3|2008 PRODUCTS|PRACTICES|PERSPECTIVES Contents KBA … · 2016-03-29 · Drupa, for others a...

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ContentsKBAEditorial 2

Drupa retrospect 3

SheetfedUV plastic printing in the USA 8

Genius 52UV

for MSSDigitaldruck 9

Rapida 106:

15 jobs in 59 minutes 10

Optimising paper logistics

with RFID 11

Boom & van Ketel: fresh start

with powerful technology 14

Two CCIPI awards

for Print Plaza 16

Feldegg: Swiss pioneer

of green technology 18

Lande Langenbach reaffirms

faith in KBA large format 19

Two Rapida 106 SPCs

for AZ Druck, Kempten 20

Interview with Rainer Litty,

WWF Deutschland 22

Premiere of large-format

4 over 4 in China 24

Extension to

Radebeul training centre 26

KBA: 24 hours at your service 28

Glama Pak takes

Australia’s first Rapida 205 30

Web OffsetFour new Compactas

for Blitz-Inform 30

Editora Abril orders

Compacta 618 34

First duplex press

in Latin America 35

NewspaperSüdkurier signs up for Cortina 36

Fourth Commander CT

destined for Straubing 37

ECP rolls out the red carpet

for waterless 38

Successful Chinese premiere

for Commander 40

No more biocides

in fount solution 42

New web shop

for spare parts 43

Shorts 44

All systems green?Sustainability demands a lot of patience

While the print media industryhas its fair share of long-term

developments initiated and shapedby a small number of visionaryusers and suppliers, these can laterprovoke some frantic hype fromthose rushing to jump on the band-wagon after missing out at thestart, either through being slow offthe mark or dismissive of theunderlying potential. This was cer-tainly the impression gained byanyone trawling the stands atDrupa for information on sustain-able print production. In view ofthe ongoing debate on globalwarming, pre-Drupa projectionscited environmentally responsibleprint production as likely to be acentral issue at this mammothshow. So “alcohol-free” signs werehastily hung on the deliveries of

Klaus [email protected]

The KBA Cortina, the only waterless offsetnewspaper press on the market, was a focus ofkeen interest, not least because it foreshadowsthe future in terms of print quality, cost efficiency, standardisation, coldset/heatsetcompatibility and environmental responsibility

KBA demonstrated waterless, keyless offset at Drupa on a Rapida 74G (left), 74 Karat (right) and Genius 52UV (not pictured) in its green printing centre, while ClimatePartner (front right) provided information on carbon-neutral print production

sheetfed presses, press confer-ences on new carbon-cutting initia-tives and alliances summoned atshort notice and new eco printingawards established to join themany that already exist.

Early pioneers who eight or tenyears ago invested heavily in low-alcohol, alcohol-free or even water-less technology and emissions cer-tificates for their presses, and werederided for their efforts, stare inblank surprise and wonder whereall these enthusiasts were beforegreen printing became main-stream. Sustainability demands alot of patience. Short-term activismis concerned less with saving theplanet than with saving face andmaking a splash. But if it helps tosensitise the industry, that’s fineby us. For more information on sav-

ing the planet turn to the interviewwith Rainer Litty of WWF Deutsch-land on page 22.

P R O D U C T S | P R A C T I C E S | P E R S P E C T I V E S

Report 33 | 20082

Editorial

Drupa proved it once again...

Print still has the power to excite

Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann,president and CEO, Koenig & Bauer

We and all the other exhibitors who contributed to the vast array of print-related products on display at Drupa 2008 were well pleased with theattendance figures, the high ranking of the industry visitors attending andthe large volume of business transactions concluded. In view of the size-able expense associated with participating in a trade fair of such magni-tude, this is naturally a hugely satisfactory outcome and confirms yetagain that the popular pre-Drupa exercise of affixing some sort of label tothis spectacular trade event does it no justice at all.

Drupa 2008 showed many facets. It was the launching pad for newideas and advances in virtually all sectors. For some it was an offsetDrupa, for others a digital print, JDF, web-to-print, green or ink-jet Drupa,depending on their focus of interest. But what was more evident thanbefore was the interaction between analogue and digital processes, andbetween new materials and optimised applications, for creating ever moredistinctive and original products. Another trend now evident in our con-certed efforts to attract consumers in an increasingly diversified mediaarena is the networking of print and online services.

Web to print is a prime example. In industrialised countries this formof print generation is spreading rapidly, contributing in no small measureto a seminal transformation in the printing trade. On the KBA stand Hiflexdemonstrated a user-friendly web-to-print software package in tandemwith our 74 Karat DI offset press. Many a web-to-print provider in themarket is enjoying vigorous growth with our medium- or large-format Rap-ida presses.

As a player in one of the more conventional sectors of the print indus-try we are saddened to see the relationship between vendor and buyerbecoming more anonymous and less personal, the typically regional focusof many providers becoming more diffuse, and direct customer contactvia a sales network steadily declining. While web to print – the productof online communication between print providers and potential buyers –may not affect all sectors of the print market with equal intensity, it rep-resents an irreversible trend. Print providers must therefore seek either

to implement alternative business models to promote customer loyalty orexploit the opportunities that web to print offers. One interesting exam-ple is to be found on pages 16 and 17 of this publication.

The marketing skirmishes between offset and digital print that typi-fied Drupa 2000 have given way to a calmer professionalism following therealisation that both these processes have their specific strengths and thatthe focus should be on remedying their weaknesses. Without aggressivecompetition from digital newcomers the recent productivity- and efficien-cy-enhancing advances in conventional sheetfed for short-run productionwould not have been so rapid or far-reaching, nor would advances in theoutput and quality of digital printing processes. As we all know, competi-tion is a wonderful stimulus to the powers of invention.

At Drupa 2008 we stood by our proven policy of transparency, pre-senting new presses and processes with neither guise nor subterfuge.Even when demonstrating super-fast automated makeready, high produc-tion speeds, four-over-four perfecting in large format and complex finish-ing sequences, our press operators distributed the printed sheets straightoff the press. This was by no means the norm at other major exhibitors.The world makeready champion, our Rapida 106, which completed fif-teen different jobs of 540 good sheets apiece in less than sixty minutes,was visible for all to see and not secreted in a sealed room. KBA pressesneed no notarial certification as proof of their capabilities: the criticaleyes of potential buyers are a far better authority.

Visitors and exhibitors from all over the world were full of praise forthe challenging standards and the openness of our press demonstrations.Such openness is only possible with technologically outstanding productsand a highly motivated team that always gives 100 per cent. I would liketo thank all those involved for their invaluable support.

We were delighted at the many compliments we received, the keeninterest shown in our products and services, and the raft of orders placedat Drupa 2008. A big thank-you to you, our customers, for the confidenceyou place in us.

Yours,

Report 33 | 2008 3

We certainly couldn’t complain about a lack of interest among visitors to Drupa 2008

At our international press con-ference on the first day ofDrupa, KBA president and

CEO Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann,who was also Drupa president forthe third time, spelled out the mes-sage loud and clear: “Technologicaladvances are crucial for the sur-vival of the print media industry.We must regain our self-confidenceand redefine our role, activelyaddress new issues such as pressecology, and boost cost efficiencywhile enhancing print’s visual andhaptic appeal. We must all directour energies towards communicat-ing print’s strengths, withoutwhich no modern industrialisedsociety can survive.”

The courage to challenge established thinkingAccording to Bolza-Schünemann,much of KBA’s success in thecourse of its 191-year history isdue to a willingness to challengeestablished processes and to swimagainst the current when launch-ing new concepts – which haveoften later become part of themainstream. Examples includeanilox inking, our unparalleledfocus on climate-friendly waterless

Sheetfed and web innovations hit the spot

Another super Drupa for KBA

For KBA, Drupa 2008 was more suc-

cessful than expected in an economic

environment roiled by the repercus-

sions of the mortgage meltdown, the

soaring euro, spiralling oil prices and

downturns in key markets. With

attendance figures of 391,000 from

138 countries, top decision-makers

much in evidence, a higher volume of

sheetfed orders than at the previous

show, contracts from Latin American

printers for five Compacta commercial

presses, and a gratifyingly positive

response by members of the trade to

our new product launches, we certain-

ly had no cause for complaint. Top of

our sales rankings were Germany,

eastern Europe, North America, China

and the Middle East, while a number

of orders were also booked from other

EU states, South Korea, India, Latin

America, North Africa and elsewhere.

Even after fourteen days, the KBA team at Drupa (not all of whom are pictured here) showed no sign of the rigours attendant upon this mammoth, but successful, show

Trade Fairs | Drupa

Report 33 | 20084

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offset technology, the automationand standardisation of newspaperproduction with the Cortina, andintelligent finishing capabilitiesbased on hybrid processes.

The digitally networked print-ing plant on our 3,400m2

(36,600ft2) stand in hall 16 certain-ly had a lot to offer: new or upgrad-ed litho presses from B3 to size 7(20.5 - 63.77in); our unique Corti-na and Commander CT compactnewspaper presses; closed-loopquality management and RFID-con-trolled pile logistics; four over fourin large format (a Drupa first); alco-hol-free print production on all thewet offset presses exhibited, orwaterless in the green printingcentre; premium-quality UV andhybrid packaging printing; and car-bon-neutral web-to-print scenarioswith ClimatePartner and Hiflexsoftware on a 74 Karat DI offsetpress. The JDF and MIS demosgiven by a new consultancy, KBAComplete, were another big attrac-tion.

A lot of bang for your bucks: Rapida 75 and Rapida 105Members of the industry wel-comed the fact that alongside our

high-end medium- and large-formatpresses (Rapida 106, Rapida 130 to205) we have brought out twomodels – the Rapida 75 and theRapida 105 (successor to the Rapi-da 105 universal) – for printers ontight budgets who require flexibili-ty coupled with value for moneyand an adequate level of automa-tion. Developed jointly by KBARadebeul and KBA-Grafitec, the530 x 750mm (20.86 x 29.53in)Rapida 75 can be configured fortwo to eight colours and sportsmany features from the bigger Rap-idas. It will soon be available withautomatically convertible perfect-ing for 4 over 4. The compact15,000sph five-colour coater ver-sion shown featured the optionallarger format of 605 x 750mm(23.82 x 29.53in).

Durability, reliability and theability to print commercials, books,labels and cartons at speeds of upto 15,000sph (16,500sph with ahigh-speed package) are the Rapida105’s claim to fame. The standard

sheet size is 720 x 1050mm(28.34 x 41.34in), but the five-colour coater press displayed hadthe optional 740 x 1050mm(29.13 x 41.53in) format plus a UVcapability. The new Rapida 105,which was developed from the 105universal but has the same sleekdesign as the Rapida 75, is availableas a straight press with a maximumof seven printing units plus achoice of coaters. As with all medi-um- and large-format Rapidas, aDriveTronic shaftless feeder is astandard item. Others includeautomatic or semi-automatic platechanging and automatic washing.The controls have been convertedto a Windows operating system toensure future availability. ACR con-trol (video register), DensiTronic orDensiTronic Professional densitom-etry and control systems and aDensiTronic PDF scanner areamong the many extras offered.

Trade Fairs | Drupa

JDF-enabled networking

KBA Complete1 KBA Complete workflow:

JDF process integration from pre-press to post-press

2 CTP:Kodak Magnus 800 MCU platesetter

3 Server for Hiflex MIS and KBA LogoTronic Professional production management system

Sheetfed offset presses4 Rapida 105-5+C5 Rapida 106-8 perfector6 Rapida 142-8 perfector7 Rapida 162a-6+C8 Rapida 75-5+C9 Rapida 74G-5+C UV

10 74 Karat+C

Post-press11 Perfecta guillotine12 MBO folding machine

Commercial web offset13 Compacta console with

online link to operating presses

Occupying our customary spot in hall 16, at Drupa 2008 we demonstrated large-scaleprintshop networking

Impartial advice on printshop networking is one of the services provided by a new consultancy,KBA Complete, which gave demonstrations of a JDF-integrated production workflow and the benefits of value-added optimisation in the air-conditioned Complete operations room on the KBA stand

At Drupa our new Rapida 75, whose standard sheet size is 530 x 750mm (20.86 x 29.53in) printed a special 605 x 750mm (23.81 x 29.53in) format

Report 33 | 2008 5

SRA2 for the price of SRA3: KBA Performa 66Another budget-price press thathas had a face lift and a technologyupgrade is the Performa 66, whichKBA-Grafitec claims offers the out-standing value for money of anSRA2 (26in) press for the price ofan SRA3 (18in). Engineered for amaximum output of 10,000sphplus perfecting and inline coating,the Performa 66 can be configuredwith an optional ErgoTronic con-sole complete with CIP4 interface,cost- and space-saving ErgoTronicInkControl, and a touch-screen dis-play at the delivery for the remoteadjustment of ink profiles. Thefootball posters printed on thiscompact press were soon snappedup by eager fans in the run-up tothe European Cup.

KBA Rapida 106: the true world makeready championWhile many press vendors lay claimto producing the world championin makeready, the true championwas to be found on the KBA standin hall 16 at Drupa. At the requestof a US customer, and watched byan attentive audience of trade pro-fessionals, on 10 June the Rapida106 on show there printed a totalof 15 jobs, each of 540 goodsheets, in just 59 minutes and 24seconds (see feature on page 10).

KBA DriveTronic makes it possibleThe benchmark by which othermedium-format presses aredefined, the 740 x 1060mm(29.13 x 41.73in) KBA Rapida 106has an output of 18,000sph(15,000sph in perfecting). Butwhat makes its makeready timesthe fastest in its class is its Drive-Tronic shaftless drive system. TheDriveTronic feeder boasts an arrayof presetting capabilities and caneven handle lighter stock. Sidelay-free DriveTronic SIS infeed, whichis exclusive to KBA and now fittedin over 60 per cent of all high-per-formance Rapidas, supportschanges of substrate with no man-

ual intervention and perceptiblyimproves sheet travel comparedwith mechanical or pneumatic sys-tems. DriveTronic SPC dedicatedplate-cylinder drives allow plates tobe changed simultaneously in lessthan 60 seconds, with simultane-ous washing and other processes.This is where the biggest make-ready gains are made. DriveTronicPlate-Ident uses a data matrix codeexposed on each plate to checkcorrect positioning on the cylinder,and ensures precise pre-registra-tion prior to print start.

The Rapida 106 eight-colourperfector press at Drupa printedthree challenging jobs of 500sheets apiece in less than 15 min-

utes. And, once again, ours was theonly major stand where membersof the trade could help themselvesto prints straight off the press –“People & Print” in action.

Applying security know-how to quality managementAt this year’s Drupa we demon-strated an inline quality manage-ment system incorporating ourunparalleled expertise as the globalmarket leader in security presses.Closed-loop operation was thefocus of the expanded QualiTronicsystem for 100 per cent qualitycontrol at maximum productionspeed, with optional monitoring ofboth sides of the sheet.

Best value in its class: the new Rapida 105, successor to the Rapida 105 universal, has a sleek new design

The auditorium was packed whenever KBA’s high-tech Rapida 106 compellinglydemonstrated the competitive benefits it delivers as the world makeready champion in B1

SRA2 for the price of SRA3: the new, improved Performa 66 from KBA-Grafitec

Report 33 | 20086

Faulty sheets in the Rapida 106and 142 were inkjet tagged byQualiTronic Mark and subsequent-ly ejected automatically by theMBO folding machine. Print pun-dits were also impressed by Quali-Tronic Professional, an inline den-sitometry and control system (alsofor both sides of the sheets as anoption), which adjusts density tothe specified standard after littlemore than 50 sheets. In conjunc-tion with automatic preregistrationvia DriveTronic Plate-Ident thiseliminates the need for manualintervention at the ink keys andregister controls and thus substan-tially reduces waste levels and jobchangeover times, as the demon-strations on the Rapida 106 andthe two large-format pressesproved.

Another new feature unique toKBA in the field of quality controland documentation is DensiTronicPDF. A scanner mounted on themeasuring arm of the DensiTronicProfessional closed-loop colourcontrol system compares eachsheet with the original PDF at anunprecedented resolution of330dpi. Even on a sheet measuring1,120 x 1,620mm (44 x 63.77in)minute deviations are flagged afterjust 10 minutes and documentedautomatically. Visual controls bythe operator would take threetimes as long.

New features for packaging printers from the market leaderKBA reaffirmed its position as thetechnological bellwether in offsetpackaging printing with a plinth-mounted Rapida 162 six-colourcoater press sporting an extendeddelivery, UV capability and a fullarray of QualiTronic modules. Run-ning alcohol-free, the press printed

a highly sophisticated HarleyDavidson calendar followed by alarge-format film poster and ourfamous world map. The effects cre-ated with Metal FX inks were stun-ning.

Streamlining substrate logistics with RFIDThe Rapida 162 rounded off thelive show by demonstrating theenormous efficiency gains possibleat 14,000sph with PileTronic auto-mated pile logistics in conjunctionwith radio frequency identification(RFID) transponders and a pileturner controlled from the console.PileTronic Ident read/write mod-ules embedded in the pile turner,feeder and delivery identify the

pallets and the number of sheetsstacked on them by means of RFIDtags. The system also logs palletlocation and the volume of materi-als consumed. During each pilechange in the delivery PileTronicPDF writes the number of printedsheets on the RFID tag. A Logo-Tronic Docu module in the consoleof the Rapida 162 automaticallyprints out a pallet docket. The nextstage is to embed the system in theprintshop MIS. KBA Complete andHiflex are already working on thepertinent software.

Drupa first: four over four in large formatUnderscoring our position as mar-ket leader in very large format, we

demonstrated the productivitygains that can be achieved by mov-ing to a bigger sheet size, clockingup another Drupa first by showinga Rapida 142 eight-colour perfectorin action. Large-format KBA perfec-tors have been on the market forsome years now, and are particular-ly popular among book printers.Now we are targeting high-volumesheetfed commercial printers, andto this end have not only improvedregister accuracy, perfecting andsheet travel but have also devel-oped a new, lower commercialdelivery and reduced the numberof print-free corridors to no morethan five, delivering a huge produc-tivity boost. Here we see parallelswith developments in the commer-cial web sector over the past fewyears. The maximum perfectingprint length on the Rapida 162ahas been increased to 1,170mm(46in), so it is now possible to usethe full sheet size of 1,200 x1,620mm (47.24 x 63.77in) whenperfecting. The Drupa press wasshipped straight from the show toImprimerie de Champagne inFrance (see box).

Pioneer in waterless green printingand anilox inkingWhile the anilox inking technologyKBA started pioneering twentyyears ago has since been adoptedby other press manufacturers, wecontinue to set the pace, and inour green printing centre at Drupaexhibited three sheetfed pressesand one newspaper web press withwaterless, keyless inking: a Genius52 UV, a UV version of the Rapida74G (Gravuflow), a 74 Karat and aCortina. Information on carbon-neutral printing options and on anew non-hazardous, biologicallydecomposable dampening additivefor conventional presses (see page

The upgraded Rapida 162 demonstrated quality UV packaging printing with integrated RFID-assisted pile and pallet logistics, QualiTronic Professional inline sheet inspection and our new, scanner-based DensiTronic PDF monitoring system

128 pages in one pass with eight-colour Rapida 142 perfector

“Novelles Dimensions” for Imprimerie de Champagne

French printer Imprimerie de Champagne, a Graphicom Group subsidiarybased in Langres, snapped up the Rapida 142 eight-colour perfector press onthe KBA stand at Drupa. While KBA sheetfed presses are no novelty in the com-pany’s press room, this one is opening up new dimensions: it can print as manyas 128 pages per sheet – in one pass. “We are aiming to move ahead of thecurve,” says Henri Gironcourt, general manager of the 100-employee firm. Sofour-backing-four in the widespread B1 (41-inch) format is no longer sufficient,and Imprimerie de Champagne already had a brace of Rapida 105 eight-colourperfectors in operation.

