Rodona Industria Gráfica
Rodona is a company that is exclusively dedicated to the production of books. This is the sole activity of this company which employs a staff of 25 highly-qualified professionals who work in three shifts for most of the year in order to deliver a high-quality product.
Before 2010, Rodona was a traditional printing company with a web offset printing press, specialising in printing books for a legal book publisher in black and white. As a printing company, we outsourced all the book binding processes and worked almost exclusively for the aforementioned publisher.
The Rodona digital project came into being in 2010, given the imminent need to replace the old printing press. As a result, one of the first four-colour inkjet web presses in Europe was installed in Pamplona. The press uses ink injection technology and prints in four colours with a resolution of 1200 dpi on bible, offset and pigmented media.
Added to this is the Muller Martini multi-purpose binding line, making it possible to bind milled books in line as well as to prepare collated blocks for sewing using a device for nesting the folded signatures one inside the next, and serving as a pre-line for hardback books thanks to the devices for mounting the end sheets and cloth.
This is the embryo of a modern company, one that is constantly evolving and that has a history dating back almost 25 years. A company that decided to invest in inkjet technology in 2010, in order to gain a leading position in the book production sector.
Our history
Incorporation of Rodona Industria Gráfica
We were initially engaged in the web offset printing of books in black and white and mainly on legal topics.
2001
Incorporation of Rodona Industria Gráfica
Acquisition of a digital web printer and in-line binding
In response to the evolution of the publishing market, we replaced our old web offset press with a digital web printer made by Hewlett Packard (HP T300 Color Inkjet Web Press) introducing colour printing. We completed our installations with a Muller Martini in-line binding line, thereby making Rodona's plant unique at a global level and allowing us to produce books in-line in record time for medium and short runs.
2010
Acquisition of a digital web printer and in-line binding
Increase in the line production rate
In summer 2016, and with the machine in full production, we increased the printing and binding rates, moving up from 134 metres per minute to the current rate of 180 metres per minute, with no loss of quality.
2016
Increase in the line production rate
Installation of the HDNA high-resolution print heads
October 2017 saw another upgrade in the printing press. The print heads were replaced with new HDNA ones, doubling the resolution. The resolution of the HP T-370 printer was increased to 2400 dpi with no loss of speed.
2017
Installation of the HDNA high-resolution print heads
Konfli Delta 53 laminator
We installed a laminator for the covers. This is an important milestone given that we no longer needed to outsource this process and this self-sufficiency also led to increased productivity.
2020
Konfli Delta 53 laminator
Brilliant Inks in the new HP T-250 HD web press
A new milestone was reached in the spring of 2021 with the installation of a new HP T250-HD web press with a Muller Martini SigmaLine III finishing line. This web press incorporates the new brilliant inks and makes it possible to print on standard paper types. In autumn the print head and brilliant inks that allow for printing on standard paper types, will also be installed on the HP T370 HD web press to become the only press to be fitted with this upgrade at a global level. This year also saw the installation of an INDIGO 12000 digital press, with a format of 500X700. This replaces the HP5500 with a format of 482x330, allowing us to print all the covers in indigo quality, as well as the dust jackets and larger formats.
2021
Brilliant Inks in the new HP T-250 HD web press
2023
In 2023 we are still continuing to upgrade our facilities. In spring we undertook the complete upgrade of our air-conditioning system for the entire infrastructure with the replacement of the old air-conditioning system with one comprising a group of coolers that make it possible to create a controlled and stable environment in all rooms at our factory, with regard to temperature and humidity. This has led to a significant improvement in comfort both with regard to the working environment of our employees and to the stability of the machines and the paper. In parallel, we are continuing to update our production systems and, in May 2023, the new MM Ventura MC200 thread sewing machine went into operation, replacing the old machine. This new sewing machine is equipped with special devices for sewing fine paper and the pressing and squaring of spines for blocks with high page counts as well as those with minimum page counts.
Rodona today
Rodona today
In June 2023 we undertake a new project to improve the productivity of our plant. We install an HP Advantage 2200 on our second printing line to replace the HP T250HD.
With the same printheads, the same brilliant inks but a new structure and a powerful group of dryers that allows us to match the printing speed in both lines. We print with the HP T370HD and the HP Advantage 2200HD at 152 m/min in color and 244 m/min. in mono.
