KBA North America is pleased to announce that Meredith-Webb Printing, a Burlington, NC-based printer, has signed a contract at Graph Expo 2012 for the purchase of a KBA Rapida 162a 64-inch seven-color press with coater and UV capabilities. The new press will be delivered first quarter 2013 and features a bevy of automation.
In Autumn 2013, Koenig & Bauer will integrate its press manufacturing plant in Trennfeld, Germany, into its main plant in Würzburg. It is actively tackling the challenges caused by competition from online media, structural changes in the printing industry and enormous leaps in the productivity of new machinery in the significantly smaller global market for web offset presses
KBA North America announces that Specialty Finishing, a full-service, high-quality folding carton and litho-laminated packaging manufacturer for a wide range of national brands located in Omaha, NE, has completed installation of two new large-format KBA Rapida 145 57˝ presses. Since the installation, the company has begun reaping the benefits with double-digit sales increases, higher quality print with consistent color, and significant reduction in start-up waste.
Notwithstanding the current economic slowdown, Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) disclosed in its third-quarter report generally positive figures for the world’s second-largest press manufacturer. For the first three quarters KBA released an increase in group sales to €916.2 million, 16.6 percent up on the previous year.
There were only four offset presses actually running at GRAPH EXPO last month, but the leading vendors still had booths on the show floor. Video presentations, interactive displays, print samples, and standalone press consoles or press units were instead used to showcase new developments, enhanced maintenance offerings and press monitoring services.
While Edison Litho has built its 50-year reputation as a leader in large-format printing, the company has recently installed a new 41" KBA Rapida 105 six-color, UV-equipped sheetfed press to meet a growing demand for smaller run brochures, newsletters, postcards and other projects.
GRAPH EXPO 2012 was a large success for KBA North America, who reported the sale of a large-format KBA Rapida press and a packed booth during the entire duration of the show. Printers were eager to learn more about KBA’s exciting drupa innovations, including its entry into the digital press arena and new industry-first features for its line of offset presses.
Allied Printing Services, a full service commercial/financial printing firm located in Manchester, CT, has purchased a new 41" KBA Rapida 106 eight-color press. “We felt that the new KBA Rapida 106 gave us the automation and productivity to continue our healthy growth and further enhance our product offerings and capabilities,” says John Sommers Jr, president.
At GRAPH EXPO 2012, KBA North America will be presenting an array of new presses; and a special dedicated area of the KBA booth will be devoted to educating attendees about its Service Select Program. Attendees will be able to see live press analysis presented by the firm’s highly-knowledgeable technical team brought in especially for GRAPH EXPO. KBA will also present its drupa 2012 offerings via a video review for attendees to watch.
SANTA ANA, CA—Large-format to-the-trade specialist Foster Printing will be installing a KBA Rapida 205 81˝ large-format six-color UV press this October. The new press, reportedly the largest in the world, joins two existing KBA large-format 64˝ presses—a five-color conventional and a six-color UV—in the firm’s 46,000-square-foot facility.
