Offset Printing
Radin expands with KBA press technology
Monday 21. January 2008 - KBA Compacta 618 and Rapida 105 for Croatia
A 48-page KBA Compacta 618 commercial web offset press is to expand production capacity in the autumn at Radin Repro i Roto in Croatia. It will be joined by two new KBA Rapida 105 B1 (41in) sheetfed presses, one of which is earmarked for a site in Serbia. The contract was ceremoniously signed in front of the entire workforce at Radins production plant in Zagreb.
In addition to its commercial arm, Radin Repro i Roto, the Radin group also runs a wholesale business, Radin Grafika (Zagreb), for graphic arts materials and a Serbian commercial printing plant, Rotografika, in Subotica. The expansion package includes a new production plant in Zagreb with cutting-edge logistics and technology. The two Croat operations will both relocate to the new plant, which will dramatically enhance efficiency. The existing presses will also be relocated once the Compacta 618 has been commissioned.
Quality and service as a growth strategy
Radin Repro i Roto is a major player in Croatia and also claims the market leadership in heatset production. The 6,000m² (65,000ft²) Zagreb plant employs just under 200 staff and serves not only the Croatian market but also exports to Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. With competition hotting up, management believes that quality and service are key to growth. ISO 12647-2 accreditation for offset process standards, acquired in September 2006, is all part of the same strategy.
Pioneering commercial web offset
The installation of a Compacta 214 – the first commercial web press in Croatia – in 1995 illustrates Radins technological pioneering. In 1998 the company bought a second-hand Compacta 40 and in 2001 a B2 (29in) Rapida 74. In 2002 and 2004 there followed two 16-page Compacta 215s, in 2005 a B1 (41in) Rapida 105 and a 32-page double-circumference web press. The sheetfed presses print covers for the companys own magazine titles. The steady expansion of capacity and investment in cutting-edge technology reflects the high standards to which this family enterprise aspires.
Variable-format folder technology expands production options
The Compacta 618 will be connected to a Patras M manual reel-handling system and configured with a Pastomat RC reelstand, four printing units with semi-automatic plate change, a thermal air dryer with integrated chill rollers, a superstructure for up to three ribbons and, uniquely, a variable-format V5 folder for delivering both short- and long-grain pages. Maximum web speed is 15mps (2,953fpm), cylinder circumference 1,240mm (48¾in) and maximum web width 1,450mm (57in). The Rapida 105 for Zagreb is a five-colour version, while Rotografika in Subotica will take delivery of an eight-colour perfector press with a reel-to-sheet feeder. All the presses are networked via LogoTronic Professional, the older ones following a retrofit.