The new Rapida 142 soon began pumping out almost as many prints asboth these presses combined. It is also much more economical, because thecost of consumables, floor space and labour for a size 6 (56-inch) press isnowhere near twice the level for a B1 press. Throughput in pre-press andfinishing is also more streamlined. “Installing the Rapida 142 will propel us tothe pole position among printers in our line of business,” declares Henri Giron-court with conviction. Imprimerie de Champagne prints instruction manuals,books and a large volume of magazine titles, including the Graphicom Group’sJournal de la Haute Marne.

Management of French printing companyImprimerie de Champagne with the eight-colour Rapida 142 on the KBA stand

A Drupa first: 4 over 4 commercial printing in large format with a Rapida 142 eight-colour press

7Report 33 | 2008


42) was provided by representa-tives from ClimatePartner andWesso respectively. KBA’s intensivecommitment to conservation (seebox below), which includes regularemission controls and environmen-tal accreditation by the BG Druck-

und Papiertechnik for all Rapidapresses since 2000, was docu-mented on a roll of eco-certifiedpaper.

Cortina and Commander CT: two major attractions for newspaper printersThe four-high towers of a waterlessCortina and conventional Com-mander CT on the KBA stand inDüsseldorf drew newspaper print-ers from all over Europe andbeyond, demonstrating once againthat we have lost none of the inno-vative genius that produced theworld’s first mechanical printingpress. Shortly before the fairopened, the Südkurier in Con-stance (see page 36) signed up forthe fourteenth Cortina press toleave the production line (and thefourth triple-wide version). Follow-ing hard on its heels another long-standing KBA user, StraubingerTagblatt in Bavaria, became thefourth newspaper publisher to optfor a conventional Commander CT,a press model launched at the endof September 2007 (see page 37).The fair had barely closed when wereceived a further major contractfor a Cortina. Watch this space formore information.

The two presses demonstratedthe huge gains that are possible in

terms of operation, maintenance,production flexibility, cost efficien-cy and environmental protection,thanks to the compact presses’high level of automation whichembraces PlateTronic automaticplate changing, NipTronic bearingunits for the remote adjustment ofprinting pressure, RollerTronicautomatic roller setting, Plate-Ident plate recognition and Fano-Tronic fan-out compensation.These are benefits that will carryincreasing weight with newspaperprinters when they have to makeinvestment decisions that maymean the difference between suc-cess and failure over the course ofthe next fifteen to twenty years –not just in media markets, whereconditions are constantly changing,but in labour markets too.

Automatic roller locks now available for CompactasAs at any big trade fair, rumours –not all of them unintentional –spread thick and fast at Drupa. Thisyear, by way of a change, they con-cerned our commercial presses,perhaps because for the first timein decades none were exhibited inDüsseldorf due to space and budg-et restrictions. So to anyone whomay be entertaining any doubts:we herewith expressly assure you

that our broad range of 16 to 80-page Compacta presses will contin-ue to form a central plank in ourproduct programme. Some ground-breaking innovations, a substantialincrease in our global market shareto around 18 per cent over the pasttwo years, and recent brisk sales inUkraine, Latin America and othercountries are witness to our ongo-ing commitment.

And commercial printers willbe delighted to hear that our high-volume Compacta presses now fea-ture the RollerTronic roller locksthat have proven their efficacy athousand times over in our Com-mander, Cortina and CommanderCT presses, delivering substantialbenefits in terms of print quality,energy efficiency and mainte-nance. Two Compacta 408 pressesare already in operation at majorKBA customer de Jong in theNetherlands. Others have beensold to the biggest commercialprinter in Latin America, Brazil’sAbril.

KBA: setting the pace in green technology

• Extensive investment in cutting CO2 emissions in the press room • All KBA presses at Drupa were alcohol-free or waterless • Frontrunner in waterless, keyless offset• Eco-friendly print production with Genius 52UV, 74 Karat,

Rapida 74G and Cortina • Minimum waste, no fount solution, chemistry-free platemaking • All Rapidas are emissions-tested • Alcohol-free long perfectors and UV presses • Lower consumption of resources with Cortina and Commander CT • Lower emissions thanks to standardised production • Collaboration with ClimatePartner on carbon-neutral production

Focus on the environment: at Drupa KBA demonstrated climate-friendlywaterless print production with a Genius 52UV(above) and Rapida 74G UV (below) featuringanilox inking units

Renaissance of DI offset: the 74 Karat demonstrated its green credentials in conjunction with web-to-printsoftware from Hiflex

During the fair we organised trips to see production runs on the biggest coldset/heatset Cortina press line currently in existence, at Eco Print Center in Lokeren, Belgium

The ultra-compact Cortina and Commander CT attracted large numbers of newspaper printers at Drupa 2008

Working models of the remotely adjustableNiptronic bearing unit and automated RollerTronic roller locks were a focus of keeninterest among members of the trade

Report 33 | 20088

UV Offset | USA

Specialist card manufacturer projects significant growth in its future

Award-winning Genius 52UV broadens product diversityFounded in 1975, Bristol ID Technologies has excelled for the last 33 years as a

top provider of innovative solutions in custom card manufacturing. Bristol ID

Technologies, a specialist in the fast-growing custom card market, installed a

Genius 52UV waterless press in early 2008 at its Lima, New York, facility, outside

Rochester.

The KBA Genius 52UV press produced theBristol ID design that won the InternationalCard Manufacturers Association’s (ICMA)global badge design competition by combi-ning multiple technical print and materialfeatures with a great look and artistic feel

Left to right: Bristol ID president Keith Yeates, Genius 52 UV press operator Jack Walker and director of operations Jim Morsch have ambitious plans for the Genius 52UV

Bristol manufactures cus-tomised plastic cards and is adistributor of badge identifi-

cation systems that serve the secu-rity and identification market aswell as the gift and loyalty markets.Clients purchase items as varied asblank card products that can beprinted in a desktop card printer tocustom-printed cards in a variety ofshapes and substrates. Companyproducts include membershipcards, retail store gift cards, loyaltycards and all-access passes to pre-mier events. Bristol also servesthose markets by distributingaccessories, such as card printers,cameras, software and lanyards.

Genius 52UV enhances capacity, efficiency and quality“The KBA Genius 52UV printingpress is a great fit for our businessbecause it adds capacity, efficiencyand higher quality to our existingdigital printing capabilities,” saysJim Morsch, director of operationsat Bristol ID. “The benefits areclear: quick set-up, very littlewaste coming up to colour, excel-lent image quality on PVC, teslinand polyesters – all at substantiallymore sheets per hour than we cur-rently can print with our digital ortraditional offset equipment.”

The Genius 52UV, whichreceived the prestigious GATFInterTech award in 2006, is uniquein being the world’s first waterless,keyless UV sheetfed offset press.The maximum sheet size is 360 x520mm (14.17 x 20in) and maxi-mum output 8,000sph. Featuresinclude an automatic plate-chang-ing device and a touch-screen con-sole display that can be slid fromone end of the press to the other.The Genius can print on a varietyof paper, board and plastics, includ-ing lenticular surfaces, ABS, PVC,PC and others. It prints in fivecolours with UV curing inks thatrapidly and completely hardenthrough an efficient integrated dry-ing system, which allows furtherprocessing, such as laminating orpunching, immediately afterwards.

More options, greater diversityBristol ID Technologies prides itselfon being ahead of trends in thespeciality card market, providing its

customers with eye-catching cardsin a shorter lead time than com-petitors can offer. “Our key is tooffer our customers a diversity ofproducts that fit the type of cardthey need,” says Diane Morsch,director of marketing and customercare. “We partner with our cus-tomers and give them ideas on howto produce their cards; sometimesthey don’t know all the optionsavailable to them. That’s where theKBA Genius becomes important.The Genius will allow us to printon a wider variety of substrates andproduce lenticular work that wecouldn’t produce before. It gives usthe ability to apply either a matt orgloss finish on the cards, givingthem a 3-D look, or apply spot coat-ings.”

Longer run lengths, short lead timesBristol’s goal in installing theGenius 52UV is to offer productsranging from 500 to 500,000cards, depending on the type ofmaterial used. “We’re already veryadept at providing small to midsizerun lengths for our customers,”says Diane Morsch. “The Genius52UV will take us to the next level.We have a reputation for short leadtimes; we finish our jobs in ninedays, as opposed to the competi-tion, which can take from 15 to 20days.”

Bristol has dealers throughoutNorth America, and the firm alsosells its products overseas. Thefirm recently gained national expo-sure for its work at Super BowlXLII held in Arizona, and has alsocreated event badges for PGA tour-naments as well as college bowl.Not long ago Bristol ID won theInternational Card ManufacturersAssociation’s (ICMA) global badgedesign competition. The designcombined multiple technical printand material features with a greatlook and artistic feel. This was oneof the first jobs printed on the KBA

Related website: www.bristolid.com

Report 33 | 2008 9

Erik [email protected]

Genius 52UV press. “It is quite anachievement to enter and actuallywin this award considering theglobal competition,” says JimMorsch. “The design incorporatesa great mix of printing and securityfeatures that we offer includingfine line/guilloche print, embeddedholographic foils and surfacestamped metallic foil.”

Growing base of customers, double-digit growth in salesBristol has carved a niche in themarket that gives it a loyal base ofcustomers. The company’s annualsales grew 13 per cent in 2007,and management expects addition-al growth in 2008. “The firm’sgrowing business and expandedofferings have led to the need foradditional equipment. Bristol hasspent $1.2 million over the past

year on new machines. The compa-ny recently added a laminatingpress, which increased its capacity4.5 times, along with the KBAGenius 52UV waterless printingpress and related equipment,which boosts output to six timesits previous capacity”, says Bristolpresident and CEO Keith Yeates.

Bristol continues to look atnew ways to grow. Thanks to thenew equipment plus the rise inbusiness, Bristol has now filledthe 15,000-square-foot (1,394m2)space at the Lima facility where ithas been located for the past fouryears. Management plans a 6,000-square-foot (557m2) expansion,slated for the end of 2009.

Second Genius 52UV on Toray stand at Drupa

Genius 52UV for MSSDigitaldruck in Graz

Nine days into Drupa, with theable support of our Austrian

subsidiary KBA-Mödling, MSSDigi-taldruck in Graz realised its ambi-tion of converting to waterless,keyless UV technology. The press itspecified, a five-colour version ofKBA-Metronic’s Genius 52UV,allows the application of a spotcolour or a coating and runs up tosaleable colour in remarkably fewsheets. Job changes take just fiveminutes or so. The press has a max-imum rated output of 8,000 sheetsper hour.

The prime benefits of KBA-Metronic’s keyless UV technologyare its superior quality and costefficiency when printing sensitivesubstrates such as film or hard plas-tic (PVC, PET, PS, ABS), for whichthere is a rapidly rising demand.But the Genius 52UV can alsoprint on paper and board. The

press incorporates some uniquefeatures that allow users to capturenew markets by creating imagina-tive products from all kinds of non-absorbent materials.

KBA-Metronic has many yearsof experience in keyless, waterlessUV technology. In addition to theGenius 52UV it builds CD-printand Premius presses for printing

CDs, DVDs and BDs (Blu-ray discs),and the OC 200 for ISO-standardplastic cards. Its industrial ID sys-tem, the Universys, prints person-alised cards to ISO standards.

MSSDigitaldruck managing partner Christian Matzer (centre) flanked (l-r) by his associate partners Christian and Thomas Skoric,KBA-Metronic assistant vice-president Günter Meyer and Ernst Mikes of KBA-Mödling

In addition to the Genius 52UV on the KBA stand there was a plinth-mounted coater version with extended delivery on show at plate manufacturer Toray's stand in hall 3

UV Offset | Austria

Report 33 | 200810

Sheetfed Offset | Productivity

Lesson in high-speed production from the true world champion in makeready

KBA Rapida 106 at Drupa: 15 jobs in 59 minutesThere is no shortage of pretenders to the title of medium-format world champion in makeready, but that does

not alter the fact that the true champion walked the talk on the KBA stand in hall 16 at Drupa – as an attentive

audience and a US customer can testify.

The array of automation modules makes theconsoles of high-tech presses like the Rapida106 look increasingly like the bridge of anocean-going liner. The screens provide theoperator with an up-to-the-second overview

of the entire production run

Andreas Ullbrich and Ralf Maskos showed who is the real world champion in B1 makeready when they printed 15 jobs, each with 539 to 563 goodsheets, in just 59 minutes and 24 seconds on their Rapida 106

When DriveTronic SPC dedi-cated plate-cylinder driveswere officially unveiled on

a high-tech B1 (40-inch) Rapida105 at an open house in Septem-ber 2007 at our Radebeul facility,the eight-colour perfector printeda brochure with four cover pagesand a 48-page body (three sheetswith sixteen pages apiece) – inother words a total of four jobs,each of 500 copies – in just under24 minutes. That short time-frameincluded three plate changes forthe content pages plus a change ofsubstrate, format and plates for thecover. The audience of print pro-fessionals was astonished at theadvances this represented in sheet-fed offset performance.

But the 105’s successor, theRapida 106 unveiled at our pre-Drupa open house in early Apriland exhibited at Drupa in late Mayand early June, went one better.This is because the addition along-side DriveTronic SPC of automationmodules such as DriveTronic Plate-Ident and QualiTronic Professionalrelieves the operator of time-con-suming monitoring and make-ready tasks, thus ramping up netoutput.

At the express request of anAmerican customer a demonstra-tion was given at Drupa in Düssel-dorf on 10 June by the Rapida 106on display. The press, an eight-colour perfector version for fourover four, printed a total of fifteenjobs, each with between 539 and563 saleable sheets, in just 59 min-utes and 24 seconds. The produc-tion run entailed fourteen totallynew set-ups.

For press operators AndreasUllbrich and Ralf Maskos thismeant changing all eight platesfourteen times, completing asimultaneous blanket wash or initi-ating a “clean print” sequence, andchanging the feeder and delivery

piles. On average, they took lessthan four minutes to make readyand print each of the fifteen jobs.

Following the customer’s spon-taneous request for a demonstra-

tion of high-speed production –which gave us the chance to provethat, for KBA, the customer reallyis king – 120 plates were made andexposed at short notice in the

Kodak Magnus CTP system on ourstand.

Originally we timed the wholesequence at 59 minutes and 36seconds. But a subsequent checkthrough the incorruptible Logo-Tronic logs showed that it had infact taken a full twelve secondsless. During the entire fifteen jobsthere were just four brief produc-tion stops. After 59 minutes and24 seconds the counter statusshowed over 8,000 saleable sheets– a net output that surely repre-sents a new world record and is thetarget that other presses must nowset their sights on.

Small wonder that the cus-tomer signed on the dotted line assoon as the demo ended.

Martin Dä[email protected]

Report 33 | 2008 11

Optimising paper logistics with RFID

No more piles of dead capital!Paper logistics is a major factor when it comes to enhancing the competitiveness of large-scale printing plants.

Among industry insiders, the reliable location of stored paper pallets in sheetfed production is a critical cost

factor which all too often is sorely neglected. KBA now offers the perfect solution: a wireless identification

system that automatically provides accurate, real-time data on the precise location of sheetfed goods.

Rapida 162 feeder with integrated RF 660 read/write device

The automated pile logistics demonstrated at a Rapida 162 packaging press on the KBA stand at Drupa incorporated radio-frequency identification, KBA PileTronic and a Krifft & Zipsner pile turner (pictured on page 13)

Sheetfed Offset | RFID

Again and again KBA engineershave underscored our poleposition in large-format sheet-

fed press technology with processand systems innovations, e.g. forthe production of packaging. AtDrupa 2008, for example, weunveiled a new optional feature,PileTronic, that is unequalled inthe entire industry. This is becausePileTronic is the only system on themarket that allows pile logistics tobe managed 100 per cent automat-ically, with full electronic trackingdocumentation. The key element isSiemens’ Simatic RF600 RFID sen-sor system.

The RFID system’s primarytask is to log goods and items auto-matically. Capturing all the rele-vant process data using MIS soft-ware, and applying it intelligently,allows the enormous economicpotential of this technology to beexploited to the full. RFID middle-ware, in the shape of Simatic RF-Manager, assumes the role ofmediator between the read/writedevices and the host IT systems.

Paper logistics as focus of innovationOne major, capital-intensive issueconfronting many printing plants is

Report 33 | 200812

Fast and cost-effectiveSmart labels are cheap, self-adhesive and have a data storagecapacity of 96 bits. Being passivecomponents, they need neitherbatteries nor any other dedicatedpower supply, their operating cur-rent is provided via the systemantennae as soon as they comewithin range. The content of theirmemories is then received by the

antennae and analysed in theread/write devices. The data cansubsequently be transmitted viathe devices’ integrated Ethernetinterface to master logistics andmanagement systems such as KBA’sLogoTronic production manage-ment system.

KBA PileTronic is designed toensure that all materials are identi-fied unambiguously as soon as a

Logistics of the future: development objective

RFID-enabled KBA PileTronic logistics flow

1. The piles required for the production run are conveyed to the pile turner

2. The RF660R at the pile turner automatically captures the data on the tag attached to the disposable pallet

3. The RF660R at the pile turner automatically writes the captured data on the system pallet tag

4. The prepared pile with system pallet is conveyed to the relevant station and the pallet is logged

5. The Rapida automatically demands (more) substrate from the station

6. The PileTronic feeder at the Rapida detects the new pile pallet7. The empty pallet at the feeder is conveyed either to the

delivery or to the pallet collector; tag data are deleted8. As the printed pile is lowered in the delivery the production data

are written on the tag in real time9. The printed pile is conveyed either to the holding station or

to the finishing department

plants, and documenting the actualnumber of piles consumed and par-tial piles left over.

The system kicks in as soon asthe paper is delivered to goodsreception. Each pallet is furnishedwith two Simatic RF630L smartlabels (pliable RFID data storagemedia) to which an RF660Rread/write device transmits anunambiguous identification num-ber via a wireless ultrahigh-fre-quency (UHF) band (between 865and 868 MHz in Europe, 902 and928 MHz in the USA). The incom-ing goods are booked in under thisID number with specification ofthe volume or quantity, order num-ber, format and grammage etc.Affixing two labels to each pallet inthe RF600 system not only pro-vides a redundancy safeguardagainst accidental loss or failurebut also ensures that the pallet willbe detected by the RF660A anten-nae regardless of the direction inwhich it is transported.

the absence of reliable, real-timefigures – or indeed, any figures atall – on substrate movement andinventories. As a result, anddepending on the size of the pressfleet and the number of jobchanges necessary, a substantialnumber of partly-used piles may beleft over at the end of production.These must be re-entered in thestores records, often giving rise toerrors even in the most conscien-tious book-keeping. The conse-quences can be painful: time-con-suming searches for errant pallets,presses idle for lack of paper, andspecial deliveries to make good ashortage. All this will be reflectedmercilessly in the bottom line. Thepotential for cutting costs by opti-mising substrate and warehouselogistics is often sadly underesti-mated.

The PileTronic option offeredby KBA is an innovative approachto organising paper logistics at thepresses in large-scale printing

Pallet turner

Pile turner

RF660Rread/write device

Unprinted pile station

Pallet station

Printed pile station

Pallet with Simatic RF630L smart label (pliable RFID data storage media)

Report 33 | 2008 13

Jürgen [email protected]

Benefits of RFID compared to barcodes

Automatic recognition system

No line of sight necessary• faster reading and therefore higher throughput • longer reading distances

Read/write function• tags can be rewritten in real time as goods move along

the logistics chain• longer service life:

re-usable, re-writable

Simultaneous identification (anti-collision reading)• multiple tags can be can read or written simultaneously• simple identification of different data blocks

Faster, easier reading• the devices can read hundreds of tags per second • the tags can be read while the goods are in motion • higher throughput

Data storage • larger volumes of data • more precise data retrieval • fewer errors • real-time stock-taking

Maintenance • none required for passive tags

pallet leaves its current locationand reaches the next, or a changeoccurs in the pile. This means thatall goods entrances and all the pileturners must be fitted with anten-nae. The Simatic RF600’s longreading range reliably capturesevery location, including that ofthe pallets.

