Offset Printing
Leading UK and Ireland Printers Choose KBA
Monday 22. December 2008 - Major Installations in Every Format, in Every Sector
KBAs industry-leading record of applied innovation, forged over two centuries and demonstrated to such impressive effect at drupa 08, has impacted on press performance in every sheet format and in every product sector this year.
The result has been a series of high profile installations that signal the keynote performance parameters that will set the bar for next generation printers.
Michael Todd, Managing Director of RCS in Retford, Nottinghamshire, describes his decision to move into large format printing with the KBA RAPIDA 162a:
“We looked at what the other manufacturers had to offer in large format. Either their technology is still relatively untested or, where it is proven, we felt their support could not match KBA’s – we consider that theirs is currently the best available. By adding this format to our line-up we are now able to service new markets, such as screen printers who find full colour slow and expensive and smaller format litho printers with a limited demand for larger sizes as well as our existing trade customer base.”
Ashford Colour Press, the Gosport-based B1 house, installed a large format KBA RAPIDA 142 to improve productivity
but the leading book printer is also reporting an increase in overall press capacity and all-important quality control.
Production Director Allan Gray says: “We liked the fast makereadies and the amount of on-press controls. We need to be able to change four plates and have the machine up and running in 15 minutes
and we do measure it down to the last minute! It is all about sheets on the floor and DensiTronic enables us to be sure that the work we are producing matches what our customers expect. This gives us peace of mind to run job after job confident that there are no quality issues. The 142 is the perfect package.”
In the ferociously competitive magazine sector the KBA effect has been startling. The sequence began with the announcement by KBA UK, just before drupa, that a 10-colour B1 RAPIDA featuring the much anticipated DriveTronic Simultaneous Plate Changing (SPC) system had been in operation for six months at Brunswick Press Ltd, Dublin. Managing Director, Peter Allman, reported that the new SPC system was providing a vital operational impact: “Where the changeover time on the standard machine might be 20 minutes, this can be reduced to just one minute on the new press with SPC. In practice its more likely to be 3 or 4 minutes but, since 60% of our throughput is multi-sectional work for relatively short-run magazines or books, this kind of saving is very significant.”
There followed the astonishing makeready record set by KBA at drupa when, at the request of a US customer, the RAPIDA 106 B1 long perfector printed a total of 15 jobs, each of 520 good sheets, in just 59 minutes and 36 seconds.
Within ten weeks of commissioning its 10-colour long perfector B1 RAPIDA with SPC in September, magazine house W&G Baird of Antrim had recorded 8.1 million impressions and picked up the prestigious Irish Print Magazine Printer of the Year Award for titles printed on the KBA. Managing Director Henderson Allan says: “There is no doubt that higher productivity is the main overall objective because that reduces unit costs, but the challenge is to achieve that while handling shorter runs and maintaining – or even improving – quality. KBA’s DriveTronic SPC is vital when magazine run lengths dictate more job changes per shift, and the DensiTronic Professional system assures perfect results throughout each run.”
On mainland UK, Cambrian Printers was quick to recognise the advantages offered by the new KBA technology, completing a £6m four-year investment programme with an order for 10-colour RAPIDA 106 with SPC – its first long perfector (and first non-Heidelberg) press.
Chairman and Managing Director Robert Read described the decision as the ‘inevitable conclusion’ following a rigorous testing process: “We shortlisted four manufacturers and put each of their presses through the same series of tests; they were all based on live work – there were no tricks. When we analysed the results the RAPIDA was a long way ahead. It isnt just the high production speeds
the speed of changeover between jobs puts it in a class apart. We also want to run the 106 alcohol-free from day one and KBA is an organisation which shares our values in that respect; the manufacturer’s support is vital in making these things work on the factory floor.”
With developing its packaging portfolio in mind, Cambridgeshire-based commercial printer, Burlington Press, specified heavy stock handling and in-line coating for a new 6-colour B1 RAPIDA introduced to complement a 10-colour B1 KBA long perfector installed in 2007.
Director Andrew Tooke explains: “The ten colour has done everything we expected. We have been delighted with the machine’s performance and it was always our intention to replace our older Speedmasters. The performance and quality of the KBA just brought that decision forward. Our decision to broaden the spec on the second KBA has already paid dividends with contracts for greetings cards, post cards and packaging for airline catering and branded TV food products.”
Macclesfield-based plastic card specialist, PCS, underlined its commitment to environmentally-friendly premium quality print with the installation of a new GENIUS 52UV B3 press. Joint Managing Director Rob Nicholls says:
“From the very first moment we saw this press we were astonished at what can be achieved in such a compact design. Its perfect for our requirements and, regardless of the substrate, the quality of the image and the simplicity of operation make it a great option for any general printers looking to expand their offering and add value. KBAs back-up and support has been first class throughout – from our initial research and trials through to installation and training. The whole GENIUS experience has been fantastic.”
The year ended with the first installation by KBA (UK) LTD of the new RAPIDA 75 B2 press following its launch at drupa and the commissioning of a KBA COMPACTA 818 commercial web press at Polestar Wakefield.