Imagine! Express Minneapolis Facility Adds Press
MINNEAPOLIS—Imagine! Print Solutions, an independent commercial and packaging printing provider, has installed a new 41" KBA Rapida 105 press with fully automated quality control and vision inspection systems at its newest division, Imagine! Express Minneapolis. This is the eighth KBA press installed at an Imagine! Print Solutions facility.
Imagine! Express Minneapolis, an Imagine! Print Solutions-owned company formerly known as DigiGraphics, has experienced sales growth of more than 200 percent since 2012, according to Bob Lothenbach, Imagine!'s president and founder. In an effort to continue building on that success, the Rapida 105 was ushered in as the centerpiece of a capex initiative
"These capabilities will complement the already robust offerings in large- and grand-format UV printing, framing and interior décor solutions," Lothenbach said. "The upgrades, additions and enhancements will create a single facility with some of the most extensive capabilities available anywhere. Imagine! Express Minneapolis already has a powerful local presence, driven by the strength of a thriving national company.”
The newly-installed, 41" KBA Rapida 105 press at Imagine! Express Minneapolis joins seven more KBA Rapida presses at Imagine’s facility located in Shakopee, MN: an 81˝ Rapida 205, two 64˝ Rapida 162 presses and four 41˝ Rapida presses. All presses are fully equipped with KBA quality control technology and fully automated processes, including a host of drying solutions.
"KBA has been our press partner for nearly 10 years," added Lothenbach. "In 2005, we purchased the first six-color, 81" Rapida 205 press in North America. Since then we have added several additional KBA presses to maintain the quality level and provide us with the best possible performance from our litho department. Its commitment to our market and sheet size requirements is what sets KBA apart from its competition.”
To accommodate the additional space required to install more production equipment, including the new KBA press, Imagine! Express purchased an 80,000-square-foot facility next door to its current location near downtown Minneapolis.
"This name change, and more importantly this major investment we are making, will provide local clients—which made Imagine! what it is today—a company focused on service and quality, driven by technology. In addition, we would like to see Imagine! Express locations throughout the country, helping support our major clients in their local markets. This is the beginning of that vision," Lothenbach added.
