MBA Group partners with Ricoh in multi-million pound landmark deal

British printer chooses three Ricoh inkjet technology platforms to extend its customer offering
London/Wallisellen, 28 April 2016 – MBA Group and Ricoh are proud to announce a new partnership signifying the UK’s first commitment to Ricoh’s continuous colour inkjet technology with investment in three Ricoh Pro VC60000 continuous inkjet digital presses. The announcement is part of MBA’s £5 million strategic investment programme to provide a best in class communication platform to customers across all digital channels.

Ricoh believes the Pro VC60000 will open up new markets for British printers by setting a benchmark for quality in its class as a result of its unique multi drop ink technology. The order follows installations across Europe including in Finland, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Sweden.

The modular based system is the most versatile colour inkjet system available on the market and marks a new milestone in the evolution of variable printing, elevating it to a level not previously experienced through inkjet technology.

MBA’s investment is made in tandem with an expanding IT infrastructure and equally as important, the personnel to support the ethos of offering clients choice. Over a third of the company’s three hundred strong staff are now engaged in data, digital communications, analytics and R&D.

Bachar Aintaoui, CEO of MBA Group explains: “The digital revolution has transformed how consumers research services and products. To facilitate the price aware and privacy cautious consumer, companies must be able to navigate the ever changing communications landscape, taking advantage of new channels available to reach customers. This is exactly where the MBA Group is able to help companies”.

The investment will allow MBA to connect customers across any channel, within the context of their communications lifecycle.

The Ricoh Pro VC60000 will introduce a quality of output to support the marketing needs and expectations of customers. The new ink jet technology with dynamic variable drop size provides exceptional print quality. This combines with high productivity with fast speeds able to produce up to 40 million impressions per month providing an efficient solution for high quality variable content.

Benoit Chatelard, Vice President, Production Printing, Ricoh Europe says: “This first British announcement is part of a careful and greatly considered European launch plan for the Pro VC60000 platform. We are proud to lead the change for the graphic arts market. We’ve levered our 30 years of inkjet experience to constantly evolve innovative technology, allowing us to continue enhancing client value and increase client satisfaction as they grow and change for the future.”

MBA’s investment with Ricoh began to roll out in March and will continue throughout the spring of 2016.