While the RFID-enabled Pile-Tronic system focuses at present

on data capture in a press environ-ment, it also indicates how itwould be possible to optimise thetechnology and economics of theentire substrate logistics chain.

Potential for expansionThere is already thought of expand-ing the system to embrace manu-facturing and quality assuranceapplications, where the potential

of RFID systems far exceeds that ofother identification systems suchas barcodes. For example, the IDnumber on the pallet could beused to track and document previ-ous movements and thus check,say, whether the right paper hasbeen delivered to the press for thejob in hand (eg perfecting). In thedelivery, it would be possible tostore the number of sheets printedor the address for the next stage ofproduction. Such functions are ofincreasing significance as part of apallet transport system.

It would also be logical to makegreater use of the writing functionfor further applications. Otheridentification systems are far morecomplex to operate and dependheavily on the voluntary co-opera-tion of substrate suppliers. Veryfew printers obtain their materialsfrom just one supplier, so attempt-ing to reach an agreement on onesingle position for the barcode, forinstance, can consume a lot of time

and effort. On top of this, the pal-lets on which materials are deliv-ered to goods reception differ fromthose used in the automated non-stop system for the feeder at thepress, so transfers and rebookingsare necessary in any case. WithKBA PileTronic and Siemens’ RFIDsystem this is all done automatical-ly.

Benefits of RFIDThe benefits gained by adoptingRFID include direct, accurate datacapture, a bigger data storagecapacity, faster identification andsimultaneous logging of multipledifferent items – something that isbeyond the capabilities of a bar-code system. So it is not surprisingthat increasing numbers of compa-nies are specifying RFID for theirsupply chain management systems.

The pile turner at Drupa incorporated an RFID read/write device

Report 33 | 200814

Sheetfed Offset | Finishing

Boom & van Ketel grafimedia invests in two Rapida 105s

Fresh start withpowerful technologyand new strategyLife can be tough, and last year Dutch print enterprise Boom & van Ketel

grafimedia experienced the most turbulent period in its history. In the words of

its present managing director, Erik Wink, his solution was to “invest in cutting-

edge technology, attract the right customers and protect the interests of my

employees.”

Erik Wink had originally intend-ed to be a teacher, but fatedecided otherwise. During a

period of practical training at aprinting plant he realised that thiswas where his future lay. Aftercompleting a course of trainingWink worked in various posts at anumber of printing houses beforetaking over the helm in July 2007at Haarlem-based Boom & vanKetel grafimedia, the product of amerger between Boom Planeta andvan Ketel. Erik Wink steered thecompany through its existential cri-sis by pushing through the pur-

chase of two Rapida 105 five-colour medium-format presses:one configured with one coaterand the other with two.

“When the four allied compa-nies went bankrupt, we spent thefirst six months just fighting forsurvival,” recalls Wink. “Thosewere tough times and culminatedin two of the companies merging.By the end of the year the new firmhad found its feet and we wereable to invest in new kit. We nowhave around 64 employees and canoffer a complete range of print-related services.”

High-potential enterpriseCustomers come from all over thecountry, drawn by a wide range ofproducts that includes businessreports and a prestigious yet chal-lenging fine art photography maga-zine, Focus. Boom van Ketel wasrecently declared the printprovider of choice by TNT Post.

Says Erik Wink: “We have highhopes of our “capper” – a smallcard inserted in bags of bulbs togive customers an idea of thecolour and size of the flowers.Printing these cards demands theutmost precision. The substrate weuse is stiff 375-gram board, butwith our new KBA presses this isno problem at all. And since wecan add a solid coating, and even aspot coating, in one pass, ourprices are extremely competitive.”

But the main thrust of ErikWink’s strategy lies in deliveringthe highest possible quality in theshortest possible time. “We hadn’tpreviously run any KBA presses,but we were looking for a two-coater press that could printunusual substrates in a reliablyhigh quality. Another considera-tion, at a time when the firm wasin danger of going under, was ourneed to give customers proof ofour confidence in the company’sfuture success. This confidencewas shared by Wifac, the dealerthat imports KBA presses into theNetherlands, and by KBA as well.Following the merger of BoomPlaneta and van Ketels we needed

Haarlem, the print capital

Boom & van Ketel grafimedia isbased in Haarlem, otherwiseknown as the print capital ofthe Netherlands. On the GroteMarkt in Haarlem, 20 kilome-tres (121/2 miles) west of Ams-terdam, there stands a life-sizestatue of Laurens JanszoonCoster (around 1370 – 1440),whom many of the Dutchbelieve to be the real inventorof book printing, and notJohannes Gutenberg. What isundisputed is that Haarlem ishome to one of the oldest print-ing houses in the world –Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé,founded in 1703 and still goingstrong. Boom & van Ketel is inthe same street.

Hectic times

“Hectic” is an understatement for the wrenching changes that Boom& van Ketel grafimedia underwent in 2007. When four allied compa-nies went bankrupt in the early months of the year, the two in theprovince of North Holland – Boom Planeta in Haarlem and Van Ketelin Schagen – merged to form Boom & van Ketel grafimedia prior tomaking a fresh start. Now also back in business, the other two associ-ated companies in the UnitedGraphicsGroup are ZuidamUithof inUtrecht and UnitedGraphics in Zoetermeer.

“In the present-day market environment,

print providers sometimes have to take painful decisions.“ Erik Wink

Report 33 | 2008 15

The two-coater press at Boom & van Ketel affords a broad choiceof inline coating options

The DensiTronic Professional closed-loop densitometry control desk on the left supports quality assurance on both Rapida presses

A powerful pair: fast makereadies and a maximum rated output of 18,000iph make the two Rapida 105 press lines cost-effective evenfor multiple short runs and rush jobs

Leon van [email protected]

to boost capacity as quickly as pos-sible. With the active support ofWifac and KBA we succeeded. InMay this year we held an open dayto demonstrate our huge potential,and the response was overwhelm-ing.”

Handling seasonal fluctuations in plant utilisationDetermining the level of capacityrequired proved to be one of thetrickiest issues confronting ErikWink and his team. Seasonal fluc-tuations in plant utilisation aresomething that virtually everygraphic enterprise experiences inthe course of the year. In somecases these can be substantial.How much capacity should betaken on board? Just enough forday-to-day work and therefore toolittle for the customary surge in

demand in spring and autumn, orenough to accommodate peak peri-ods but with the risk that presseswill stand idle at other times?

“We work closely with United-GraphicsGroup, so outsourcing

would be a possible option,” sayWink. “But it’s not that simple.Our allied enterprises focus on pre-press services, primarily for the B2sector, while we are out to shine inthe B1 market. What is more,whenever we have to run ourpresses at weekends, so do all theother print providers in the region.In other words: during peak peri-ods it’s hard to find an externalprinter with spare capacity. Weconceptualised our press specifica-tions and production structureafter conducting a careful analysisof the jobs our customers submit-ted. Our press crews work in threeshifts of eight hours each, week-ends excepted. In the spring we allhave to work at weekends as well,but this can’t be sustained for anylength of time – sooner or later wereach our limits, both in terms of

personnel and equipment. Whilethere is no lack motivation – every-one gives 100 per cent – you can’task staff to work for long without abreak.”

Working at speedSo what solutions have Erik Winkand his team found to the variousissues confronting them? “Wedeliberately chose KBA’s high-per-formance B1 Rapidas becausethey’re the best on the market –and so are their changeover times.Run lengths average around10,000 prints, and falling. Buteven when printing short runs weare faster and cheaper than ourcompetitors. We earn money withhigh-speed plate changes and con-versions, and a higher through-put.”

Erik Wink believes it is alsopossible to make money by opti-mising the job structure – and thecustomer base. “At present we aregoing through our customer listswith a fine-tooth comb to seewhich customers help boost ourbottom line and which ones don’t.We’re not doing this out of arro-gance but in order to safeguard thecompany’s future. Turning awaylow-margin work creates capacityfor jobs that are more profitable,but which we would otherwisehave been unable to take on. In thepresent-day market environment,print providers sometimes have totake painful decisions such asthese.”

Erik Wink:

“We deliberately chose KBA’s high-

performance B1 Rapidas because

they’re the best on the market –

and so are their changeover times.”

Report 33 | 200816

Sheetfed Offset | Workflow

Alliance with Hiflex and KBA Complete bears fruit

Two CIPPI Awards for KBA user Print PlazaThe CIP4 International Print Production Innovation Award (CIPPI Award) is one of the most prestigious in

the industry. So German online service provider Print Plaza in Düsseldorf was all the more delighted to carry off

two of these coveted awards: one in the category “Most innovative use of process automation technology in an

implementation – worldwide” and the other for the “Best process automation implementation – Europe”.

A brace of CIPPI Awards for Print Plaza: Ingo Nowak of Köller & Nowak, Albert Contzen of Wolf & Sohn, Ursula Voss-Eiden of Kodak, Karola Thews of Hiflex and the late Roland Kastner of KBA Complete (l-r) pictured at the presentation

Screen shot of www.printplaza.com with the product configuration for a poster

Although KBA presses are notthe only ones it operates,Print Plaza opted for the flex-

ibility of the web shop system pro-vided by KBA Complete’s alliancepartner Hiflex, which can cus-tomise its software package toaccommodate individual printproviders’ specified productionscenarios. With the Hiflex systemit is possible to generate a printedproduct almost instantaneouslyfrom multiple individual compo-nents such as page count, colourcontent, paper type, coating andfinishing specifications etc. Thisexceptionally high degree of flexi-bility and individuality allows PrintPlaza to offer its clients servicesthat are equally flexible and indi-vidual, delivering added value thatother online printers are unable tomatch. Print Plaza’s repertoire nowembraces over 160,000 products,and if necessary can easily beextended beyond the existingpalette of flyers, business cards,brochures, folders and giant post-ers.

Alongside simple online orderhandling, fast delivery and aplethora of design options, theadded value for print buyers lies inthe fact that aggregating similarjobs substantially reduces per-copycosts.

One platform – five well-coordinated production plantsPrint Plaza itself has no productionplants but collaborates closely withfive printing firms: four in Ger-many and one in Belgium. Togetherthey cover the entire format spec-trum from 450 x 500mm (17.72 x19.68in) to 1200 x 1620mm (44 x63.77in). The choice of finishingand fulfilment options is equallydiverse. Each member of this well-coordinated and technologicallysophisticated quintet offers a broadportfolio of products via PrintPlaza’s common platform. The fivemember plants – Köller+Nowak(Düsseldorf, Germany), Druck-haus Berlin-Mitte (Berlin, Ger-many), Mediengruppe UniversalGrafische Betriebe Manz undMühlthaler (Munich, Germany),Kraft Druck und Verlag (Ettlin-gen, Germany), and Tanghe Print-ing (Komen, Belgium) – also

Report 33 | 2008 17

Print Plaza’s production plants and their kit.Jobs are assigned automatically according tothe type of product, run length and recipient’spostal code

Martin Dä[email protected]

deploy Hiflex’s MIS software inter-nally for order fulfilment and haveembedded their administration andproduction processes in a JDF-enabled network. This means thatdifferent makes of press and, ofcourse, pre-press and finishingequipment are all integrated in anintercorporate, end-to-end work-flow. This includes several medi-um- and large-format Rapida press-es at Druckhaus Berlin-Mitte andMediengruppe Universal.

The online printshop (www.printplaza.com) can be accessed 24hours a day, seven days a week.Although initially a closed system,the shop has now been opened upto allow prospects to browse freely.They must only register if theywish to place an order. Registrationaffords access to a secure zonewhere they can upload print dataand track their orders. The webshop is enabled by Hiflex dedicatedsoftware, the option favoured byKBA Complete.

Technology: mean and leanThe project was launched at thebeginning of 2007 and the webshop went online in May that sameyear, initially only in German butwith the capacity to go multilin-gual. Today www.printplaza.comcan be navigated in German, Eng-lish, French and Dutch. Surprising-ly, the enabling technology is mini-

mal: two Intel-based servers withRedhat Enterprise Linux and a fire-wall. One server is used to run anApache web server, a mail server,the Hiflex web shop front-end anda PDF pre-flight system. The sec-ond is dedicated to the Hiflex MISprogram that represents the backend for the web shop, and auto-mates commercial processes in thebackground. Although all the pro-duction plants associated withPrint Plaza utilise Hiflex MIS, theJDF-enabled communication sys-tem would work with any JDF-com-pliant MIS.

User-friendly GUIThis is how Print Plaza functions.The print buyer selects a productwith the aid of the unique Hiflexproduct browser. The product canbe assembled quickly and easily bykeying in the number of pages,colour content, stock type, finish-ing specs and fulfilment. Duringthe configuration process the orderis checked and unworkable combi-nations either flagged and exclud-ed or made possible through addi-tional steps. Products can comprisemultiple components, for exampledifferent stock weights for thecover and body of a pamphlet.Printplaza.com also offers onlineconfigurations and estimates forindividual formats and print runs.While the number of products thatcan be printed is enormous – over

160,000 – they are in fact basedon relatively few modules (forexample, more than 1,000 prod-ucts can be configured from justtwenty modules). Modificationswithin a product (a different papergrade, say, and thus a differentprice) can be entered easily, andwill then apply to all related prod-ucts.

The price of the configuredproduct is calculated immediatelyfor predefined run lengths. Non-standard run lengths can also beentered and instantly calculated.The prospective buyer then has theoption of opening a PDF quote con-taining product specifications.Once the product and price havebeen determined and he hasplaced the order he receives imme-diate notification of the deadlinefor the delivery of print data andthe date the product will ship. Themethod of transport is also speci-fied, based on the calculatedweight.

As with many other web shops,all further steps – payment, confir-mation of order and invoicing – arehandled automatically via a secureconnection.

Automated workflows in the allied production plantsOnce the order has been placed itis forwarded to one of the five pro-duction plants. The automaticselection procedure is based on the

product type, run length and/orthe recipient’s postal (zip) code.The selected company receives thefollowing documentation:• a single-page PDF job ticket• a JDF job ticket• one or more UPS shipping labels

with valid UPS tracking number• print content data (via FTP or

http download link)• a pregenerated PDF delivery

note.Job data include the order

date, purchase number, job title,customer data (the customer plac-ing the order is always Print Plaza),final customer details, deliveryaddress, delivery date, invoiceaddress, quantity and price.

The order-specific technicaldata are entered in the MIS at theallocated printing house. Normallya template containing imposition,pre-press, press and finishing datais linked to the JDF-generatedorder. So at Mediengruppe Univer-sal, for example, the JDF job dataare made available for the down-stream Kodak and KBA productionsystems. Once the order is in theHiflex system a JDF job ticket isgenerated automatically in Kodak’sPrinergy from the relevant adminis-trative and technical data. As soonas the job is ready to print, the JDFdata are exported to the KBALogoTronic Professional manage-ment information system. All thenetworked production systems pro-vide Hiflex with JMF feedback onproduction, so that progress can bemonitored at all times.

The ultimate objective of allthe services and systems forprocess optimisation and automa-tion that KBA Complete offers intandem with its alliance partners isto maximise customer efficiencyand profitability. Award-winningcustomised applications such asthis one are a prime example, andfor Print Plaza the benefits havebeen twofold: a satisfied clienteleand a solid basis for ongoing suc-cess. In keeping with KBA Com-plete’s promise that “We makeyour business more profitable”.

Report 33 | 200818

Sheetfed Offset | Environment

Sustainability as a business and personal philosophy

Swiss pioneer ofgreen technologyErwin Oberhänsli is no romantic environmentalist but a farsighted, rationally-

minded entrepreneur who perceived far sooner than most others in the industry

that sustainable, green print production can be a solid basis for a successful busi-

ness model. For almost twenty years Erwin Oberhänsli and his fellow members

of management at Swiss printer Feldegg in Zollikerberg have pursued this

course with the tenacity of Swiss mountaineers.


A 74 Karat DI offset press with waterless, keyless inking has been in operation at Feldegg since 2000

Feldegg, in the municipality of Zollikon, nestles in the richly wooded hills east of picturesque Lake Zurich – no doubt one of the reasons why the company has pioneered environmentally friendly print production

Erwin Oberhänsli (r) pictured with KBA marketing director Klaus Schmidt at the 74 Karat on the KBA stand after receiving the Swiss Environmental Foundation’s Individual Award

It is a philosophy Oberhänsli haspromoted tirelessly among printbuyers and providers through

technical papers and personal dis-cussions. In May 2008 his long-standing commitment to sustain-able print production received pub-lic recognition with the confer-ment of an Individual Award by theSwiss Environmental Foundation inits annual honours list.

Feldegg was not only the firstprint operation in Switzerland toimplement one of ClimatePartner’sgreen business models for its inter-nal production workflow, but alsothe first to achieve ISO 14001accreditation for its environmentalmanagement system. A good 20per cent of Feldegg’s productionoutput is now carbon neutral.

Management at Feldegg madea conscious decision to adopt amore environmentally friendlyapproach to print production backin 1989, as part of a strategicrealignment. “We decided that, ifwe wanted to continue printing in-house, the entire process must beas green as possible,” explainsOberhänsli. At that time sustain-ability and the environment werebarely a blip on the industry’sradar, even in Switzerland. On therare occasions they did impinge onprinters’ consciousness it was asburdensome costs, and this atti-tude is still prevalent among manyprinters the world over. Very fewcustomers were willing to paymore for sustainably producedprint. This has since changed in thewake of the ongoing debate onCO2 emissions.

Repeatedly ahead of its timeGenuine pioneers rarely followprevailing trends: usually they arelight years ahead in their thinking.In 1994 Feldegg was the firstsmall- or mid-cap enterprise in theSwiss printing industry to takeenvironmental controlling onboard, and ISO 14001 accredita-tion followed in 1997. In 2000 thecompany made the transition todigital offset with a waterless 74Karat. Four years later this presswas replaced by a coater version ofthe same model. The purpose ofthis financial investment was toachieve a long-term reduction in

emissions and the consumption ofresources during print production.

In 2003 Feldegg was the firstSwiss printing plant to gain FSC-COC certification, and the follow-ing year it converted its entirevehicle fleet to environmentallyfriendly hybrid drives. The mostrecent milestone in an enduringevolution is its collaboration withClimatePartner on implementingcarbon-neutral print production.But now Feldegg is no longeralone: more and printers, and evenglobal enterprises and organisa-tions such as Zürcher Kantonal-bank, FIFA and the IOC, havetaken up the cause of climate-neu-tral production processes.

Meanwhile Feldegg, which hasa payroll of around 30, remainsahead of the curve, serving a grow-ing customer base that includesbanks, insurance companies andmany others who value sustainableprint production.

Report 33 | 2008 19

Peter J. [email protected]

Smiling faces at Drupa 2008 (l-r): Thomas Lüdi (sales manager, Print Assist), Christian Steiger (plant manager, Langenbach), Hansulrich Brauchli (managing director, Langenbach), Peter J Rickenmann (managing director, Print Assist), Ralf Sammeck (executive vice-president for sheetfed sales,KBA) and Roland Fritz (technical manager, Lande Langenbach Group)

In autumn 2007 an exhaustivescreening process culminated inLangenbach placing an order

with KBA’s Swiss sales subsidiaryPrint Assist for a new size 7(63.77in) Rapida 162 six-colourpress with two coaters and anunparalleled level of automationthat included nonstop pile feed,removal and logistics, plate chang-ing, QualiTronic Professional inlinecolour measurement and control,and DensiTronic dynamic densitycontrol. The high-tech press wentlive in spring this year and was cer-emoniously inaugurated on 11June.

The Lande Langenbach grouppromptly ordered a further KBApress for Langenbach, this time asize 6 (56in) Rapida 142, also forsix colours but with one coater anda triple extended delivery. A veter-an user of large-format KBA tech-nology, Langenbach will take deliv-ery of the new press within thenext few days. Like the 162 theRapida 142 will boast cutting-edgequality measurement, monitoring

and control, inline sheet inspectionand will be fully embedded in thefirm’s automated substrate logis-tics system. Langenbach is takingthis powerful, high-automationpress technology on board in orderto grow market share by exploitingproductivity, quality and capacitygains.

