BCC Software

Group Visits KBA’s German Head­quarters RADEBEUL, GERMANY—KBA North America invited a select number of U.S. and Canadian printers, as well as industry journalists, to visit its headquarters and sheetfed press manufacturing facility here recently. The group was treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the factory assembly hall; the R&D facility; product demonstrations on the new-generation, 41˝ Rapida 105 five-over-five perfector press and the large-format, 56˝ Rapida 142 four-over-four perfector; and visits to several area printers that are utilizing KBA presses in sophisticated markets. Time was also spent sightseeing in Dresden and Leipzig. “Our open house in Germany provided printers with an in-depth education on

THE FIFTH annual PIA/GATF Variable Data and Personalization Conference, held November 12-14 in Phoenix, will feature more than two days of sessions to help companies advance their capabilities. This special supplement has been designed to highlight some of the key conference topics and speakers. Attendees will hear case studies from the Canadian Conservative Party and Move.com that provide a behind-the-scenes look at effective uses of VDP. Three separate tracks, a total of 21 sessions, are being offered. Management sessions will include: Building an Efficient Cost/Financial Model; Liability/Security Issues; Managing a Multimedia Company; Transitioning from Transactional to Marketing; as well as Profiting from Digital

Heidelberg Puts Accent on Education KENNESAW, GA—The calendar said December, but the menu at Heidelberg's recent "Brats & Dots" customer event gave it the feel of an Oktoberfest, minus the beer. This open house at the company's Print Media Demonstration Center (PMDC) was followed by two days of classes for printers in its Print Media Academy and a briefing for industry editors. On the first day, printers were able to witness live demonstrations of Heidelberg's prepress, press, direct imaging and postpress solution in the 33,000-square-foot PMDC facility. The clear stars of the show were its new 40˝ Speedmaster XL 105 sheetfed press platform and

Jetrion will move into a new 35,000-square-foot facility in Ypsilanti, MI, in early 2006. The company also has announced the addition of Pitman Co. as a distributor of its ink-jet systems and inks. Kompac, a division of Day International, is celebrating the successful installation of its 100,000th Kompac automatic dampening system. In other news, the company announced the addition of three new team members: Mike Scaglione as director of sales worldwide; Charles Gray as director of supply chain management; and Carmen Costa as marketing manager. Böwe Bell + Howell has launched its Website, www.bbhsupplies.com, offering an expanded product line and supported by a 24-hour

Flint Ink, XSYS Print Merge ANN ARBOR, MI—Flint Ink and XSYS Print Solutions of Stuttgart, Germany, have agreed to merge. The combination creates a global ink supplier with revenues of roughly $2.6 billion and with about 8,000 employees. Pending regulatory approval, the deal is slated to be finalized around September 30. XSYS was created by the 2004 merger of BASF Printing Systems and ANI Printing Inks. Finnish Paper Lockout Ends HELSINKI, FINLAND—Finland's major paper manufacturers and unions representing more than one million forest industry workers finally reached a labor agreement after being urged to return to the negotiating table by Finland Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen. The

Heidelberg Outlines PRINT 05 Plans KENNESAW, GA—Heidelberg announced plans for its 76,000-square-foot booth at next month's PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 exhibition in Chicago during a pre-show press conference held here recently. One of the main attractions will be the XL 105 Theater—a large-screen theater for live presentations that will house Heidelberg's new Speedmaster XL 105. The first product introduced in the company's new series of high-end offset presses known as the "Maximum Performance Class," it boasts speeds to 18,000 sph. There will be a total of 10 sheetfed presses, in various sizes and configurations, within the Heidelberg exhibit. Outside the XL 105

Anniversary Open House Draws Crowd MAULBURG, GERMANY—Approximately 250 people recently attended the anniversary open house event, "40 years of Muller Martini Presses," in this town in southern Germany. Group Chairman Rudolf Müller, Group Divisional Manager Dr. Peter Merkli and Managing Director Dr. Jürgen Dillmann took the opportunity to thank all the guests for their long-standing relationship. Muller Martini then demonstrated two new variable-size web presses, the Alprinta and the Concepta. Introduced at Drupa, Muller Martini's new variable-size printing insert maximizes the format flexibility of a standard Alprinta by simply exchanging the plate and blanket cylinders, while the cartridge is still installed in the

Colter & Peterson and MBO America are now co-distributors of Wohlenberg paper cutters and cutting systems for the U.S. market. Specifically, the cooperative agreement will allow technical experts and sales personnel from both companies to confer with each other on how Wohlenberg cutters can best enhance the efficiency and productivity for printers and trade finishers looking to upgrade their operations. Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Print Media presented the Cary Award to Frank Steenburgh, senior vice president for business growth, Production Systems Group at Xerox Corp. during a breakfast at Graph Expo 2004. The Cary Award is presented annually to those who have

Creo Inc. has been honored by Xerox Corp. with the title of Software Partner of the Year. Creo was acknowledged for its Spire color servers designed for various Xerox color presses. The announcement was made at the annual Xerox Business Partner Conference, held in February. Creo also reports a partnership with Sichuan Juguang Printing Apparatus, one of the largest plate manufacturers in China. Under the terms of the agreement, Juguang will manufacture and sell the jointly developed Juguang JPT-1 positive thermal plate. Creo will offer the plates as part of its complete computer-to-plate systems in China. An estimated 75 new jobs will be created at