owned-and-operated businesses include New York-based Bulkley Dunton, the xpedx National Technology Center (NTC), a pre-press laboratory and demonstration center based in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as a network of 140 retail paper stores in 32 states that operate under the names xpedx Paper & Graphics, xpedx Paper Store, If It's Paper and Arvey Paper & Office Products. In Mexico, xpedx owns and operates 20 distribution centers and retail stores from the U.S.-Mexico border to Mexico City.  xpedx operates one of the largest business-to-business e-commerce sites, xpedx.com, and also operates suiteshoponline.com for graphics professionals. 

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020701/IPLOGODATASOURCE: xpedx, an International Paper company



CONTACT:  Don Harvey, VP-General Manager of xpedx Printing Technologies,

[phone], or Jeff Higgins, xpedx Director of Marketing Services and

Information, [phone], or Press-Analysts: Erik Godchaux, Media Strategy

Group, [phone]



Web site:  http://www.xpedx.com/

http://www.internationalpaper.com/ 

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