Konica Minolta’s AccurioJet KM-1e a Game Changer for The Kennickell Group

LED UV Inkjet Press Makes an Impact Across All Aspects of the Business

Ramsey, NJ, (August 18, 2022) Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leader in industrial and commercial printing and packaging solutions, is pleased to announce the installation of its AccurioJet KM-1e LED UV Inkjet Press at The Kennickell Group (Kennickell), a commercial printing and wide format company founded in 1892. Savannah’s oldest family-owned business and one of the largest printers in the region, Kennickell specializes in commercial print, direct mail, publications, print on demand and wide format printing.

 

Kacey Kennickell Ray, Vice President, The Kennickell Group

Producing a vast array of work for its clients, Kennickell runs jobs as small as business cards up to magazines, books, direct mail, online storefronts, wall murals, vehicle wraps and more. Looking to make an impact across all aspects of its business, the printer searched out a new, high-quality digital printing platform with a larger sheet size than available on most toner devices. Other requirements included a low operating cost with high productivity. Kennickell looked at a number of large-format toner and inkjet presses, eventually choosing Konica Minolta’s AccurioJet KM-1e for its print quality, ability to perfect and UV inks for quick drying.

Previously, Kennickell was spending a great deal of time moving its many direct mail and postcard projects from its printers to then be addressed on its mailing inkjets. After installation of the AccurioJet KM-1e, it was able to vastly increase throughput by printing and addressing pieces at the same time. Additionally, what used to be two-hour make readies on Kennickell’s offset presses now takes only minutes, with the first sheet off the AccurioJet KM-1e being perfect.

Andrew Smith, Vice President of Sales, The Kennickell Group

“We love the print quality,” said Al Kennickell, President, The Kennickell Group. “We have a number of high-end clients for whom we print some really difficult jobs including heavy solids, multi-signature crossovers and ghosting issues, and the AccurioJet KM-1e handles it all beautifully.”

Kennickell anticipates the new press will significantly change the way its clients order print. Shorter runs are now economical, as unit costs remain low without having to order thousands more than needed. With the AccurioJet KM-1e, direct mail can now be produced days faster and at lower costs. The printer also purchased the MGI JETvarnish 3D One for its postcard applications and its potential to grow the packaging and signage part of its business.

Kennickell has long been committed to being good stewards of the environment by encouraging the use of recycled papers, recycling 100% of paper products/waste and aluminum plates, and using vegetable-based inks and environmentally friendly products. The company was extremely pleased that with the AccurioJet KM-1e there is no longer a need for plates, no wasted paper for make readies and less power consumption.

Terri Kennickell, Account Executive, The Kennickell Group poses with output from the company’s newly installed AccurioJet KM-1e LED UV Inkjet press.

“With the addition of the AccurioJet KM-1e we have had to train our staff to rethink throughput,” added Kennickell. “Until you have a press like this, you really don’t understand the flexibility you have, and we are rethinking many aspects of how we push work through our plant. I can truly say this is a game changer for us.”

“We know The Kennickell Group prides itself on improving efficiency and reducing costs for its clients, while also providing the highest quality output, all of which we are able to make possible through the benefits of the AccurioJet KM-1e,” said Bill Troxil, President, Industrial Print and Production Print Business, Konica Minolta. “We are proud that they have chosen to deploy the latest in UV inkjet technology by investing in this device.”

The Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1e is a 29-inch sheet-fed UV inkjet press. The KM-1e can produce up to 3,000 sheets per hour on a wide range of paper thicknesses, from 0.06 to 0.6mm. The press prints on various media, including clear film, metallic media, canvas and embossed paper.

Watch a brief video about The Kennickell Group and their experience with the AccurioJet KM-1e LED UV Inkjet Press.

Learn more about the press here.

About Konica Minolta

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is a leader in industrial and commercial printing and packaging solutions. With a comprehensive portfolio of production print offerings, it delivers the latest innovations in printing, applications and expertise. Its All Covered IT Services division offers a range of IT strategy, support, and network security solutions across all verticals. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fifteen consecutive and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2021 America’s Best-in-State employers list. The company received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series.  Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine years in a row. Konica Minolta partners with its customers to give shape to ideas and work to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About The Kennickell Group

The Kennickell Group is a high-end print, global distribution, wide format, and intelligent direct mail company founded in 1892. The company has two locations in Savannah, Georgia and specializes in delivering high-performing marketing content. Whether it is increasing direct mail and campaign response rates through social media and online advertising, or custom programming print-on-demand sites for clients, Kennickell continues to utilize the most advanced marketing tools today to help their clients sell more of their product or service. Kennickell makes printing and distributing marketing collateral around the world easy. With partners around the globe, marketing materials can be printed and delivered locally. You no longer have to deal with tariffs, high shipping costs or delays. Clients with activities in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and both Americas are currently served from the Savannah, Georgia and international locations.

Konica Minolta Contact

Maggie Grande

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.

+1 551-500-2659

mgrande@kmbs.konicaminolta.us