The ROQ Automatic Story

Founded in 1984 by brothers Manuel and Joaquim Sá, for more than 30 years, ROQ has been solving business challenges for the screen printing industry.

ROQ (formerly known as S. Roque) started with a need. Textile producers in the “Vale do Avo,” a Portuguese region famous for the production of high-quality fabrics, were struggling to find printing solutions that could handle their demands. Compounding their difficulties in finding machinery that delivered the level of craftsmanship their fabrics deserved was the lack of local service for equipment that was primarily manufactured abroad.

A solutions-oriented pair, the two brothers who, at the time, were working in machine service and repair, saw an opportunity to capture a growing market. They launched S. Roque, named after the place where it all started. At its inception, the business focused on producing small metal attachments and machines for fabric printing shops. But the brothers learned quickly, gaining insights into the industry and equipment at each service call. The company soon began producing circular printing machines, thermo fixation tunnel dryers and, eventually, the automatic screen printing machines they are known worldwide for today.

Offering precision-built machinery and expert-level service, S. Roque quickly conquered the domestic market, and turned their sights to international waters. In 2010, they connected with Ryonet at the Fespa Munich trade show. Ryonet founder, Ryan Moor, immediately saw the opportunity. S. Roque’s equipment was not only superior in form, function and design, but it also played well with water-based ink--a perfect fit with Ryonet’s Green Galaxy product line. In 2012, a partnership was forged.

Today, Ryonet is proud to be the sole distributor of ROQ automatic presses in the U.S. and Canada. Ryonet, and ROQ, share a commitment to innovation, quality, service and, most importantly, to delivering superior solutions for our customers.