While Langenbach, which wasfounded 132 years ago andemploys around 200 people, main-ly produces premium-quality pack-aging and displays, the Lande Lan-genbach group offers a muchbroader portfolio of services andproducts ranging from assistance inthe development of customised

products to sophisticated packag-ing and high-impact displays. Atpresent the group is implementinga strategic investment policy aimedat raising its competitive profile inthe global marketplace and fuellingfuture growth. In addition to tech-nical innovation its primary focusis on addressing specialised cus-tomer demands and requirements.

In tandem with its sister com-pany Lande, a specialist producerof flexo packaging and displays inRupperswil, Langenbach offers aunique breadth of technologicalprowess spanning both flexo andoffset. Recently the Lande Langen-bach group acquired Regia High-Pack, Oensingen, a printer ofpaper, board and luxury packaging.The acquisition has created a majorSwiss packaging group with 460employees and an even broaderspectrum of single-source productsand services.

Second giant Rapida in less than a year

Lande Langenbach Group reaffirms faithin KBA large format

Swiss print provider Langenbach in

Schafisheim, near Lenzburg, is one of

the country’s leading producers

of high-quality corrugated displays

and packaging for the consumer

goods industry. Predominantly an off-

set operation, alongside packaging

blanks and display cartons Langen-

bach also makes beautifully finished

folding cartons, counter stands and

attractive presentation systems.

Sheetfed Offset | Switzerland

Langenbach will shortly take delivery of its second large-format KBA press in less than a year: a six-colour Rapida 142 coater press

Report 33 | 200820

Sheetfed Offset | Shopfloor

Two Rapida 105 presses with DriveTronic SPC at AZ Druck und Datentechnik

High-powered offset technology in sustainable production scenarioAZ Druck und Datentechnik, a fully owned subsidiary of German newspaper publishing house Allgäuer Zeitungsverlag in Kempten, Bavaria, was

created in January 1998 from the parent’s in-house commercial and book printing division. In the intervening years this young offshoot has seen

vigorous growth, with a fourfold increase in the number of employees, a fivefold increase in sales and a sixfold increase in the number of printing

units. Early this spring the company placed an order for two Rapida 105 presses that will add a further twelve printing units.

Books, magazines, periodicals, business publications and high-quality commercials are all part of AZ Druck und Datentechnik’s standard product range

Allgäuer’s mediacentre in Kempten,with AZ Druck undDatentechnik’s pro-duction halls in theforeground

The features specified for thenew additions – perfectorpresses for two backing two

and four backing four – are verysimilar to those demonstrated onthe Rapida 105’s successor, the106 launched at Drupa. Theyinclude DriveTronic SIS no-sidelayinfeed, automatic plate changing,inking-unit temperature control,Inkline ink feed, nonstop facilitiesat the feeder and delivery andDriveTronic SPC dedicated plate-cylinder drives. The four-colourmodel rolled into action in April,and the eight-colour version fol-lowed just one month later. A sec-ond automatic platesetter was putinto operation at the same time toenable the pre-press department tohandle the higher throughput ofplates required.

At AZ Druck und Datentechnikthe watchwords are quality excel-lence, production flexibility andcompetence. To maintain thesehigh standards it has created one of

the most technologically advancedprinting plants in southern Ger-many, and the new KBA presses arean exemplar. Since the companyspecialises in the production ofshort- to medium-run work, theRapidas’ simultaneous plate-chang-ing capabilities deliver a major pro-ductivity boost. The plates on allthe company’s older models arechanged either in two cycles of

alternate plates or sequentially(albeit semi-automatically). Forplant manager Walter Hartmann,the fact that the four and eightplates on the new Rapidas arechanged simultaneously in justsixty seconds or so, with washingsequences for the blankets and/orimpression cylinder also runningsimultaneously, has made an enor-mous difference. The economic

impact of the diverse automationmodules is currently being ana-lysed, evaluated and documentedas part of a degree thesis.

DriveTronic enhances efficiencyAZ Druck und Datentechnik spe-cialises in the production of books,brochures, magazines, loose-leafbinders, business publications andperiodicals. The books it printsrange from school textbooks tolifestyle guides, travel guides anddissertations, while business publi-cations include corporate maga-zines, financial reports, appoint-ment diaries and business forms.For maximum flexibility in everyproduct line the firm specified anadditional lightweight stock capa-bility for both the new Rapidas.When the presses are in perfectingmode, automatic suction-rolleradjustment in the delivery allowsthe suction units to be positionedon the print-free corridors with nomanual intervention. No-sidelay

Report 33 | 2008 21

Left: Plant manager Walter Hartmann, picturedhere at the console for the eight-colour Rapida105, is delighted that the two new presseshave shortened makeready times still further

Right: In January Tobias Heimpel (r) of ClimatePartner presented AZ Druck und Datentechnik’s senior sales manager Andreas Keller with a certificate of accreditation for carbon-neutral production

The press room, with the new eight-colour Rapida 105 in the foregroundMartin Dä[email protected]

infeed is another feature that Wal-ter Hartmann considers key toenhancing efficiency because iteliminates the sidelay errors thatwould otherwise frequently occurwhen sensitive substrates arebeing printed. These are a regularsource of irritation on presseswithout such an infeed. And sincethere are no side lays, no adjust-ments are needed when changingsubstrates.

For inline quality control anddocumentation the two presses areconnected to a DensiTronic Profes-sional closed-loop densitometriccolour measurement and controlsystem. Presetting data are export-ed directly to the presses from pre-press via CipLink. Apart from thetwo Rapidas, AZ Druck also oper-ates other conventional presses for

one, two and four colours, and dig-ital printing systems.

Sustainable print productionFor AZ Druck und Datentechnik,environmental issues play a deci-sive role in print production. Thatis why, in addition to its PSOaccreditation (for process controlto Fogra/ISO 12647-2 standards)the company attained FSC (ForestStewardship Council) certificationin October last year and followedthis up by introducing a carbon-neutral print production optionearly this year. This entails purchas-ing credits for all greenhouse gasemissions generated during pro-duction, and was implemented aspart of a package provided by Cli-matePartner. Customers can nowchoose whether to make a contri-

bution towards protecting the envi-ronment by specifying sustainableproduction for their printed mat-ter.

Finishing and post-press servic-es are another major source ofincome. There is a bindery for alltypes of softcover books justaround the corner, and no matterwhether a customer specifies glue-binding or thread-stitching – thework can be outsourced to experi-enced local businesses just astone’s throw away. AZ Druck undDatentechnik also maintains closecontacts with selected hardcoverbook specialists in the region.

Personal service promotes long-term customer loyaltyBut all other work, for examplecustomised order fulfilment, is

done in-house. This includes theinsertion of CDs, DVDs or otheritems, collating, sorting, bundling,enveloping or wrapping, labelling,sealing, franking and mailing. AZDruck und Datentechnik even pro-vides a book storage service. Thecompany focuses less on short-term profit than on long-term cus-tomer satisfaction and loyalty as akey element in a strategy aimed atmutual success. The professionalmanagement of image data isanother customer service offered.For an increasing number of busi-nesses whose systems are strug-gling to cope with the massivesurge in digital images, the abilityto outsource both memory spaceand the labour involved has an irre-sistible appeal. Customers canaccess their individual database viathe internet by keying in their username and password.

Following the integration ofHolderried, a commercial printenterprise based in Füssen, in2001 and WB-Druck – Die Bücher-macher, a book printer in Rieden,in 2004, AZ Druck und Datentech-nik has around 80 people on itspayroll. Just under two years agothe company relocated to newpremises with 6,000m2 (64,600ft2)of production floor space and plen-ty of room for future expansion. Atan open day in spring this yearalmost 20,000 people from all overthe region took the opportunity totour Allgäuer’s media centre andAZ Druck und Datentechnik’s newpremises.

Report 33 | 200822

Sheetfed Offset | Interview

Environmentally friendly carbon-neutral print production

Balance between economy andecology safeguards sustainability

In the printing industry, as elsewhere, global warming has turned the spotlight on conservation and carbon emis-

sions. KBA is the technological bellwether in this field, with waterless and keyless Gravuflow inking units for

sheetfed and newspaper presses representing just one of our many contributions, and we compelling demon-

strated our prowess at Drupa in May. KBA Report spoke with Rainer Litty, head of production at the WWF’s German

operation, on the exigencies and opportunities associated with greening up print production.

KBA Report: How important is envi-ronmentally friendly print produc-tion for the WWF?

Rainer Litty: The WWF switched toecologically correct recycled paperfor all its publications many yearsago. Even our office paper is 100per cent recycled. When ForestStewardship Council certificationwas introduced we quickly estab-lished the facts so that we couldpromote the potential applicationsof accredited print products. Forour publications we deliberatelyuse the latest FSC paper types onthe market, first testing theircolour properties and then employ-ing sophisticated colour and quali-ty management software and skillsto deliver exemplary results. Herethe WWF sees itself as a model andconsultant for the entire printingand paper manufacturing sectors.

We don’t just demand the useof recycled and FSC paper: through

our reference publications we alsooffer agencies and printers with aninterest in this issue some positiveexamples of what is feasible. Wecan only fulfil this pacesettingfunction by maintaining closecontacts with accredited papermanufacturers, dealers, pre-pressproviders, and last, but not least,printers. By acting as an intermedi-ary we try to persuade other enter-prises to switch to recycled prod-ucts such as FSC paper as well.

KBA Report: What are your selectioncriteria when awarding print con-tracts?

Rainer Litty: Printers must generallyhave an environmental manage-ment system in place and alongsideISO 9001 also have EMAS, ISO14001 and/or FSC accreditation.As for quality assurance, we like towork with companies whose work-flows comply with the Process

Standard for Offset. The companyshould also identify with theWWF’s objectives and view theWWF more as a partner, not justanother customer.

KBA Report: Do any of the printerson your books operate KBA press-es?

Rainer Litty: Yes, for example Eller-hold’s plants in Radebeul andZirndorf have won a number ofcontracts and for the past fouryears have printed our campaignposters on Rapida large-formatpresses.

KBA Report: What opportunities doprint buyers have of urging print-ers to adopt greener productionmethods?

Rainer Litty: Print buyers should takeadvantage of the expert advice onenvironmentally responsible pro-

duction offered by print brokers atagencies or others enterprises inthe printing and papermaking sec-tors. It’s a simple matter to checkon credentials when enquiringabout recycled paper or paper fromsustainable forest management,such as FSC-certified paper. Andclimate-friendly production entail-ing credible and transparent com-pensation for residual emissionscan easily be documented.

KBA Report: What is the most effec-tive method of documenting greenproduction?

Rainer Litty: There is as yet no uni-versal seal of quality embracing allthe different aspects of environ-mentally friendly print production.So overall proof of compliancecomprises a number of compo-nents: is the paper to be used100% recycled or FSC-certified?Does the printing plant have EMAS

Environmentally responsible production is possible even when printing short runs of superlarge sheets, as poster specialist Ellerhold demonstrates on the VLF Rapidas at its Radebeul, Zirndorf, Wismar and Witten plants

Rainer Litty

Rainer Litty was appointed head ofproduction at WWF Deutschland in2003. His responsibilities encom-pass all ecological, administrativeand technical aspects relating to theproduction of publications for WWFDeutschland and WWF Österreich,and brand management for WWFDeutschland. In his function ashead of production Rainer Litty isactively engaged in various commit-tees established by WWF Interna-tional to standardise the environ-mental and economic parametersfor the production of publicationsin the entire global network. He isalso a member of the FSC’s tradecommission on printing and paperand a member of an advisory boardon carbon-neutral production. Rain-er Litty’s knowledge of businesswas gained in the course of twentyyears employment as a screen print-er followed by a further thirteenyears as a master screen printer andplant manager.

Report 33 | 2008 23

Martin Dä[email protected] Litty pictured prior to checking a WWF poster at the console for the Rapida 205 at Ellerhold Großplakate in Radebeul

or ISO 14001 accreditation andFSC certification? Does it use envi-ronmentally friendly vegetable-oilbased inks? Does it run energy-effi-cient printing presses and is theprinting process low-alcohol, alco-hol-free or even waterless? Does itqualify as climate-friendly or car-bon-neutral re production? Has itimplemented measures such asenergy efficiency checks and/orthe integration of a carbon emis-sions calculator to reduce carbonemissions in the productionprocess?

Carbon-neutral accreditationfor print production should not beregarded as just another “nice-to-have label” while ignoring the rea-sons for attaining it. Carbon-neu-tral production is merely the mostvisible component of a completeecological process. Since there isno universally valid standard forquantifying the carbon emissionsgenerated during print production,such processes as there are mustbe as transparent as possible. Anumber of companies and insti-

tutes offer their services. In Ger-many the WWF is currently collab-orating with the Öko-Institut, thePotsdam Institute for ClimateResearch, Thema 1 and otherselected enterprises to formulatean internationally recognisedmethodology.

KBA Report: How can we bridge thedivide between protecting marginsand protecting the environment?

Rainer Litty: Energy efficiencychecks, a real reduction in carbonemissions by modifying produc-tion, standardising the workflowand using recycled paper and/orpaper from sustainable forestry arealso investments in a company’slong-term economic security. Print-ing plants that fail to monitor theirenergy consumption or costs willeventually sacrifice their competi-tiveness in the market. Maintain-ing a balance between economic,environmental and social factors isthe only way to safeguard competi-tiveness.

KBA Report: From your perspective,which of KBA’s activities are of par-ticular significance?

Rainer Litty: There are several. Forexample, waterless, keyless sheet-fed and newspaper web offsetpresses are a step in the rightdirection, as is KBA’s alliance withClimatePartner, which was high-lighted at Drupa.

Other important advances arethe automation modules that helpreduce energy consumption, and ofcourse inline quality control, whichhelps cut production waste. Allthese features make for more effi-cient processes and at the sametime help protect the environment.

KBA Report: There are moves underway to make emissions tradingcompulsory for air traffic as well.Do you think a similar approachcould be adopted in the printingindustry?

Rainer Litty: Yes, without a doubt.But since there is, as yet, no uni-

versal standard, this is what theWWF is busy working on. How-ever, it would be a mistake to focussolely on trading and neglect cap-ping, ie the prevention and reduc-tion of carbon emissions. Theimportant thing is to make peopleaware that buying credits does notmean they can carry on as beforewith a clear conscience. Tradingmust not serve as a fig leaf.

KBA Report: What ideas and propos-als does the WWF have on promot-ing more environmentally friendlyprinting processes?

Rainer Litty: The printing and papermanufacturing industries comeinto closer and more direct contactwith end consumers than almostany other industry, and thereforehave the power to exert a positiveinfluence on climate-related behav-iour. The more customers demandenvironmentally friendly printedproducts, and the more mediamanagers and printing plants applytheir skills in promoting andexploiting the benefits of greenproduction and the associated dif-ferentiation potential, the soonerclimate-friendly behaviour willspread. To this end we are conduct-ing an intensive dialogue withpress and paper manufacturers,printing plants, media managersand their trade associations. Inaddition we promote green print-ing by setting an example with theenvironmentally friendly produc-tion of our own publications, andwith talks and workshops.

KBA Report: Mr Litty, thank you forthis interview.

The WWF’s mission

The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) is one of the biggest independent environmental organisations in the world.WWF’s global network is active in over 100 countries, with more than 1,300 conservation projects under way around the world. The Fund is supported by some five million sponsors worldwide. The WWF’s declared mission is to stop thedegradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by:• conserving the world’s biological diversity• ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable• promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

For more information go to www.wwf.org

Report 33 | 200824

Sheetfed Offset | China

Eight-colour Rapida 142 perfector at CTPS in Dongguan

Premiere of large-format 4 over 4 in ChinaGiant Rapida four-backing-four perfector presses, already popular in Europe and North America, celebrated their Asian premiere in early May at an open house

organised by China Translation & Printing Services Ltd (CTPS) in Dongguan, southern China. With an installed base of more than 100 large-format presses KBA’s share

of this high-growth Chinese market is well over 60 per cent.

The eight-colour Rapida 142 perfector press is the second giant Rapida to go live at CTPS in a matter of months

KBA China chief representative Walther Zehner (right) and KBA vice-president sales in Asia-PacificDietmar Heyduck (on his right), pictured here with CTPS production manager Lan Binging and KBA-Shanghai sheetfed general manager Wang Lianbiao, offered the trade public a foretaste of Drupa

The CTPS team and representatives of KBA Asia-Pacific proudlydisplaying the first print off the press – a poster of the Transra-pid high-speed train

Dietmar Heyduck presenting a scale model of the Rapida 142 to CTPS proprietor Peter Tse

CTPS’s printing plant in Dongguan is equippedwith cutting-edge technology and has over1,100 staff

Founded in Hong Kong back in1964, within two years CTPShad evolved into a full-service

print provider much sought afterby book publishers the world over.Today it is a market leader in Asia.

Drupa attraction in the Pearl River DeltaDongguan is in the Pearl RiverDelta, whose designated economiczone, encompassing nine prefec-tures of Guangdong Province alongwith Hong Kong and Macau, is oneof the fastest growing regions inthe world. The Chinese printingindustry is well represented. Atthe open house Walther Zehner,chief representative of KBA China,

and Dietmar Heyduck, KBA vice-president sales in Asia-Pacific,pointed out that the Rapida 142four-over-four press at CTPSoffered a foretaste of Drupa in Ger-many, since a similar model wasone of the major attractions there.

The open house was attendedby more than 150 trade profession-als, among them the top bookprinters in the region. The pre-miere of the eight-colour Rapida142 underscored KBA’s pole posi-tion in large format and the factthat – notwithstanding pre-Drupaclaims to the contrary by certaincompetitors – it is still the onlyvendor of perfector presses for thisformat.

Following the opening speechby CTPS production manager LanBinging, Dietmar Heyduck present-ed a scale model of the Rapida 142to CTPS CEO Peter Tse. The full-size press then launched intoaction printing a photo of China’shigh-speed train, the Transrapid.

When CTPS relocated produc-tion from its headquarters inAberdeen (Hong Kong) to Dong-guan in 1996, none of the presseswere from KBA. Now the eight-colour perfector is the company’ssecond Rapida 142 following theinauguration of a four-colour ver-sion just last year.

CTPS CEO Peter Tse and hisgeneral manager Ricky M H Ho

agree that the decision to install asecond KBA will enable the compa-ny to drive future growth: “KBA’shigh reputation in China, and thefact that none of its competitorscan offer perfecting in large for-mat, made the choice virtually aforegone conclusion.”

All options openMr Tse continues: “We were sopleased with our first Rapida 142that we originally intended toorder the same configuration, butour faith in KBA technology per-suaded us to have some tests runon an eight-colour perfector inRadebeul. The results were stun-ning, and opting for a perfectorpress has opened up new opportu-nities for us in book printing.”

Gerhard [email protected]

Report 33 | 2008 25

Two Rapida 105 presses for Huiyuan Printing in Tianjin

Luxury packaging for Chinaand export marketsSince setting up in business in 1997 Lv Jun Qiang, the ambitious young president of Huiyuan Printing Co.

Ltd. in the north China seaport of Tianjin, has secured a sizeable share of the packaging market.

“The Rapidas’ level of automation and ease of operation

define the benchmark in offset litho.” Huiyuan Printing president Lv Jun Qiang

In 2007 Huiyuan Printing addressed capacitylimitations at its operation in the centre ofTianjin by opening a production plant in theAirport Industrial Park

Since being founded in 1997 Huiyuan Printing Co. Ltd. has cornered a sizeable share of the Chinese packaging market

Dynamic Chinese entrepreneur Lv Jun Qiang (centre) with KBA China sales managers Jing Yan (left)and Wang Hongfeng

Until two years ago the compa-ny’s primary focus was ondomestic growth, but the

addition of a six-colour and a five-colour Rapida 105 universal, one ofthem with a UV capability, wasaccompanied by a realignment incorporate objectives. In addition todomestic sales of pharmaceutical,food and electronics packaging, LvJun Qiang is planning to expand hiscompany’s activities into the pro-duction of packaging for luxurygoods such as drinks, confec-tionary and cosmetics, with theaim of addressing export markets.

