Offset Printing

A long Rapida 106 follows a large Rapida 142

Thursday 17. January 2013 - Singapore-based Tien Wah Press (TWP), part of Japan's Dai Nippon Printing Group, pushed the button on a highly automated ten-colour Rapida 106 perfecting press with coater in its production plant in Johor Bahru (Malaysia) in December 2012.

Just one year before the world’s makeready champion in medium format came online, a five-colour large-format Rapida 142 went live in the same plant.
TWP, a printing and publishing house well-known both in Asia and beyond, built on the positive experience it made with the large Rapida with multi-shift capabilities and opted for a long medium-format Rapida 106. The productivity and quality boost delivered form the basis for future co-operation with KBA and other TWP plants.
TWP – top address for books
The parent company’s reputation as a top-quality book printer for leading international book publishing houses dates back more than 75 years. Exports account for a high proportion of output, and alongside sales offices in Singapore and Malaysia TWP also has agents in New York, San Francisco, London, Paris and Sydney.
TWP’s modern factory in Johor Bahru was built around 20 years ago and now has a payroll of more than 1,000 employees. Its primary products are children’s books and other publications for the book trade, but it also prints packaging and sundry other products for the local market.
Confidence justified
TWP group management opted for its first KBA large-format press in 2010 after studying the market and touring installations in Europe. Today both the decision-makers at TWP headquarters in Singapore and the competent project managers in Johor Bahru have seen their choice of press vindicated.
A raft of optional features, which includes almost every possible automation module, found in the Rapida 142 and the new ten-colour Rapida 106 has cut makeready times while raising productivity. This is most noticeable during job changes, which are largely automated, and in the convenient pile logistics systems at the feeder and delivery. Quality assurance with DensiTronic Professional and QualiTronic colour control have also delivered the desired benefits ensuring stable, high-quality production.
“Our confidence in KBA’s technology and after-sales service has been fully justified and gives management a sense of security. Both presses deliver a high standard of quality reliably and smoothly, taking production to a whole new level. These improvements can be passed on to a customer base that demands cutting-edge technology for its exclusive products.”
A raft of optional features for maximum quality and output
The Rapida 142 at TWP is mounted on a 420mm (16.5in) plinth and alongside five printing units featuring automatic plate changers is configured with a coater and a double delivery extension equipped with VariDry IR/hot-air dryers. A CX board-handling capability enables it to print heavy substrates.
The long Rapida 106 perfecting press is equipped, among other things, with DriveTronic SPC dedicated plate-cylinder drives for simultaneous plate changing, automatic CleanTronic multi-purpose washing systems, ErgoTronic ACR autoregistration and LogoTronic Professional data management. Along with the new presses, KBA is also providing a comprehensive long-term service package.