PPA-Mahé for high-quality work
High-quality creations are in their blood, and they work for the most important luxury brands: haute couture, perfumeries, watchmakers and jewelers. Co-presidents of the new company, Gilles Sevestre and Eric Broche acquired PPA-Mahé in 2006. Located in Montreuil-sous-Bois, on the outskirts of Paris, in a 4,300 m2 plant, the company has a turnover of between 13 and 15 million euros per year .
Luxury: a flourishing business sector
Defying the economic crisis, PPA-Mahé thrives in the burgeoning luxury sector by demanding excellence at all levels. And this explains why the PPA-Mahé group invested in two machines in 2012 Komori equipped with Komori's exclusive H-UV instant drying system. The first, a six-color Komori Lithrone G40 varnished in the 720 x 1,030 mm format, was installed in March 2012; the second, a Komori Lithrone G40 also 720 x 1,030 mm, was installed in December of the same year. Both are new generation machines, equipped with the Komori H-UV curing system and a PDC-SII.
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“The fact that our conventional machines - a five-color Komori and a six-color Komori with a coating unit - are almost obsolete clearly influenced our decision. But above all, thanks to the new H-UV technology, special supports have become our day to day " explains Eric Broche.
H-UV: no anti-paint powder and no errors
“Komori has always been a leading company. Twenty years ago, they created the first machines with automatic tuning (AMR). Today, they are the only ones in the world with H-UV technology "says Broche. "Those who do not make the effort to know the meaning of the acronyms will probably think that they are hybrid UV offset machines, but nothing could be further from the truth. Komori H-UV is a very special technology that has nothing to do with everything we knew. These machines use high sensitivity inks that dry instantly when passed under a special H-UV lamp. Leaves no longer need to dry, and the finish can be applied immediately after printing. From now on, thanks to the new machines, we can print on all kinds of specialty media and creative papers, including the Arche series, rubber media, plastics, and pre-laminated papers. There are very few printers who can compete with us on all these materials. In addition, we can print at 300 lpi, with a quality close to photographic "says Broche.
Quality at all levels
After adopting the Komori brand since its arrival in France - the first AMR machines were installed in what was previously known as the Mahé press - the PPA-Mahé group is a pilot center that welcomes customers and potential customers of Komori for demonstrations of Print. Its executives discovered the H-UV system during a trade show in late 2010. "Gilles Sevestre and I were in Japan and Holland on several occasions to participate in Komori demonstrations, and he convinced us", smiles Broche. “Although good training is necessary to get the most out of these machines, the truth is that they allow us to satisfy the demanding demands of our customers. Despite having a strict internal quality control system, our clients check everything again, no matter the time or effort required. A customer can easily order 400 kits for the press requiring considerable manual labor in our integrated finishing shop, and 500,000 catalogs with advanced printing functions. The work has to be flawless. The perfection of the printing must, of course, reflect the perfection of the products presented ".
A busy schedule
The new Komori H-UV machines have enabled the PPA-Mahé group to increase its sales volume. “Some of them had problems with other printers, especially drying problems with special papers. Since we used the new machines, they have brought us all their jobs "says Broche satisfied. “Now we can print a lot of products that we didn't even consider before. And nothing pleases us more than elaborate creations: printing on non-standard supports, embossing, cutting, folding, gluing… everything! In addition, the workshop is working 24/7, even on weekends and holidays ". Although the global luxury market grew by 7%, the two heads of PPA-Mahé have not yet started exploring new markets. But its 38 employees can rest assured that they will not be short of work in the future.