Four Rapidas in seven yearsSince making the transition in2001 from Japanese presses to hisfirst KBA press, a Rapida 105 fourcolour, Mr Lv has overseen a dra-matic improvement in quality andproductivity. In 2002 he added afour-colour Rapida 74 to print com-mercials and labels. By 2007 theproduction plant in the centre ofTianjin was no longer big enoughto support further growth, and MrLv opened a second plant in theAirport Industrial Park, adding30,000m2 (323,000ft2) to theexisting 20,000m2 (215,000ft2).The payroll has since swelled to

over 500, and Huiyuan Printing hasevolved into a full-service printprovider with a reputation for qual-ity excellence.

But success has not been amatter of chance. As Lv Jun Qiangpoints out: “We have always kept aweather eye on the technologicaladvances made by press manufac-turers the world over, examiningtheir potential for enhancing ourproduct palette and productivity.Reference plants like those atGuizhou Yongji – a leading produc-er of cigarette packaging – were agreat help in our search for theright vendor. Alongside innovative

concepts we have always lookedfor reliable service. KBA offersimpeccable support with strategicinvestment planning, maintenanceand the provision of spare parts.”

He goes on: “We fired up thefirst of the two new KBA Rapida105 universal presses at the begin-ning of May and will be able tooffer an even more exclusive rangeof value-added products when thesecond press comes on stream atthe end of the year. While the cap-ital investment was substantial, notleast because of the high importduties, strategically we made theright decision. We have already

expanded our customer base andenhanced our market appeal.We recognised the opportunitiesafforded by KBA’s cutting-edgetechnology, and are exploiting itspotential to the full.”

Image gain through sales surgeAs Mr Lv explains, “Annual salesalready exceed 20 million US dol-lars, and are sure to climb further.We have materially enhanced ourproduct appeal and have noticed amarked increase in the loyalty ofregular customers such as fast-foodgiant Food Kong, which placesorders worth four million US dol-lars a year. KBA has demonstratedtenacity and competence in pio-neering UV and hybrid coatingtechnology. The Rapidas’ level ofautomation and ease of operationdefine the benchmark in offsetlitho, while their productivity- andquality-enhancing features deliverthat crucial competitive edge,enabling us to deliver the stan-dards of quality and performanceour customers demand. With KBAat our back we are aiming to bur-nish our image still further both athome and abroad.”


Sheetfed Offset | Packaging

Report 33 | 200826

Sheetfed Offset | Training

Major extension to training centre in Radebeul

Professional training for Rapida users in press theory and operationIn recent years, the high-tech training centre inaugurated in summer 2001 at our Radebeul sheetfed facility has frequently been filled to overflowing on

the back of surging demand from users and agents worldwide and an increase in our own staff training, some of which also takes place at the centre. This

shortage of space has now been remedied with the addition of a 1,300m2 (14,000ft2) extension.

The 1,300m2 (14,000ft2) extension to our Radebeul training centre – pictured here shortly before completion – was inaugurated in September

Stefan Göbel, head of the training centre at our Radebeul production plant, is understandably delighted with the additional space and technology at his disposal

Hands-on training at a Rapida 142 for an international group of press operators

Every year around 1,000 cus-tomer, agency and KBAemployees from all over the

world attend training courses atour Radebeul training centre. Thejob-oriented courses, which last onaverage for one week, focus onboth technical and organisationalaspects, with participants’ individ-ual objectives playing a key role indefining the structure of each sem-inar.

While organisational and print-related skills are not as crucial as athorough basic grounding in hard-ware, software and process tech-nology, they are nonetheless amajor asset when it comes toexploiting to the full the awesomepotential of modern offset lithopresses. Training centre staff there-fore regard the product trainingdetailed below as an integral com-ponent in maximising productivityat the press, and in the seminarsseek to maintain a balance

between theoretical and practicaltraining. Of course, for most partic-ipants the best part is when theycan put their newly gained expert-ise to the test in some hands-onaction in the press room.

The four presses installed atthe training centre incorporate fea-

tures that are typical of all ourmedium- and large-format Rapidas.The new extension has allowed usto add two more presses, as aresult of which we can now pro-vide practical training in virtuallyevery type of feature and processtechnology in our portfolio.

Although the seminars areopen to any member of customeror agency staff, a certain level ofprior knowledge or experience isgenerally recommended and insome cases necessary. All the sem-inars can be extensively cus-tomised. The precise course con-tent is determined in advance,based on input from the firmswhose staff will be attending. Thisensures that the training receivedis 100 per cent pertinent to partic-ipants’ work routine. The trainingcentre’s programme includes thefollowing seminars:

Introductory seminarsThese provide an initial insightbased on one of three differenttechnologies: press operation,mechanical maintenance or electri-cal maintenance. Apart from someon-the-job training or work experi-ence, no prior knowledge isrequired for participation.

Report 33 | 2008 27

Stefan Gö[email protected]

From October the enlarged training centre will even boast a Rapida 106, the world makeready champion in B1

The new press hall in July, when installation of the Rapida 105 was in full swing. The press has since gone live

The introductory courses arefor members of the graphic artsindustry, and are not limited toproduction staff but also target cre-ative professionals, sales reps andadministrative staff. Basic seminarsfor press operators last five days,while those for mechanics andelectricians last nine days.

The provision of introductoryseminars is often stipulated insales contracts, along with on-sitetraining. Data sheets giving detailsof more advanced courses are avail-able upon request.

Technical seminarsThese provide a narrower, deeperinsight into more specialisedaspects of print production. Theymay examine concrete functions ofpress equipment (eg perfecting inmedium format) or workflow-relat-ed topics such as the integration ofa management information systemin an existing production chain.Here, a basic knowledge of the rel-evant subject is a big advantage.Participants benefit from the fundof practical expertise their instruc-tors bring to bear on the everydayissues encountered in the produc-tion of print. Hands-on traininghelps consolidate the theoreticalknowledge acquired.

Management seminarsManagement seminars are aimedat executive staff who wish toexpand their scope of knowledgeso that they are better able to makestrategic decisions on behalf of thecompanies that employ them.Alongside print- and technology-related issues management semi-nars examine business proceduresand workflow concepts.

Press kit available for hands-on trainingThe new 1,300m2 extension hasalmost doubled the floor spacedevoted to training, enabling us tooffer an even greater depth andvariety of courses. In addition toincreasing the number of seminarrooms we have installed two medi-um-format presses: a five-colourversion of the Rapida 105, withcoating and UV capabilities, and aneight-colour perfector version ofour new Rapida 106. With theequipment now at our disposal we

can offer practical training in thefollowing:• medium- and large-format pack-

aging printing• diverse finishing techniques in

large format (conventional inksand coatings) and in mediumformat (hybrid inks and UV coat-ings)

• console and printing unit simula-tions for all participants whosejobs involve working at Rapidapresses

• the effects possible with water-based and UV coatings

• conventional four-over-four per-fecting on the B1 makereadychampion, the Rapida 106.

Product-related training: process technologyProcess technology is one of themain topics covered by our trainingprogramme. Participants gain an in-depth knowledge of how to oper-

ate and deploy press componentsin all the various formats. Trainingis provided at different levels. Allproduct-related training at thepresses is conducted in German orEnglish, with professional inter-preters available for other lan-guages.

Product-related training: mechanicsHere the scope is much narrower,with separate courses offered foreach press format and model. Theseminar rooms for product-relatedmechanics are equipped with pressaggregates so that participants canreceive practical training in all themajor activities relating to mechan-ical servicing and maintenance.

Product-related training: electricsThese courses are designed to pro-vide fundamental and advanced

training for customers’ or agents’maintenance personnel. One ob-jective is to make communicationbetween KBA or KBA hotline staffand customers’ on-site staff moreefficient and precise. Major coursecomponents include the completeelectrical documentation and allelectrically relevant press compo-nents. Participants who successful-ly complete the course are able tointerpret the different operationalstates of the press and impartthese to KBA staff.

Specialist topics for different target groups

The services provided by our train-ing centre are an important, albeitintangible, component of the print-ing presses we manufacture as pro-duction tools. Further training inproduction support can be provid-ed at any time. Upon request, andby prior arrangement, it is possiblefor customer-specific content to beincorporated in the seminar syl-labus. But if this is to fulfil itsobjective then clear advance com-munications between the cus-tomer or agent and the competentKBA staff are essential. Our train-ing centre, with its smart newextension, provides an ideal learn-ing environment, and our instruc-tors are looking forward to passingon their knowledge to even moreusers of KBA presses.

Report 33 | 200828

Sheetfed Offset | Service

Unique service offerings

24 hours at your service!Selling printing presses represents only one half of our business: providing com-

prehensive support throughout the lifetime of a press is equally important. When it

comes to making sure that your presses never let you down, KBA offers a number of

unique features and services.

Original KBA spare parts are engineered to thehighest quality standards to ensure optimumreliability

Day after day, users of KBApresses the world over bene-fit from the outstanding diag-

nostics capabilities of our remotemaintenance service – a field inwhich we have more experiencethan any other player in the mar-ket, having made it a standard con-sole feature of our Rapida pressesback in 1995.

Our objective: safeguarding productionIn tandem with remote mainte-nance, KBA press controls providemuch more detailed diagnosesthan other press systems, whilstpreserving the highest level of datasecurity. Eighty per cent of remotemaintenance issues are resolvedonline, with neither service techni-cians nor spare parts having to bedispatched.

For more complex queries orproblems we provide a free hotlineto a team of technicians who arealways happy to provide assistance,also free of charge. The hotline andremote maintenance facility areaccessible 24/7, and have been formany years now. This saves users alot of time and money, and helpsmaximise productive time on thepress.

More than 2.5 million original parts in stockOriginal KBA parts are subjected torigorous quality testing beforebeing included in our range. This iscrucial if our presses are to operateat the level of reliability demandedby their users. Ongoing develop-ment and high-precision manufac-turing guarantee a long service lifeand minimal failure rates.

A stock of over 2.5 million orig-inal parts enables us to guaranteerapid delivery. This means that inan emergency we can deliver at anytime of the day or night, on any dayof the week. And specialist staffare always on hand to provideexpert advice.

Eighty per cent of the remote maintenance requests we receive are resolved online, with neither service technicians nor spare parts having to be dispatched

Report 33 | 2008 29

Anton Laubacher/Martin Dä[email protected]

Whether providing a press check, customer service or upgrade, our service staff apply their considerable skills to ensuring that KBA presses run flawlessly

Inking unit temperature controls are just oneof the upgrade options that can be retrofittedon virtually any Rapida

Interactive and individual: online spare-parts catalogueWhen it comes to the provision ofspare parts, our ongoing aim is tomaximise productivity by minimis-ing the customer input necessaryto place an order. One new featurewe have introduced to make partslocation even faster, easier andmore accurate is an interactive cat-alogue for each specific type ofpress. Greater differentiation inthe search parameters makesearching much easier, and it isnow possible to define parts moreprecisely.

Queries or orders can beplaced via the integrated shoppingtrolley function, eliminating theneed for paperwork or lengthyphone calls.

The interactive catalogue canbe accessed via the internet. Any

modifications that are made to thepress, for example in the course ofan upgrade, are incorporated in thedatabase so that customers alwayshave access to an up-to-date cata-logue of spare parts for their spe-cific press line(s).

Press check promotes reliabilityThe range of KBA after-sales servic-es available includes press checks,upgrades and a raft of other offer-ings aimed at maintaining thevalue, productivity and reliability ofyour press.

Regular maintenance, togetherwith documentation detailing thecondition of the press, is crucial inpreventing needless stoppages.Our press check service entails asystematic analysis of the entirepress, from feeder to delivery, and

a thorough testing of all electricaland mechanical functions. Minordefects are rectified immediatelyand recommendations made forany major remedial action that maybe required. The user reaps thebenefits in the form of greaterpress reliability and the knowledgethat he can plan ahead with confi-dence.

Press upgrades with calculation of ROIKBA is a mover and shaker when itcomes to reducing makereadytimes and waste while ramping upproductivity. Not only that, wheretechnically feasible we also provideupgrade or modification servicesfor optimising the performance ofexisting press lines to accom-modate changes in productionrequirements. In addition to boost-ing productivity these can deliversubstantial cost savings andenhance profitability, helping youto grow market share or evenaddress new markets.

Alongside software extensions,eg for colour measurement andcontrol or workflow networking,we also offer a broad array of hard-ware options that include addition-al printing units, coaters and UVcapabilities. Here we can draw onin-depth experience and countlessreference installations.

To ensure that such extensionsand retrofits are economicallyviable we have developed a “returnon investment calculator” thatenables the savings potential ofprospective investments to beassessed, based on customer-spe-cific production data. Since thesecalculations necessarily excludeperipheral factors that cannot easi-ly be quantified but nonethelesshave an impact, the real ROI isoften even higher. At present weare the only press manufactureroffering this service.

Optimumservice programmeWe offer a complete range of after-sales services that are clearlydefined, transparently priced andinclude no hidden extras. Itencompasses some highly innova-tive options such as our PrimeService or Performance Servicepackage.

The benefits for the user are:• a clearly defined range of

services throughout the entirelifetime of the press,

• free remote maintenance,• free press inspections,• more reliable planning

(thanks to preventive maintenance),

• additional repair services,• all administrative tasks

handled by KBA,• work performed by qualified

service specialists.At Drupa, service personnel in

the KBA Complete operations cen-tre provided a practical insight intothe range of customer services weoffer, some of which are availableonly from KBA.

Report 28 | 2006Report 33 | 200830

The new 205-centimetre(80.7in) wide behemoth ispart of a A$12m (US$11.4m)

project which brings offset printingto the Sydney factory for the firsttime. Glama Pak director andshareholder John Wheeler says: “Itis a major project, but a comfort-able one. We have worked withKBA several times before as wehave three of its large-format press-es in Melbourne.” These consist oftwo Rapida 162a six-colour coaterpresses and one Rapida 142 seven-colour coater press, all of whichare highly automated and embed-ded in a digital workflow via KBALogoTronic Professional.

When it came to the choice ofpress, Wheeler says it was straight-forward: “Essentially there is onlyone manufacturer that produces atwo-metre-plus press. In additionthe KBA large-format presses arehighly specified with automatedplate loading, quality management,colour control and interdeck dry-ing in particular.”

Glama Pak works in the litholaminated corrugated packagingmarket, and produces displays,POS, posters and maps. It also

prints on semi-rigid plastics.Wheeler says, “There is a need fora highly specified large-formatpress in Sydney. This includes a sig-nificant amount of screen-printedwork that would benefit from amove to large-format offset.”

The $12m investment includesan increase in the size of its jointGlama Pak and Ace DisplaysMilperra factory by 50 per cent to11,000m2 (120,000ft2). It also

includes a new large-format CTP, anew Epson 11880 colour proofingsolution, a new Bobst SPO 2.1 die-cutter and four new folder gluers,a pair each from Lamina and Bick-ers.

Glama Pak and Ace Displaysare part of the Visy group.

Giant KBA presses on the advance down under

Glama Pak in Sydney orders Australia’s first KBA Rapida 205

Since Drupa 2004 around 50 giant

Rapida 185 and Rapida 205 sheetfed

presses have been sold. Initially con-

fined to European and North Ameri-

can printers of posters, POS displays,

books and packaging, more recently

they have also been discovered by

printers in China, with the first Rapida

185 five-colour press arriving in

Shanghai at the end of last year. And

shortly before Drupa, longstanding

KBA customer Glama Pak ordered a

Rapida 205 – the first in the country –

for its Sydney production centre.

Installation is slated for December

with a start date of next February.

Africa, home to jumbos of another

kind, is now the only continent lacking

this giant Rapida, but that is surely

only a matter of time.

Dave [email protected]

Glama Pak’s Melbourne operations managerJohn Gianchino, pictured here during therecent installation of the second Rapida 162a,is delighted with the performance of his bigRapidas and the service provided by KBAAustralasia

Glama Pak’s Melbourne plant already runs aseven-colour Rapida 142 and two six-colourRapida 162a presses, all with coaters

Premiere in Australia: a five-colour coater version of the giant Rapida 205 will be installed at Glama Pak in Sydney before the end of the year

Sheetfed Offset | Australia

Report 33 | 2008 31


Kiev-based publishing house Blitz-Inform is out to consolidate its pole position

in the Ukrainian market and expand its printing arm, Blitz-Print, with the addi-

tion of four large-format KBA Compacta web presses that will come on stream

before the year is out.

Four new KBA commercial web offset presses at a stroke

Blitz-Inform: fromsheetfed printer to major player

By the end of 2008 a total of eleven web presses, eight of them from KBA, will be printing high-quality commercials at Blitz-Print’s two web press production sites in Kiev

Blitz-Print in Kiev is expanding its capacityand consolidating its pole position in theUkrainian print market with four Compactaweb presses from KBA

Commercial Web Offset | Ukraine

Anyone who has ever been tothe Ukraine will almost cer-tainly have come across a

product printed by Blitz, whetherin the form of a glossy magazine orthe wrapping round a bar of choco-late. The Blitz-Inform publishinghouse was founded in 1992 and ispart of an eponymous holding com-pany. Blitz-Print followed in 1994and two specialist packagingprintshops, Blitz-Pack and Blitz-Flex, were added in 1996 and1998 respectively. The holdingcompany employs more than 4,000staff at its four Kiev operations plus28 offices throughout the Ukraine,generating sales worth more than€100 million ($157.6m). Blitz-

Print alone has nearly 1,000employees, with magazines, pro-motional literature, packaging andlabels accounting for the lion’sshare of its output.

While the company’s mainmarket is the Ukraine, it alsoexports to Russia, Belarus, Mol-davia and Kazakhstan. Its best-known products are a women’smagazine, Nataly, which has over280 pages and a circulation of700,000 copies, and a leading busi-ness publication, Business, with acirculation of around 100,000copies. Blitz still sees plenty ofgrowth potential in these markets,unlike the markets in centralEurope. At present it is focusing on

the booming Russian print market,but many of its customers also hailfrom western Europe.

Production flexibilityBlitz-Print’s modern press fleetneeds shun no comparison withmajor west European printingoperations. The company even hasan in-house laboratory responsiblefor testing and selecting printingmaterials and consumables. Of thenine medium-format sheetfedpresses in operation, four are KBARapida 105s. Blitz-Print expandedinto web press production in 2003and has since experienced rapidgrowth. Although the two 16-pagepresses it started off with werenon-KBA, it later added four Com-pacta 215s, and by the end of 2008eight of the eleven-strong fleetprinting high-quality commercialsat Blitz’s two web press productionsites in Kiev will be from KBA.

Two 48pp Compacta 618presses will be followed before theend of the year by two Compacta818 presses, both with a capacityof 72 A4 pages. One 618 and one818 will have a cylinder circumfer-ence of 1,240mm (48.75in), thesecond 618 will have 1,156mm(45.5in) and the second 8181,197mm (47in). Each of the fourCompactas will be fitted with a V5variable-format gripper folder thatwill allow either two or three cut-offs around the circumference.Specifying three different cylindercircumferences for the four newpresses will give Blitz-Print achoice of six different cut-offlengths, thus enabling it to offer all

the standard product formats at anexceptionally competitive price.

Compelling service conceptOver the past few months KBA andits Ukrainian agency UPG havebuilt up a sizeable stock of spareparts in Kiev, and this will beexpanded even further to supportthe new installations, thus guaran-teeing a reliable supply at shortnotice. UPG also handles all theservice work for Blitz’s sheetfedand web presses.

“Our satisfaction with thequality of the after-sales servicesprovided by UPG was one of thereasons we went back to KBAwhen we were planning a newinvestment,” reveals Sergey I Mel-nitschuk, president of the Blitz-Inform holding company. “Otherswere the impressive performanceof their double-circumferencepresses and the fact that they deliv-er real value for money.”

