Offset Printing

Koenig & Bauer puts in a strong appearance in the Middle Kingdom

Thursday 18. April 2019 - A stand measuring more than 1,000 m2 enabled Koenig & Bauer to present future-oriented print technology in all its facets at the Print China trade fair held in Guangdong from 9th to 13th April.

The highlights for visitors included live print demonstrations on an eight-colour Rapida 106 perfector with additional inline coating, as well as a Rapida 75 PRO in a five-colour configuration. At the same time, the fair team provided comprehensive information on further innovative solutions from the fields of digital and flexo printing, metal decorating, post-press and other special applications.
From the very first day of the fair, trade visitors praised the sophisticated and high-quality stand design, the numerous print demonstrations and the diverse info points on special topics. At the same time, they were impressed by the smart print technologies addressing current branch trends. The digitisation concept summarised under the banner of Koenig & Bauer 4.0 captivated the gathered print professionals in the same way as a comprehensive portfolio of classic and new data-driven services.
Contracts worth several tens of millions of euros
By the end of the fair, contracts worth several tens of millions of euros had been signed with printing companies throughout China and from several other countries in South and Southeast Asia. Rapida sheetfed presses in all classes, from half to large format, were in high demand. The customers appreciate Koenig & Bauer as a partner who offers tailored equipment geared to maximising their individual business success. They place trust in stability, reliability and good service. Not least for these reasons, many companies who already use Rapida presses return to Koenig & Bauer with further orders.
That was the case with Fuzhou Xingkai Color Printing, for example. The company has owned a Rapida 105 in a four-colour configuration since 2011. At Print China, now, a follow-up order was placed for a seven-colour Rapida 105 with coater and UV facilities.
Xiamen Lutengda Printing and Zhejiang Chuangsijie Printing each signed up for a new Rapida 164 (max. sheet format 1,205 x 1,640 mm). Xiamen Lutengda, too, is a longstanding user of large-format presses from Koenig & Bauer. With this latest investment, the company is planning to enhance efficiency by reducing energy consumption. For Zhejiang Chuangsijie Printing, the new Rapida 164 is seen as the key to new ventures in packaging production.
Ningxia Jihong Environmental Packaging Technology positions itself as a smart, highly automated and especially ecological print factory. At Print China, the company ordered a five-colour Rapida 145 with coater, FAPC fully automatic plate changers and a whole raft of further automation features. This will be one of the most highly automated presses in China, and will enable Ningxia Jihong to continue implementation of its ambitious energy-saving and environmental strategies, while at the same time boosting efficiency and reducing labour costs.
Brisk post-fair business expected
In addition to the contracts which have already been signed, Koenig & Bauer is looking forward to brisk post-fair business. Many print industry decision-makers expressed their enthusiastic interest in both equipment and services and are planning to invest. All in all, this enables Dietmar Heyduck, sales director for Koenig & Bauer Sheetfed, and Walter Zehner, managing director of Koenig & Bauer Greater China, to give an extremely positive summary:
Dietmar Heyduck: “China is one of the most important world markets for Koenig & Bauer. The visitor numbers and contracts concluded at Print China exceeded our expectations.” Walter Zehner adds: “With digital products such as the CorruJET, we are in a good position on the international market. There was also enormous interest in the VariJET for digital folding carton production among our Chinese customers. We are delighted to be able to demonstrate the successful transformation of our company from a traditional press manufacturer into a leading supplier of digital solutions.”
The fair visitors were similarly keen to obtain information on further products and services from the extensive Koenig & Bauer portfolio, for example rotary and flatbed die-cutters, folder-gluers, the RotaJET, flexo solutions, coding technologies and especially the whole field of corrugated printing, which was showcased for the first time at a trade fair in China. Numerous promising projects are also in the pipeline in these segments.