KBA Halves Loss with Spike in Press Orders

Print media industry gaining momentum
Both business divisions posted a higher volume of new orders and sales. Sales of sheetfed presses climbed 5.3% to €199.3 million, sales of web and special presses were up 3.9% at €273.9 million. Demand for sheetfed presses starting picking up in March, and for big web presses in June. The influx of new orders in the six months to July jumped 38.9% to €679.3 million. KBA booked sheetfed orders worth €192.7 million in the second quarter alone, and the figure for the full six months was €303.6 million, a year-on-year rise of 36.6%. The order intake for web and special presses soared 40.8% to €375.7 million. Both divisions reported continued brisk demand in July, and there was a surge in orders for big newspaper web presses.