Christoph Müller, KBA execu-tive vice-president for web presssales, marketing and service, says:“This major investment in KBAtechnology has made Blitz one ofour biggest commercial customersof recent years. We are proud tohave won their confidence onceagain, and look forward to continu-ing a highly successful associa-tion.”

Report 33 | 200832

The heat and vibration generated within a press tend to increase along with its speed, making regular adjust-

ments to and maintenance of the inking units an essential part of the production routine. But the automatic roller

locks launched by KBA in 2004 – initially for newspaper presses – dramatically reduce the time spent on monitor-

ing and setting tasks. At Drupa 2008 KBA launched a RollerTronic capability for double-circumference commercial

presses as well, following successful beta testing at Dutch web offset printer Em. de Jong which has two 32-page

Compacta 408 press lines fitted with these locks.

Less abrasion and maintenance with KBA RollerTronic

Optimising roller settings via throw-on pressure

Consolidation among commer-cial web offset printers ismuch more advanced in the

Netherlands than it is in Germany,and Koninklijke Drukkerij Em. deJong (see box below) is one of thefew family enterprises that haveretained their independence. Itsproduction plant in Baarle-Nassauis located directly on the border toBelgium and has both a Dutch anda Belgian postal address, sincethere is a Belgian enclave in theheart of the industrial estate.

Although an old-establishedcompany – Em. de Jong celebratedits centenary in 2006 – its presentdynamic growth and success inheatset production are the resultof developments over the past twodecades. In 1989, not long afterthe company moved to its presentlocation, third-generation propri-etor Joep de Jong responded to anemerging customer demand fortrade brochures by installing hisfirst commercial web press, aneight-page A 101 from Albert-Frankenthal. “At that time, suchwork was beyond the capabilitiesof a sheetfed press,” recalls DrRoel de Weerd, who joined De Jongas technical director in 1990 andplayed a key role in the company’sevolution into one of the biggestweb offset printers in the country.

A 16-page Compacta 214 fol-lowed in 1991, a second A 101two years later, a second Compacta214 in 1995, and so on. In thattime De Jong and its press fleethave grown continuously, expand-ing from 7,500m2 (80,730ft2) offloor space to 39,000m2 (approxi-mately 420,000ft2). The companyhas around 360 employees and atotal of twenty presses, sheetfedincluded. Almost 5,000 plates areimaged each week, most of themon a Kodak Magnus VLF plateset-ter. The nine commercial pressesalone consume a massive 82,000tonnes (90,200 US tons) of paperevery week.

The most recent additions tothe press room were the two 32-page Compacta 408 short-grainpresses, one of which came onstream in 2005 and the other thisyear. It was the Compacta 408installed in 2005 which was usedto beta test KBA’s new roller lockfor commercial applications.

85 per cent of De Jong’s heat-set sales are generated in the retailsector, primarily in the Nether-lands and Belgium. This is the rea-son why its press fleet has alwaysincluded presses with flyingimprinters, and why one of the two

new Compacta 408 presses hasthis facility. Says Dr de Weerd: “Inthe Netherlands, editions are rela-tively small. The market we are tar-geting is not high-circulation 32-page A4 products but 16 pages A5,which we can print four-up.”

Diversity the decisive factorThe ability to produce customisedcorporate imprints is not De Jong’sonly speciality: it also offers a widechoice of different formats andfolds, and to support this diversity

Commercial Web Offset | Innovation

De Jong on acquisition spreeFor many decades following its establishment in 1906, De Jong’s primary line of business was the printingand publication of local weekly newspapers and the production of small commercials. In 1978 the companyinstalled its first newspaper web press. 1989 saw the installation of the first heatset press, in a new printingplant completed in 1987. Over the past ten years Em. de Jong has acquired a number of other printing com-

Em. de Jong’s production plant in Baarle-Nassau on the border to Belgium has both a Dutch and a Belgian postaladdress, since there is a Belgian enclave in the heart of the industrial estate

Like the first, De Jong’s second KBA Compacta 408, which came on stream in May 2008, features KBA RollerTronic roller locks

panies, all of which have continued to operate asindependent production plants: Kampert in Oss(1998), Janssen Pers in Gennep (2003) and Web-star in Beuningen (2006).

Report 33 | 2008 33

Gerd [email protected]

it has regularly invested in presseswith the necessary technology.When the company signed the con-tract in 2005 for the first Com-pacta 408 with an unusual plate-cylinder circumference of 980mm(38.5in), KBA expressed an inter-est in fitting the commercial presswith the new roller locks that hadbeen such a success in newspaperpresses – knowing full well that alengthy test phase would be neces-sary in order to prove that theroller locks can deliver the samesuperior level of performance in adifferent press environment involv-ing different chemistry.

Following intensive discussionswith Tamedia in Zurich, whereRollerTronic roller locks are fittedin a six-wide Commander, De Jongwillingly seized the chance to con-duct a field test that promised todeliver substantial savings: the cost

of new roller coatings in an enter-prise of De Jong’s magnitude runsinto hundreds of thousands ofeuros.

The 32-page short-grain presswith its maximum web speed ofjust under 15mps (2,953fpm) rep-resented a major advance, as Dr deWeerd is quick to point out. Athigh web speeds such as this, inkmist and variations in the quality ofthe paper mean that scrupulouspress maintenance is indispensablein safeguarding a uniformly highprint quality. De Jong has dividedits press fleet into three groups:32-page presses (the two Com-pactas), 16-page and 8-page press-es. Within each group, one shiftper week is dedicated to mainte-nance and adjustments. So the 16-page Compactas are given a thor-ough check-up once every fourweeks and the 408s once everytwo weeks. Maintenance work iscarried out by the operating crew,assisted by technical staff. WhileDe Jong’s four-shift productionschedule officially runs from 10pmon Sunday to 6pm on Saturday, aseven-day working week hasbecome the norm rather than theexception. The fact that the com-pany is so busy certainly does notmake maintenance any easier, butall the more important.

With the Compacta 101, 214and 215 presses, maintenanceentails setting the inking units and,if necessary, replacing wornrollers. In addition, all the inking

rollers at De Jong are changedtwice a year – an exercise that pro-motes both quality excellence andcustomer satisfaction. However,with prices under constant pres-sure, the outlay involved is gettingever harder to absorb, as Dr deWeerd readily acknowledges.

Every hour countsSo the technical director is all themore delighted that in the threeyears since the first Compacta 408went into operation he has notonce had to have the inking unitsdismantled. The reason: KBA’spatented RollerTronic roller lock, amechanical-pneumatic system de-veloped in collaboration withHanover-based specialist ContiTechVibration Control, which also man-ufactures them for KBA. Since theywere launched on the market wellover 30,000 RollerTronic rollerlocks have been fitted in KBA webpresses (see box left).

According to Dr de Weerd, theresults have been dramatic: a hugedrop in the number of rollerbreaks, the elimination of rolleradjustment tasks and, overall, lessmaintenance input for the inkingunits. As he points out, on presseswith RollerTronic the streak widthno longer has to be checked,reducing the risk of human error.

Not surprisingly, the three-yearfield testing phase was not withoutits ups and downs. One crucial out-come was the discovery that sincethe roller locks are in such anexposed position they must bemade 100 per cent watertight. Thisproblem was solved cheaply yeteffectively by fitting a rubbersleeve.

In the autumn the printingplant will take delivery of a 24-pageCompacta 318 long-grain press. Anessential investment if De Jong isto maintain its competitive edge inthe poster-printing sector. “Unfor-tunately it is a single-circumfer-ence press,” sighs de Weerd, “andRollerTronic is not yet available forthem.”

KBA RollerTronic: predefined reference values

RollerTronic automatic rollerlocks consist of a sealed settingunit with four integrated mem-brane pressure chambers andelectro-pneumatic valves thatallow the rollers to be finelyadjusted in all directions andsubsequently locked mechani-cally via axially adjustable seg-mented springs. The rollertrains in an entire press sectioncan thus be set with absoluteprecision in just two to threeminutes, as opposed to thehours required for manualadjustment. The rollers are setfrom the console or during thepresetting programme whilethe press is idle. Roller throw-on/off is also controlled via theautomatic roller lock, by pre-defining not the distance to betravelled, but the pressure to beapplied in accordance with indi-vidual reference values. Thesetting is then locked mechani-cally. Only roller locks withopen clamps can be remotelycontrolled. KBA has found thatthis makes for greater precisionand stability compared to sys-tems based on the throw-on dis-tance.

Roller locks areaffected not only byink but also by waterand dampeningadditives. To protectthem in this harshenvironment theywere fitted with rub-ber sleeves duringfield tests and havesince functionedflawlessly

Dr Roel de Weerd (left), technical director at Em. de Jong, talking to Peter Leidig of KBA

Report 33 | 200834

Commercial Web Offset | Brazil

First KBA web offset press for market leader

Editora Abril orders KBA Compacta 618Sao Paulo-based media group Editora Abril, the leading commercial printer not only in its native Brazil but in the entire Latin American market, signed up at

Drupa 2008 for a 48-page KBA Compacta 618. The contract builds on a historical business association that originated in publication gravure. Up until now all the

company’s commercial presses were supplied by other vendors.


Editora Abril’s printing plant superintendentClaudio Baronni (seated, left), KBA executivevice-president for web press sales ChristophMüller (on his left) and their staff look forwardto the continuation in commercial web offsetof an association originating in rotogravure

Since being established back in1950 the Editora Abril grouphas evolved into one of the

biggest and most influential mediamajors in Latin America, with apayroll of more than 7,400. Lastyear its printing and publishingdivision published 314 titles with atotal circulation of 164 millioncopies, or seven out of every tenmagazines sold in Brazil. Theseinclude Veja, the world’s fourth-largest weekly. Editora Abril is alsothe country’s biggest publisher ofschool textbooks, 38 million ofwhich were printed last year.

The group’s 45,000m2

(485,000ft2) printing operation,

which employs around 1,100 peo-ple, is the biggest in Latin Americaand also the only plant runningpublication rotogravure presses.The new 48-page Compacta 618,which will go into operation therein summer next year, will have afifth printing unit for applying spe-cial inks and will feature the KBARollerTronic roller locks that madetheir debut on commercial pressesat Drupa in May. RollerTronic locksadjust the throw-on pressure forthe inking rollers automatically andwith absolute precision, thusensuring an optimum print qualitywhile substantially reducing main-tenance costs.

A KBA Compacta 618 with RollerTronicautomatic roller locks will expand pro-duction capacity at Editora Abril in SaoPaulo in summer 2008

Report 33 | 2008 35

Commercial Web Offset | Venezuela

First duplex commercial web press in Latin America

Two Compacta 215s for EditorialPrimavera in Venezuela

Pictured after signing the contract for Venezuela (l-r): KBA executive vice-president for web press sales Christoph Müller; KBA sales director Kai Trapp; Editorial Primavera deputy managing director Benjamin De Armas and sales director Francisco Beaz,and KBA marketing director Klaus Schmidt

One of the biggest commercialweb printers in Latin Ameri-ca, Editorial Primavera in

Guarenas, Venezuela, placed anorder with KBA at Drupa for two16-page Compacta 215s config-ured side by side with a cross link.Primavera, which was founded 40years ago by Armando De ArmasMeléndez, has a fleet of six non-KBA web presses that are used toprint supplements, periodicals andcatalogues. The new press line willbe the first KBA commercial pressin Venezuela and the first duplexpress in Latin America.

The two presses, one with fourand the other with six doubleprinting units, will be erected asmirror-image lines with Vits hot-airdryers plus one F3 gripper folder,one Vits sheeter and one UV coaterapiece. They will be brought online in spring 2009 and will prima-rily be used to print covers.

For Editorial Primavera inGuarenas, a town with 185,000inhabitants approx. 30km (19m)from Caracas, this investment isone of the most ambitious in itshistory.


The two 16pp Compacta 215 web presses for Editorial Primavera will be erected parallel to each other in a mirror-image configuration and linked to a 32pp press line

Report 33 | 200836

Südkurier managing directorRainer Wiesner says: “Wechecked out all the conven-

tional options but none of themcould compare with the Cortina’swaterless technology in terms ofprint quality, cost efficiency andenvironmental credentials. Thereis no doubt in my mind that theCortina, with its compact foot-print, is the press of the future.”

The new press line, the firstsection of which will go live inConstance in autumn 2009, willprogressively replace a KBAExpress. Of the 74 Cortina towersordered to date, 40 are in opera-tion at nine locations in Germany,Switzerland, the Benelux statesand Denmark.

Prominent regional media playerThe Südkurier publishes a broadspectrum of paid-for, free and spe-cial-interest titles as well as maga-zines. One of the first publishers inGermany to launch an online edi-tion, its website suedkurier.dewith classified sections for proper-ty, jobs and motoring attracts mil-lions of hits every month fromusers all over the country. Otheractivities include a postal service, acall centre, mobile telephony(including a texting service fornews headlines and footballresults) and a stake in a local radiostation. Its flagship title, the Süd-

kurier, which first hit the streets in1945, is one of the most popular insouthern Germany, with a totaldaily circulation of around 140,000copies. Along with the Alb-Boten itis printed in 17 local editions anddistributed in the Lake Constanceregion, the Black Forest and theupper reaches of the Rhine.

Newspaper Production | Germany

Switch to waterless offset on the shores of Lake Constance

Südkurier signs up for compact KBA CortinaThe ranks of German newspapers making the transition to waterless offset with our highly automated Cortina

were swelled in May by the Südkurier, a regional title owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck publishing group. The

press, comprising two 48pp sections, will be the fourteenth Cortina and the fourth 6/2 version to leave the

production line.

Lining up for a group photo at the Cortina 6/2on the KBA stand at Drupa (l-r): KBA project manager Thomas Bergmann, KBA sales manager Ernst Krack, Südkuriermanaging director Rainer Wiesner and KBAdeputy president Claus Bolza-Schünemann

The first section of the waterless KBA Cortina 6/2 for the Südkurier is scheduled to go live in autumn 2009


Compact 6/2 press with a slew of winning features

The Cortina has a maximumhourly output in straight produc-tion of 80,000 full-colour 48ppbroadsheet or 96pp tabloid copies.The four triple-wide compact tow-ers will feature a slew of automa-tion modules: KBA PlateTronic

plate changers, KBA RollerTronicroller setting, KBA NipTronicremotely adjustable bearing units,colour-register controls, blanketwashing and central ink pumping.For greater productivity the fourKBA Pastomat CL reelstands will beengineered to accept a bigger reeldiameter of 1,500mm (59in). Eightdouble turning decks, two foldersuperstructures with three formersapiece, cut-off register controls,skip slitters, stitchers and two KBAKF 5 jaw folders guarantee a highlevel of production flexibility. Thepress will be controlled from KBAErgoTronic consoles with a link-upto job scheduling and press preset.

Report 33 | 2008 37

The Commander CT will comeon stream in stages, replacinga KBA Express delivered in

1990 and extended in 1997.“This is the most advanced

conventional newspaper press onthe market, and will enable us toenhance the immediacy of ournewspaper titles and produce full-colour paid-fors, frees and supple-

ments in a stunning quality,” saysStraubinger media group publisher,professor Martin Balle. “After com-paring all the other possibilities weopted for the KBA Commander CTbecause it will deliver the biggestgains in terms of productivity, costefficiency and the long-term com-petitiveness of printed newspapersin the media market.”

Further landmark in a long historyIn addition to the LandshuterZeitung, which first appeared in1849, and the Straubinger Tagblattlaunched eleven years later, thegroup publishes thirteen localtitles for the region coveringBogen, Cham, Dingolfing, Freisingand Vilsbiburg. It also has a web-site from which PDF versions ofthe various titles can be down-loaded, and interests in local radioand television stations.

Plant manager WolfgangHeitzer says: “The compact designof the four-high StepIn towers,which split down the middle foreasy access and have lifts on eitherside, makes handling much easierand reduces the amount of legworkinvolved. The automation modulesfeatured, which are based on wellproven technology, minimise make-ready, control and maintenancetasks.” These include PlateTronicplate changing, NipTronic controlof printing pressure and Roller-Tronic automated roller locks.

Heutzer continues: “Our crite-ria in selecting a press were imme-diacy, localisation, quality and costefficiency. We soon discovered thatno other conventional press couldhold a candle to the KBA Com-mander CT.”

Launched on the market inautumn 2007, KBA CommanderCT press lines are already in opera-tion at the Main-Post in Würzburg,Germany, and the Heraldo deAragón in Saragossa, Spain.

Pursuing ambitious goals with compact newspaper technology

Bavaria’s second KBA CommanderCT destined for Straubing

Following a major contract from New York’s Daily News for a compact and highly automated Commander CT,

KBA has received an order from Bavarian newspaper group Straubinger Tagblatt/Landshuter Zeitung for a

64-page press line.

3-D view of the 64pp KBA Commander CT forBavarian media group Straubinger Tagblatt /Landshuter Zeitung

High-speed edition changes with practice-proven KBA PlateTronic automaticplate changers support the cost-effectivelocalised production demanded by today’snewspaper publishers KBA sales director Rudolf Kühner (centre) with Straubinger Tagblatt press operator Josef Waas (r)

and his son at the Commander CT on the KBA stand at DrupaKlaus [email protected]

Newspaper Production | New Products

Report 33 | 200838

Newspaper Production | Belgium

The celebrations in May thisyear continued for almost twoweeks, with invitations being

extended not only to prominentpublic figures, advertisers and sup-pliers but also to members of staffand readers of the group’s manydaily titles. In an industry with areputation for conventionalityrather than innovation, De Pers-groep made a bold statement incommemorating the successfulimplementation of a pioneeringconcept that it had been quick toadopt and, with the decision toinstall a multi-unit Cortina water-

Official inauguration at Eco Print Center in Lokeren

EPC rolls out the red carpet for waterlessnewspaper production and the CortinaIn the newspaper industry – or any other industry for that matter – official inauguration ceremonies attended by key accounts, business partners and

a bevy of political and industry bigwigs are not an uncommon method of celebrating the successful completion of a major investment project. But when

Belgian media major De Persgroep cut the ribbon on its massive new Eco Print Center (EPC) in Lokeren, with its cutting-edge technology and automation,

it went one step further. The mammoth event also celebrated the adoption of a new logo designed to communicate at a glance EPC's green credentials,

founded on environmentally responsible waterless offset print production with the Cortina.

less, keyless press line for bothnewspapers and semi-commercials,keenly promoted as one of the firstusers.

Opening the event on 15 May,De Persgroep president ChristianVan Thillo was able to welcome anaugust gathering that included hisfather Ludo and several othermembers of the Van Thillo publish-ing family, fellow members of themanagement board, representa-tives from the media group’s mani-fold divisions – De Persgroep isactively engaged in both print(newspapers, magazines) and elec-

tronic media (TV, radio, onlineservices) – and some 400 high-ranking guests from every branchof society and business. Guest ofhonour was the former prime min-ister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt,who in his ceremonial addressemphasised the significance ofnewspapers and magazines for ademocratic society, applauding asan example of entrepreneurialcourage De Persgroep’s investmentin one of Europe’s most advancednewspaper printing plants. Belgianpublishers have invested heavily innew equipment in recent years.

Eco Print Center highlighted its green credentials with a new logo launched at its official inauguration

On the first evening Christian Van Thillo, president of multimedia major De Persgroep,welcomed over 400 guests from all levels ofsociety

Christian Van Thillo (centre) talking to the former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt (l) and another VIP

Belgian celebrity chef Peter Goossens servedthe 400 guests, among them Ludo Van Thillo(2nd right) and his wife, with a magnificentbanquet

EPC’s brand-new, highly automated production plant in Lokeren, Belgium, by day and by night

EPC in figures

Total investment: ⇔€110 millionTotal floor area: 39,000m2

Newspaper production between 11pm and 3am: 300,000 to 500,000 copiesAnnual paper consumption:60,000 to 70,000 tonnesAnnual ink consumption:900,000 litresDistribution centre: 29 loading ramps

39Report 33 | 2008


The 90-metre-long KBA Cortina press line wasone of the high spots of the factory tour

Below: Markus Gnass (r), formerly one of the first print instructors for the Cortina andnow part of EPC’s press team, pointing out the press’s finer points on a scale model

Production manager Manfred Janssens started his career in commercial print production, so when supervising the press crews his experience is a big asset: the Cortina can print coldset, heatset or a combination of the two

The Cortina in Lokeren comprises twelve compact four-high towers, four folders, twelve reelstands and one hot-air dryer, making it the biggest waterless offset press in the world. Week after week the press line prints millions of newspapers, magazines and supplements in both coldset and heatset

Managing director Rudy Bertels (l) and technical director Wim Maes of De PersgroepPublishing have been keen proponents of environmentally friendly waterless offset for many years

The main title printed on the Cortina is Het Laatste Nieuws, which is now published inthe Berliner format and has a daily circulationof over 290,000 copies

Biggest operational Cortina press line to dateThe inaugural ceremony and a tourof the printing plant were followedby a magnificent banquet createdby Belgian celebrity chef PeterGoossens. As a small token ofthanks for the confidence De Pers-groep has placed in KBA technolo-gy with the installation of thiswaterless offset press, KBA market-ing director Klaus Schmidt present-ed Christian Van Thillo with a scalemodel of the Cortina press line atEPC. Its twelve four-high towers(one with a hot-air dryer for semi-commercials) and total length ofsome 90 metres (295ft) make itthe world’s biggest operationalwaterless offset press to date.

Speaking on behalf of the entireKBA delegation at EPC, Schmidtthanked Rudy Bertels, managingdirector of De Persgroep Publish-ing, and his technical director WimMaes for their constructive collab-oration during the installation andcommissioning of this imposingpress line, and for their indefatiga-ble commitment to promoting abroader acceptance of waterlesstechnology among members of thenewspaper industry, who tend tobe rather conservative.

Celebrations continued the fol-lowing day with 600 guests drawnfrom advertisers, agencies, busi-ness associates in various sectorsand representatives of the consum-ables industry. Entertainment was

Landmarks in EPC's development

January 2004: The contract is signed for a KBA CortinaOctober 2004: Building work commencesSeptember 2005: Basic construction is completedDecember 2005: The first printing tower (of section 20)

is deliveredMarch 2006: The first commercial production run takes placeApril 2006: De Morgen is printed in the Berliner formatJune 2007: Section 10 (3 towers, 1 folder) is deliveredAugust 2007: Section 10 is commissionedOctober 2007: Section 30 is commissionedNovember 2007: Section 40 is commissionedJanuary 2008: Het Laatste Nieuws is printed in the Berliner

format for the first time on 21st JanuaryMay 2008: EPC is officially opened

provided by Ozark Henry, one ofthe most popular singers in Bel-gium.

The third day of this marathonevent, 17 May, was reserved forcompany staff, and on the fourthday De Persgroep welcomedaround 1,200 newsagents to thankthem for their support throughoutthe year. This is a regular annualevent.

7,000 readers attend the open dayThe following weekend the doorswere flung open to readers of thegroup’s titles, some 7,000 ofwhom seized the chance to have alook around this high-tech printingplant. They were even able towatch the Cortina printing a sup-plement for their newspaper. Onceagain, a full of programme of enter-tainment was provided. The Corti-na’s performance and EPC’s highlevel of automation impressed thetech-savvy laymen just as much asthey had impressed the processionof newspaper professionals whohave visited the plant from all overthe world in the past eighteenmonths.

Report 33 | 200840

The presses – a Commanderand a Comet SC – reflectKBA’s high standing in China.

While the single-width Comet isthe sixteenth in the country, theCommander celebrated its highlysuccessful premiere. Together,they comprise the biggest singlepress order that KBA has shippedto China.

Media centreAlthough imports of newspaperpresses slackened last year, Chinaremains a major market for foreigntechnology, and German-built KBApresses enjoy a first-class reputa-tion in the booming Zhejiangindustrial zone southwest ofShanghai. In a region whose eco-nomic prosperity is equalled by itscultural wealth and scenic beauty,Hangzhou is the centre of a mediaindustry that includes countlessnewspaper titles with circulationsrunning into millions.

The biggest media enterprisesin the province, Zhejiang Daily andHangzhou Daily, have investedexclusively in KBA technology inrecent years. Both produce a broadspectrum of quality newspapers,frees and semi-commercials. Along-side the Commander and Cometsthere are Colora presses in opera-tion, some of which also have aheatset capability.

Newspaper Production | China

Commander and Comet SC at Zhejiang Daily News Group

Successful Chinese premiere for KBA CommanderLess spectacular than the summer Olympics in Beijing in August, but in their way just as successful,

were the production start-ups in February and March of two KBA newspaper presses at the Zhejiang

Daily News in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province.

The Zhejiang Daily News Group’s many titlesare among the most popular in the region

Zhejiang Daily plant manager He Xiaoqi (4th left) and KBA Asia-Pacific managing directStefan Segger (on his right) with their projectteams at the new KBA Commander

Report 33 | 2008 41


Both presses are now in operation and during the Olympic games in August provided a stunningdemonstration of their capabilities

Whereas Hangzhou Daily pri-marily focuses on the capital,Zhejiang Daily News Group’s titlesare circulated throughout theprovince. For the new Commanderand Comet SC presses the 59-year-old company built a 40,000m2

(431,000ft2) printing plant outsidethe city, at a cost of 328 millionyuan ($47.3m). Pre-press, pressand post-press technology is all cut-ting-edge. The existing US andJapanese newspaper presses werealso moved to the new location.

The three-section KBA Com-mander is configured with twelvePastostar reelstands, eight H-typetowers and three KF 5 double jawfolders. It has a cylinder circumfer-ence of 1,092mm (43in), a maxi-mum web width of 1,700mm(67in) and a maximum output of85,000 copies per hour. The small-er Comet SC has the same cylindercircumference but a web 1,000mm(39.5in) wide, and comprises threeDLP reelstands plus two eight-cou-ple towers with one heatset dryerand one KF 3 folder apiece. Bothpresses have EAE consoles.

Zhejiang province – KBA’s showcase in ChinaVisiting Zhejiang Daily’s new print-ing plant, Stefan Segger, managingdirector of KBA Asia-Pacific, point-ed out that it is a major showcasenot just for China but for the

entire region, demonstrating as itdoes the confidence that leadingChinese newspaper publishersplace in KBA as a competent,dependable partner.

High expectations fulfilledSpeaking on behalf of the ZhejiangDaily executive, plant manager HeXiaoqi and project manager CaiRuo Song expressed their satisfac-

tion with KBA’s handling of thismajor project and commissioningof the two presses. Said He Xiaoqi:“This investment represents alandmark in our company’s evolu-tion and will strengthen our posi-tion still further. Hangzhou Daily,whose Colora and Comet SC press-es came on stream just a few yearsago, gave us every opportunity tosee the technology in action. Thepresses have surpassed all ourexpectations in terms of perform-ance and product quality, havingpassed the Ifra test with flyingcolours in April. We mostly use theCommander to print our threemain titles, and the Comet for con-tract work.”

Special Olympic editionHe continues: “We are planning tobring out a special edition to com-memorate the Olympic games. Weare fully conscious of the signifi-cance of this project and havealready started promoting the presslines at a trade fair in Shenzhen.We have scheduled an open houselater this year as a further platformfor promoting this cutting-edgetechnology.”

For the new KBA Commander and Comet SC presses the company built a 328-milion-yuan printing plant outside the city

The two press lines boast an advanced level of automation, an array of quality-assurance features and sophisticated console technology

Report 33 | 200842

Newspaper Production | Ecology

Wesso® Claris: non-hazardous and biodegradable

No more algae or biocides in fount solutionThe prime focus of KBA’s appearance at Drupa 2008, along with cost efficiency, was environmentally friendly

press technology. The list of activities pursued in alliance with ClimatePartner and others is extensive, and in

some aspects unparalleled. Here KBA works alongside innovative partners and new players where these have

something genuine to offer. One of them is Wesso in Hersbruck, Germany, whose representatives on the KBA stand

at Drupa demonstrated a non-hazardous, biodegradable water-purification system called Wesso Claris.


KBA has a long history of working with BG Druck- und Papierverarbeitung on key issues. The photo shows KBA executive vice-president for web press sales Christoph Müller(l) and marketing director Klaus Schmidt (r)with Dr Bernhard Küter (centre), who as BG’sexpert on chemical substances in the workingenvironment maintains close contacts withvendors

Wesso unveiled its environmentally friendly dampening additive, Wesso Claris, beside a reel of eco-accredited newsprint in the green printing centre on the KBA stand at Drupa

Delighted at the success of the pilot project with Wesso Claris are Wesso chief executive Stefan Kimmel (far right), Mitteldeutsche Zeitung’s Roland Zimmermann and Waldemar Geuthner(3rd and 4th right), and representatives of BG Druck und Papierverarbeitung and KBA management

Print residues and biofilm in a press with no Wesso Claris

Wesso started life as an airand water hygiene busi-ness, expanding into print

technology just eighteen monthsago with the assistance of theBerufsgenossenschaft Druck- undPapierverarbeitung (Germany’sequivalent of the H&SE in the UKand OSHA in the US). Its Claris

dampening additive is derived fromalpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), whichoccur naturally in fruit and arenon-hazardous and biodegradable.It is suitable for use both in closedwater-circulating systems (eg tem-perature-control devices) and inopen ones (eg dampening units). Itwas originally developed to purifythe water-circulation and air-condi-tioning systems in hospitals. In Jan-uary 2007 there followed trials inthe cooling circuits and later thefount solution preparation systemson Express and Commander presslines at Mitteldeutsche Zeitung inHalle, Germany.

Wesso Claris has since beenadopted to great effect by growingnumbers of sheetfed, web andnewspaper printers, and shortlybefore Drupa it was approved foruse in all Rapida presses. The rela-tively small volume required (0.05- 0.1% in Halle) can be added quick-ly and easily via a dosing stationintegrated in the dampening orwater circuits.

According to MitteldeutscheZeitung’s technical manager Wal-demar Geuthner and WolfgangZimmermann, who heads the main-tenance team for the pilot press inHalle, Wesso Claris reliably pre-vents contamination of the damp-ening units and closed watercircuits through germs, algae andlime scale.

Fewer germs = fewer problems and costsExisting contamination is reducedsubstantially within just a few days.As Zimmermann explains: “Withinseven days the number of germspresent had been reduced frombetween 100,000 and 1 million toless than 1,000. Wesso’s additivehelps keep circulating systemsclean and makes for a healthierworking environment. Since westarted using it eighteen monthsago we haven’t had to give the cir-cuits a thorough cleaning once.Previously this had to be done onceevery three or at the outside four

months and took a whole team ofstaff almost an entire weekend.” Ifit is necessary to clean the systemthoroughly prior to using WessoClaris for the first time, withWesso Claris Forte this can be car-ried out by a single member of staffin just one shift, at less than halfthe cost. According to WolfgangZimmermann, Wesso Claris is suit-able for all types of wet offsetpress. No negative interaction withother dampening additives hasbeen observed.

According to the BG Druckund Papierverarbeitung, other pos-itive effects include fewer disrup-tions during production, lowercosts for waste disposal andrepairs, a healthier, greener work-ing environment, more efficientprocesses and a better print quali-ty. In other words, a successfulunion of ecology and economy.

Report 33 | 2008 43

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week

New web shop for spare partsFor the convenience of web press customers worldwide

KBA recently launched an internet-based web shop for

ordering spare parts.

Sophisticated warehouse organisation andtechnology at KBA’s Würzburg facility helpensure the fast, trouble-free delivery of spareparts to customers worldwide

Users of KBA web presses can now orderspare parts online in our new web shop:

service.kba-print.com/webshop

In addition to the ability to sub-mit an order at any time of theday or night, on any day of the

week, our new web shop alsoallows customers to check the cur-rent availability and price of therelevant spare part. If they prefer,they can even request an offer –naturally with no obligation – priorto making a decision.

User-friendliness and intuitivenavigation were the watchwordsdetermining the development ofthe new web shop. For example,previous offers and orders can beused as templates for new ones,minimising the input necessary forrepeat orders. Unfinished orders

are not lost at the close of the ses-sion but are saved for further pro-cessing during a later session.

For greater customer securityeach user is assigned an individualaccess code with password. Oncean order has been placed KBAsends an e-mail confirmation con-taining all the relevant details. Thiscan then be filed digitally or as aprint-out.

At present the web shop canbe navigated in German, English,French, Italian or Spanish, butpreparations are under way to addother languages.

Newspaper Production | Service

Thomas [email protected]

Report 33 | 200844

Shorts

Wolfram Zehnle heads KBA customer showroom in Radebeul

Wolfram Zehnle (43) has beenappointed head of KBA’s

sheetfed customer showroom anddemonstration centre in Radebeul,near Dresden, responsible for allactivities associated with thepreparation and implementation ofpress demonstrations for existingand prospective customers. In thenew position, which he took up inJune, Zehnle reports directly tohead of division Werner Seidel.

Zehnle trained as an offsetprinter before joining Reiff Druckin Offenburg. From 1992 to 1993

he qualified as a master industrialprinter at Hauchler Studio, movingon to become head of department,executive assistant and later pro-duction manager at Hess in Braun-schweig. He was subsequentlymade managing director at Daten-und Werbedienste Hess in Irx-leben, near Magdeburg. In 2003Wolfram Zehnle accepted the postof technology manager at PiggeDruck + Service in Osterwieck,near Braunschweig, and laterjoined the management board ofPigge Hungária in Pécs (Hungary).

As the new head of KBA’s customershowroom in Radebeul Zehnlebrings to the table the formidableexperience he has gained in thecourse of his long career, whichspans flexo, conventional offset,UV offset and digital printing tech-nology for applications as diverseas lottery coupons, continuousforms and smart cards.

Wolfram Zehnle is a keenmountain biker who in his scantfree time also enjoys motorcycling.

Wolfram Zehnle (43), the new head of KBA’s customer showroom in Radebeul

Rapida 106 ships straight from Drupa to Fränkischer Tag

German media house FränkischerTag in Bamberg prints its epony-

mous daily (readership: 220,000)on a 48pp KBA web press installedin 1994 and extended in 2002. Butin all that time its commercial armdid not have a single KBA press inits fleet.

This changed soon after Drupa,when the Rapida 106 eight-colour

perfector that had put on such astunning performance there wasshipped straight from the modern-day halls of Düsseldorf to the medi-aeval walls of Bamberg – just100km (621/2 miles) east of KBA’smain facility in Würzburg – whereFränkischer Tag’s commercial oper-ation provides a complete range ofservices relating to the generation

Walter Schweinsberg (l), managing director ofFrankischer Tag, and Ralf Sammeck (centre),KBA executive vice-president for sheetfedsales, affixing the “sold” notice on the Rapida106 attended by Jörg Schild-Müller (l), head ofFränkischer Tag’s sheetfed division. The press isnow up and running in Bamberg

and production of catalogues andprice lists, school textbooks andpicture books, specialist publica-tions and corporate magazines,brochures and promos.

The eight-colour Rapida 106perfector press for four-backing-four boasts an array of DriveTronicmodules (DriveTronic SIS sidelay-free infeed, DriveTronic SPC dedi-

cated plate-cylinder drives forsimultaneous plate changing,DriveTronic Plate-Ident automaticpre-registration) along with Quali-Tronic Professional equipment forclosed-loop quality control. Its highproduction output has substantiallyboosted capacity, especially forshort- to medium-run work.

Despite Fränkischer Tag’s longand cordial association with KBA’sweb press division, discussionswith the sheetfed division hadbeen running for two years beforethe media house finally opted forthe Rapida 106: originally it hadconsidered other press formats andconfigurations. The press in Bam-berg is the third long perfector inthe region to feature direct plate-cylinder drives, the others being aneight-colour Rapida 105 at Stürtzin Würzburg and a similar press,but with a coater, at Vogel Druckund Medienservice in Höchberg,near Würzburg. What finally per-suaded Fränkischer Tag to plumpfor the B1 “makeready champion”were the press demonstrationsmanagement had attended atStürtz.

Report 33 | 2008 45

Shorts

Two Rapida 162 presses for Ultimate Paper Box Co. in California

US packaging enterprise Ulti-mate Paperbox based in City of

Industry (Los Angeles) is expand-ing from medium to large formatwith two six-colour Rapida 162coater presses. The first press,with an aqueous coater, went livein July, by which time companyproprietor Janek Patel had alreadysigned on the dotted line at Drupafor the second one. This will fea-ture a UV coater, double extendeddelivery, LogoTronic productionmanagement and DensiTronic Pro-fessional closed-loop densitometriccolour measurement and control.It is due to go live in 2009.

“Quality is a significant part ofour success,” says Patel. “Our toplabels for the corrugated industryneed to be the highest level ofquality. We’re printing for the elec-tronics, food, cosmetic and phar-maceutical industries. The printinghas to be sharp. We are confidentthat our new KBA large formatpresses will deliver that sharpimage. In addition they will also beflexible enough to handle lots ofdifferent jobs, from lightweightpaper to board.”

Patel’s business has been on anupward curve ever since its incep-tion due to two main reasons: print

quality and quick delivery. “Wedon’t have a sales force,” saysPatel, “but our loyal customersspread our reputation throughword-of-mouth. Plus our customersknow that I get very involved in

Pictured after signing the contract on the KBA stand for a second Rapida 162: Janak Patel (centre), president and CEO of Ultimate Paperbox, flanked by KBA NorthAmerica president Holger Garbrecht (r) andsales manager Marcus Schoen

the production of their jobs; I’m avery hands-on owner. In Septem-ber 2008 we’ll be having our veryfirst open house to welcome ourcustomers and let them see ournew KBA press in action.”

Patel spent six monthsresearching and comparing the dif-ferent large format presses on themarket before deciding on his KBA.“I went to the other two manufac-turers and really compared eachpress against the others. Not onlydid the KBA presses offer moreautomation and better print quali-ty, but KBA had a better reputationin the market.”

Ultimate Paper Box Companywas established twelve years ago asa home-based print shop in Patel’sgarage. Today, the firm is headquar-tered in a modern 40,000ft2

(3,716m2) production facility with58 employees posting more than$8 million in sales and catering tothe electronic, food, cosmetic andpharmaceutical packaging markets.The firm has also added a new die-cutter and a new folder/gluer tohelp the workflow keep pace in thebindery.

KBA-Grafitec: number 1 in Poland’s B2 market

Alongside KBA-Grafitec’s homemarket, the Czech Republic, in

recent years Poland has movedahead of Ukraine, Russia and othercentral and eastern Europeancountries in the company’s salesrankings for small-format Performapresses. Last year our Czech sub-sidiary defended its pole positionfor the third time in successionwith a market share of over 40 percent in this format. To date a totalof 92 Performa 74 printing unitshave been shipped from Dobruskato printing plants in Poland. In Junethis year alone five B2 presseswere installed in different regions.

KBA-Grafitec’s geographicalpropinquity, dense sales and serv-ice network and substantial base of

satisfied customers all play theirpart in promoting press sales inPoland. KBA-Grafitec works closelywith KBA-Polska, a sales subsidiaryboth for medium- and large-format

A number of Polish printers placed orders at Drupa for the new Rapida 75, which is built and co-designed by KBA-Grafitec

Rapida sheetfed presses and KBAweb presses.

So it is not surprising that thenew Rapida 75, a B2 (29-inch)press developed and built in

Dobruska in close collaborationwith KBA Radebeul, is also hittingthe mark among Polish printers.The high-tech successor to the Per-forma 74 and Rapida 74 is engi-neered for a standard sheet size of530 x 750mm (20.86 x 29.53in),with a 605 x 750mm (23.81 x29.53in) special format and a per-fector version with up to eightprinting units available as anoption. Shortly after the Rapida75’s world premiere at Drupa2008 Polish printers took deliveryof several four- and five-colour ver-sions. In fact the successful debutsof the all-new Rapida 75 andrevamped Performa 66 at Drupaowed a lot to interest on the partof Polish customers.

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Report 33 | 200846

Shorts

Flow production delivers 40 per cent saving in throughput time

The conversion early this year ofKBA Radebeul’s Rapida 106

printing unit assembly line from astationary to a timed conveyor sys-tem with UGVs has delivered a 20per cent saving in pure assemblytimes and a 40 per cent saving intotal throughput time. This,together with more efficient logis-tics, has substantially increasedmanufacturing capacity for ourpopular medium-format presses.

The printing units are nowassembled on mobile platformswhich are conveyed through anassembly line comprising 14 work-stations, each with a predefinedremit. The granite platforms areboth level- and height-adjustable toensure maximum assembly quality.The UGVs have inductive sensorsand are halted at each workstationby a signal emitted by a transpon-der. They are driven by electric

motors whose batteries can becharged at every fourth worksta-tion. The assembly line is equippedand configured to handle all thepossible options available for theRapida 105 such as inking unitswith DriveTronic SPC dedicateddrives etc.

The delivery of parts and sub-assemblies to the workstations isorganised on a just-in-time basis. Ahandy cart contains all the tools

and equipment required for eachstation, while specialised manipu-lators and an overhead crane areprovided at workstations that han-dle large parts.

The new assembly line oper-ates in two shifts with highly flexi-ble working hours and rest times,which makes for even greater effi-ciency.

Every fourth workstation is a loading stationfor UGV batteries

The UGVs are fitted with inductive sensorswhich enable them to manoeuvre freely. Theyare halted and positioned at each workstationvia signals emitted by a transponder

Sales billionaires!

Lofty and Tubby – aka SigmarSchröder of KBA sales and

Carsten Barlebo of KBA Nordic –had cause for celebration at thisyear’s Drupa when their joint salesclimbed to one billion Danishkrone. In the twenty years sincethey started working together sosuccessfully on 1 June 1988 theyhave booked orders from Danishprinters for well over 600 printingunits, or 120 presses. This is aremarkable achievement in such asmall country. During that time thecurrency in Germany has changedthree times – only the Danishkrone has remained constant.

The press that lifted them tothe billion-krone mark was the Rap-ida 162 on the KBA stand, whichwas delivered after the fair to pack-aging printer SCA Sören Berggrenin Vejle. SCA bought its first KBAsheetfed press back in 1994, andthe six-colour 162 with coating andUV capability was its fifth large-for-mat Rapida.

Over the past twenty years Sigmar Schröder of KBA (l) and Carsten Barlebo of KBA Nordichave sold KBA presses worth one billion Danish krone

Report 33 | 2008 47

Shorts

Two Rapida 106 world makeready champions for Gramedia Printing Group

In issue 32 of KBA Report we fea-tured an article on the installa-

tion of four KBA presses – twomedium-format Rapida 105 univer-sals, one Rapida 105 and one half-size Rapida 74, all for four colours– at Indonesia’s PT Gramedia Print-ing Group between 2001 and2007. Shortly after the magazine

had gone to print, this fast-growingenterprise, the market leader inIndonesia, topped this with anorder for two eight-colour perfec-tor versions of the Rapida 106launched at a pre-Drupa openhouse in early April.

While eight-colour perfectorpresses for four over four are no

novelty in Southeast Asia, it isunusual for them to boast such ahigh level of automation as thatspecified for the two identical Rap-ida 106 press lines. In addition toautomatic plate changing Gramediahas opted for DensiTronic Profes-sional closed-loop densitometriccolour measurement and control, a

LogoTronic management informa-tion system, a lightweight printcapability and DriveTronic SPCdedicated plate-cylinder drives,which allow all eight plates to bechanged simultaneously in a meresixty seconds or so. In conjunctionwith the parallel implementation ofvarious other processes this makesfor exceptionally fast job changes(see feature on page 10). Once theyare up and running the two newpresses will position Gramedia atthe very forefront of medium-for-mat press technology, not just inIndonesia, where it is busy consol-idating its market leadership, butin the entire region. The two press-es have already been delivered andwill soon roll into action. Watchthis space for further coverage.

Delighted that the Rapida 106 world makeready champion is now heading for Indonesia: (l-r) KBA sales manager Andreas Wiche; Evi Soemardi of KBA agency Intertek Sempana;Gramedia director Johanes Brada Wardana;Stefan Segger, managing director of KBA Asia-Pacific; Maria Anny of Gramedia’s treasury division; Gramedia production manager Andy Budiman; and Ori Santoso Hartono ofIntertek Sempana

Asiatic Printing Press takes new-generation Rapida 75

Asiatic Printing Press is a full-service print provider based in

Ajman, on the outskirts of Dubai inthe United Arab Emirates. Estab-lished in 1993, it prints a broadspectrum of products with themain focus on commercials, fromsophisticated business reports tobrochures and magazines, posters,postcards and greetings cards. Half-and medium-format KBA presseshave operated for many years nowalongside other makes of press.The most recent addition from KBAwas a Rapida 105 universal five-colour coater press delivered in2006.

At Drupa in May Asiatic Print-ing Press’s management once againopted for KBA technology in the

shape of a new-generation Rapida75, which is scheduled to ship inSeptember. Like the Rapida 105 itwill be configured with five print-ing units, a Harris & Bruno coaterand an extended delivery. On topof that it will feature nonstop facil-ities at the feeder and delivery,automatic plate changing, remoteadjustment of diagonal register,and washing systems for the rollersand blankets. Pre-press data forpresetting the ink keys can bedownloaded at the control consolevia a JDF interface. The Rapida 75was chosen with a view to shorten-ing makeready times and enhanc-ing image quality. The excellentsupport provided by KBA salesagency Giffin Graphics was once

again a major factor influencing thecompany’s choice of a Rapida.

In addition to offset litho Asiat-ic Printing Press also runs digitaland screen-printing presses. Apartfrom the typical printing and book-binding work it takes on the com-pany also provides industrial photo-graphic and creative services forthe products it prints. Corporatemagazines, for example, can be

produced entirely in-house, fromthe original design to the finishedcopy, including editorial contentand graphic layout. Direct contactwith customers is maintained via acustomer centre in the heart ofDubai. And thanks to Asiatic’sproximity to the seaport and air-port it can also promise rapid deliv-ery to customers abroad.

Management of Asiatic Printing Press lining up for a photo with representatives of KBA and Giffin Graphics at the Rapida 75 on the KBA stand after signing the contract at Drupa for an identical version

Report 33 | 200848

Shorts

Hornslet Bogtrykkeri in Denmark orders Colora

Danish printer Hornslet Bog-trykkeri in Hornslet is celebrat-

ing its centenary by expandingproduction capacity with a KBAColora. Signed in mid-April, thecontract is for a 4/2 press line thatwill be installed alongside an exist-ing 2/1 press next year. Hornslet’slocation some 20km (121/2m) northof Aarhus is ideal for distributionthroughout East Jutland.

Says managing director HotherHennings: “We are adding a secondpress line in order to address a

need for shorter production timesand more capacity with a high printquality. The Colora will not onlyexpand capacity but will also fur-nish much greater flexibilitybecause we’ll be able to print low-and high-circulation titles simulta-neously and thus more efficiently.The contract for the four-acrossColora was the culmination of anexhaustive selection procedure. Itscutting-edge technology willenable us to enhance our competi-tiveness by offering a product spec-

trum ranging from just 5,000 8ppcopies to literally millions of high-pagination copies.”

The 75,000cph floor-mountedpress has a cylinder circumferenceof 1,120mm (44in) and can handlea maximum web width of1,590mm (62.5in). It will be con-figured with two KBA Pastomat Creelstands fed by a KBA Patras Aautomatic reel-handling systemwith stripping station. The twofour-high towers will have automat-ic ink pumping, colour-register

control and fan-out compensation.The press will also comprise twoturner bars, a folder superstruc-ture with two formers, a KF 3 jawfolder, a section and ribbon stitch-er and a quarterfold capability. Theadvanced level of automationextends to the control technologyand will include job preparationand press presetting, a RIP inter-face to CTP pre-press for preset-ting the ink keys, and a diagnosticPC for remote maintenance.

KBA Colora for Danish printer Hornslet Bogtrykkeri, 20km (121/2m) north of Aarhus

Prince of Wales fires up Commander at NWN Media

Prince Charles pressing the button on the new KBA Commander press line at North Wales Newspapers Media in Flintshire

The Commander 85 newspaperpress now operating at NWN

Media’s new print production facil-ity on the Deeside Industrial Parkin Flintshire has received a royalaudience thanks to a high-profilevisit by HRH, The Prince of Wales.

The Prince pressed the buttonfor the official start-up of the high-specification 85,000cph press linewhich incorporates four reelstandsand four 8-couple printing towerswith automatic reel loading androller setting. He toured the new£15 million ($29.3m) facility in thecompany of NWN Media chairmanRussell Whitehair, vice chair NonnaWoodward and managing directorDavid Faulkner.

On his arrival the Prince wasphotographed and thanks to somespeedy work in pre-press andpressroom was handed, on depar-ture, a copy of a special 16pp com-memorative supplement contain-ing the pictures of his visit.

NWN Media, a family-ownedcompany, publishes daily, weeklyand monthly titles including thethree-edition Evening Leader circu-lating in Wrexham, Flintshire andChester and a full-colour monthlymagazine, North Wales Living.Along with up-to-the-minute, inter-active websites the media housereaches over one million peopleevery week.

Report 33 | 2008 49

Of the fifteen Cortina press linessold to date, ten are in opera-

tion at European locations. As thenumbers swelled, users of theCortina’s relatively new waterlesstechnology started meeting up atregular intervals with KBA and con-sumables suppliers in order to

compare notes, define consum-ables specifications and launchindustry initiatives to driveadvances in waterless offset andpromote the benefits it delivers.

The third KBA Cortina userworkshop took place on 25 and 26June at Rheinpfalz in Lud-

wigshafen, where a triple-sectionCortina press configured as sixtowers with three folders has nowtaken over production of the com-pany’s flagship title, with its multi-ple local editions, along with a raftof other products. Openingspeeches by managing director

Rainer Bilz and head of IT and tech-nology Stephan Eckel were fol-lowed by user reports on waterlessprinting with the Cortina. In theevening, dinner in Frankenthal pre-ceded a trip to attend night-shiftproduction at Oggersheim. Thenext day the workshop continuedat Rheinpfalz with a brief introduc-tion of three imminent Cortinausers: Nordsee in Bremerhaven,Morsø Folkeblad in Denmark andM. DuMont Schauberg in Cologne.After that, issues relating to Corti-na technology, processes, consum-ables and service took centre stageonce again, concluding anotherbusy but fruitful day.

Shorts

Rheinpfalz hosts third Cortina workshop

One of the many attractions on the KBA stand:our waterless, keyless Genius 52UV for printingplastic and film

Stephan Eckel (first row, second right) of the Rheinpfalz printing and publishing houselining up with participants in the third KBA Cortina user workshop on the steps of the company premises in Ludwigshafen

Keen interest in Genius 52UV for printing plastic and film

While KBA-Metronic’s B3 (20-inch) Genius 52UV may have

been the smallest press on the KBAstand at Drupa, it proved to be oneof the big attractions. Strutting itsstuff in the green printing zonealongside a Rapida 74G (Gravu-flow) and a 74 Karat, this neat andnifty waterless, keyless press drewa throng of admirers. In view of thehigh price of plastics and lenticu-lars, the Genius’s low waste levelsand superior quality was of specialinterest to printers in this sector.

The waterless UV technologydeveloped by KBA-Metronic is win-ning over an increasing number ofprinters because it enables them toexploit new business applications.Prospects could see for themselvesjust how fast the press can be con-verted from one job to the next.And because the Genius 52UV

runs up to saleable colour in justseven to ten sheets, it is ideal forjobs involving short or mediumruns on costly, high-grade materi-als. Not only does its UV capability

allow it to print a wide range ofplastics and films, but it also meansthat these can be finished virtuallystraight off the press, with no delayfor drying. Added to which it can

print paper weighing 100gsm (70lbbook) or more, and board up to acalliper of 0.8mm (32 pt).

In addition to the Genius52UV on the KBA stand there wasa plinth-mounted coater versionwith extended delivery on theToray stand in hall 3.

By the end of Drupa Genius52UV presses had been sold toprinters in Austria, North Americaand Thailand. Worldwide there aresome 120 installations up and run-ning in a wide choice of configura-tions.

Report 33 | 200850

Peruvian printer expands into B1 with third Rapida

Shorts

07 Gruppen in Norway snaps up four Rapida 106 presses

07 Gruppen vice-president Gaute Hartberg (second left) pictured with KBA sales managers Sigmar Schröder and Claus Hartung, and Carsten Barlebo of KBA Nordic (l-r), after signing the contract for four Rapida 106 presses with a total of 26 printing units

Alfredo Yoshimoto (centre) is taking his company into medium format with a Rapida 105. With him at the Drupa press are Christian Klein (l) of KBA and Angel Fulgueiras of KBA’s Peruviansales agency Distribuidora Multigráfica

On 9 June KBA was awarded acontract by 07 Gruppen in

Oslo, Norway, for four Rapida 106presses with a total of 26 printingunits. Three of these high-perform-ance presses – a four-colourstraight version, a five-colour withcoater and an eight-colour perfec-tor for four over four – will ship inNovember and December this year.

The fourth, a further eight-colourperfector for four over four, willfollow in spring 2009. All thepresses will incorporate automaticplate changing, DriveTronic SISsidelay-free infeed, a board-print-ing capability and modifications toallow alcohol-free print produc-tion. They will also feature inlinedensity control and be linked in

pairs to DensiTronic Professionaldensity and spectral imaging con-trol systems complete with PDFReader, a new software packageunveiled at Drupa. In addition thetwo eight-colour press lines willboast DriveTronic SPC dedicatedplate-cylinder drives to allow simul-taneous changing of all sixteenplates. Their specifications are thus

similar to those of the Rapida 106which at Drupa in May compelling-ly substantiated its claim to be theworld makeready champion inmedium format.

A specialist printer of booksand commercials, 07 Gruppen alsoprovides web-based printing anddesign services. It is the product ofa merger last year of four inde-pendent printing companies,hence the name. Today the groupruns two production plants in Osloand one in Aurskog. The four- andfive-colour Rapidas will be installedin Oslo, the two eight-colour press-es in Aurskog.

For 07 Gruppen, environmen-tally friendly print production is aprime objective, and to this end ithas achieved FSC accreditation.Not only that, it is a vigorous pro-moter of ecological book produc-tion, campaigning tirelessly againstthe import of books from easternEurope and Asia, the transport ofwhich generates twice the volumeof carbon emissions as productionin Norway. The new Rapidas’ alco-hol-free production, inline qualitycontrol and advanced level ofautomation, which help trim bothmakeready times and waste, repre-sent a further decisive steptowards ecologically sustainableprint production.

Biblos in Lima, Peru, placed anorder at Drupa 2008 for its

third Rapida, with the aim of pow-ering expansion into the medium-format market. The company,which was founded in 1989 by twobrothers, Alfredo and Willy Yoshi-moto, now employs 110 people.While its main products are com-mercials, it also prints a steadilyincreasing volume of high-qualitybooks. It has even established itsown book publishing house, Edito-ria Biblos, which is driving growthin book production. In October2007 Biblos was the first Peruviancompany to receive a much-covet-ed Benny Award, for its title “RioAmazonas”.

Biblos purchased its first Rapi-da, a four-colour 72, in 1997. Thiswas later followed by a six-colourversion of the same model. Thefeatures specified for the new Rap-ida 105, which shipped in July,include DensiTronic closed-loopdensitometry, ACR video registercontrol and fully automated platechanging. The press will beinstalled in August in a new print-ing plant which will furnish Bibloswith the capacity it needs forfuture growth. One of the two Rap-ida 75 presses will also be relocat-ed there, along with other equip-ment.

Report 33 | 2008 51

˘˘

Shorts

Rapida 75 for French training college

Printing plants are not the onlydeployers of presses: training

colleges use them as well. TheLycée Professionnel de la Commu-nication et des IndustriesGraphiques “Notre Famille” inOsny, north of Paris, urgently need-ed a four-colour press in additionto its existing two-colour one.

The Lycée conducted a thor-ough study of the market prior tosigning up for the four-colour Rapi-da 75. The press has since beendelivered and was ready for actionwhen the new semester started inSeptember.

The college prepares its stu-dents for the BEP (professionaldiploma) and BAC Pro (vocationalbaccalauréat) in printing and pre-press. Students who complete thetwo-year course and several weeksof hands-on training to gain abrevet de technicien supérieur(advanced technical diploma) arequalified to be foremen in printingplants or work in the communica-tions departments of regional insti-tutions.

At present the Lycée, which isthe only Catholic institute of itskind in and around Paris, has 115

students aged between 16 and 22,some of whom also board.

The Lycée maintains activelinks with similar colleges inMadrid (Spain) and Milan (Italy).Each of these three educationalestablishments specialises in a dif-ferent printing process – the Span-ish college in gravure, the Italianone in digital print and the Frenchone in offset. Student exchangesare organised both to promote lin-guistic abilities and to expand thestudents’ knowledge of other areasof printing.

Reportis the corporate magazine issued bythe Koenig & Bauer Group (KBA):

Koenig & Bauer AG, WürzburgFriedrich-Koenig-Strasse 497080 WürzburgGermanyTel: (+49) 931 909-4336Fax: (+49) 931 909-4101Web: www.kba.comE-mail: [email protected]

Koenig & Bauer AG, RadebeulFriedrich-List-Strasse 4701445 Radebeul GermanyTel: (+49) 351 833-2580Fax: (+49) 351 833-1001Web: www.kba.comE-mail: [email protected]

KBA-Metronic AGBenzstrasse 1197209 VeitshöchheimGermanyTel: (+49) 931 9085-0Fax: (+49) 931 9085-100Web: www.kba-metronic.comE-mail: [email protected]

KBA-Grafitec s.r.o.Opocenská 8351819 DobruskaCzech RepublicTel: (+420) 494 672-111Fax: (+420) 494 623-675Web: www.kba-grafitec.czE-mail: [email protected]

Publisher:Koenig & Bauer Group

Editor-in-chief:Klaus Schmidt, KBA director of communications,Würzburg

Layout:Pia Vogel, Mannhof Media

Translation:Christina Degens-Kupp, KBA

Printed in the Federal Republic of Germany

39 apprentices made the trip to Drupa with their principal,Annie Bourdelle (4th right), andsome of them were presentwhen the contract was signed

KBA Complete: Lode Vlayen succeeds Roland Kastner†

Lode Vlayen

Roland Kastner (50), managingdirector of KBA Complete, a

new independent consultancyestablished by KBA and Hiflex, diedsuddenly on 18 June. A qualifiedcomputer scientist, with fifteenyears’ experience in the field ofprocess optimisation and restruc-turing, Kastner held a number ofexecutive positions in the printmedia industry.

KBA Complete and its alliedenterprises, which under Mr Kast-ner’s guidance enjoyed a success-ful debut at Drupa, have lost amuch-admired colleague, the printmedia industry an acknowledgedexpert on systems networking andinnovation.

Roland Kastner’s successorfrom 1 July is Lode Vlayen (49).Born in Belgium, Lode Vlayen tooka degree in engineering science

prior to becoming production man-ager at a web offset plant, wherehe gained extensive experience inpre-press technology, printing andfinishing. He later accepted a postas European product marketingmanager at Scitex and Creo,responsible for Prinergy and othersystems. Four years ago he trans-

ferred to Hiflex as the director forthe Benelux states. A highlyrespected expert on workflow andnetworking systems, Lode Vlayenmaintains close contacts withmembers of the printing industryand leading manufacturers of pre-press equipment.

Roland Kastner†

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