Koenig & Bauer News Feed https://www.koenig-bauer.com/ en Koenig & Bauer AG Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:35:48 +0100 Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:35:48 +0100 news-2469 Fri, 17 Mar 2023 09:30:00 +0100 Change at the helm of Koenig & Bauer UK https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/change-at-the-helm-of-koenig-bauer-uk/
  • New role aligns with Koenig & Bauer global structure
  • Previous Managing Director leaves the company  
  • Further strategic expansion of the market and continued focus on customers 
  • Subsidiary well positioned for the future
  • Chris Scully, previously Sales Director at Koenig & Bauer UK, takes over the additional role of Managing Director from Andrew Pang

    Koenig & Bauer appoints long-serving and successful Sales Director, Chris Scully, as the new Managing and Sales Director of its UK subsidiary. Scully, who has headed up sales in the UK for 18 years will now take over the role of Managing Director from Andrew Pang in addition to his sales responsibilities.

    Koenig & Bauer is continually evolving to the ever-changing industries and markets. Staying focused on the customers while also taking care to remain agile and able to provide innovative solutions is an ongoing dynamic process.

    "We would like to thank Andrew Pang for his many years of outstanding service. For almost a decade he has safely guided Koenig & Bauer UK through both local and global changes and challenges and leaves the company well-positioned for the future," says Ralf Sammeck, Koenig & Bauer Member of the Board. "We feel that now is the right time to complete the process of merging responsibility for sales and operations in line with other regional subsidiaries where it has proved successful and very effective."

    Chris Scully adds: "I look forward to continuing the strategic development of our UK market. Our customers will benefit from our ongoing development and our strong brand."

    "We are convinced that with Chris Scully and Stephanie Thomson (Finance Director), and Peter Banks (Service Director), we have a successful management team at the helm of Koenig & Bauer UK that will react with speed and agility to customer requests and thus make a decisive contribution to our continued success," says Ralf Sammeck.
     

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    news-2463 Mon, 13 Mar 2023 13:19:16 +0100 Single pass inside-outside printing – new feature by Koenig & Bauer Celmacch https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/single-pass-inside-outside-printing-new-feature-by-koenig-bauer-celmacch/
  • Chroma 2S technology for all models of Chroma High Tech series and Chroma Smart series by Koenig & Bauer Celmacch
  • Unique HBL solution for inside-outside printing
  • The first machine was successfully tested at Koenig & Bauer Celmacch’s facilities
  • Technology available for flexo printers and rotary die cutters
  • Modular design to easily add future printing units
  • The technology of the new Chroma 2S allows to open up new business fields 
  • Further technical innovations planned for next year
  • After successful FAT in Koenig & Bauer Celmacch’s factory in Desenzano, the first Chroma Smart 2S is currently under delivery

    Koenig & Bauer Celmacch offers the new technology of inside and outside printing in a single pass to all companies of the corrugated industry. The two-sides printing in one single working process allows not only a significant increase of efficiency, but also a considerable reduction of production costs.

    Luca Celotti, CEO of Koenig & Bauer Celmacch, says that “This tendency has completely transformed the cardboard industry, with a particular focus on corrugated packaging. For box factories, it has become essential to be able to print quickly and at low cost, even inside the box, to get the so-called "wow-effect" during unboxing or to simply print instructions and how-to-use.“

    Hannah Potrawa, Director Corrugated at Koenig & Bauer, underlines: “We offer all price and performance levels. With the presettable die cutting unit for the Chroma X Pro, and the Top-Bottom-Printing for the Chroma High Tech and Chroma Smart, we can really satisfy almost all Customer’s needs.” After successful tests of the Chroma Smart 2S in our workshop in Desenzano, the first machine is currently ready to be installed at one of our Customer’s premises.

    Chroma 2S, technologically state-of-the-art, modularly retrofittable

    The new High Board Line Chroma 2S technology produces at a max. speed of 10.000 sheets per hour. Furthermore, the printing units for inside printing are equipped with the well-known automatizations of the Chroma High Tech or Chroma Smart series.

    Thanks to an innovative solution, foundation pits or changes are not necessary. Nevertheless, the machine operator has easy and ergonomic access to change the cliché in all printing units. The number of the colors is freely configurable, and it is thus possible to fulfill almost all Customer’s needs. 

    Thanks to the user-friendly construction, the bottom printing units momentarily not in production can be prepared for follow-up process without stopping the machine.

    In this way, the new Chroma 2S technology opens new market potentials for our Customers, featuring also an optimal price/performance ratio.

    Koenig & Bauer strengthens its presence into the growth market for machines processing corrugated cardboard

    The focusing on the growth market, and on both the conventional and digital packaging printing, is a key-factor of the strategy of Koenig & Bauer. After reentering the market for machineries in the field of corrugated cardboard processing, the company continued this route. Thanks to the new partnership with the Italian Company Celmacch, the Group Koenig & Bauer widened last September 2022 its large product-portfolio. Both companies joined more than 40 years’ experience in the field of processing corrugated cardboard and more than 200 years of printing technology on different levels. With the Chroma X Pro Series, Koenig & Bauer successfully developed and placed in the market highly-automated machinery. With ChromaCUT Smart and ChromaCUT HighTech, through the partnership with Celmacch, Koenig & Bauer offers nowadays a wide-ranging product portfolio for all prices and performances stages.

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    news-2459 Thu, 09 Mar 2023 07:45:34 +0100 New Sheetfed Offset Technology for the Edelmann Group’s Norderstedt Plant https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/new-sheetfed-offset-technology-for-the-edelmann-groups-norderstedt-plant/
  • UV finishing equipment raises the proportion of in-house production
  • Small footprint for optimum production conditions
  • Pile heights up to 1.65 metres and non-stop roller rack for uninterrupted production
  • A six-colour Rapida 76 with coater and extended delivery entered production at Edelmann Norderstedt in spring 2022

    Edelmann Norderstedt started production on a half-format Rapida 76 (sheet formats up to 605 × 720 mm) in summer last year. Access to the latest production features was the primary goal of this investment in a high-performance six-colour press with coater and extended delivery. After all, the new high-performance press is expanding the company’s product portfolio by enabling UV finishing in an inline process. The ability to apply UV coatings in-house will also increase its product depth.

    The Edelmann plant in Norderstedt is responsible for the group’s production of folding cartons for the health care segment, as well as primary packaging for surgical products. To this end, a sheetfed offset press was replaced. CEO Dr Frank Hornung explains: “We invest regularly in modern production equipment, so as to be able to offer our customers and business partners both innovative packaging-related services and sustainable product solutions.” The Edelmann Group employs around 3,000 people at a total of 13 locations in seven countries on four different continents.

    Modest space requirements and a high level of automation

    Assessment of the market options for the B2 format identified the Rapida 76 as an ideal choice. It was, above all, the fact that around 30 per cent less floor space is required that trumped many other models offering comparable performance and automation. At the same time, the number of printing units increased from the previous four units to six. This reduces energy consumption and the carbon footprint of the innovative carton packaging solutions. A further contribution to increased energy efficiency is made possible by the VariDryBlue dryer system, which enables the use of hot air from preceding dryer modules in subsequent modules.

    Comprehensive measuring systems for inline colour control and comparison of the printed sheets with the pre-press PDF help to fulfil the promise of ‘High-Q Packaging’ made to Edelmann’s customers and business partners. At the same time, inline quality inspection reduces production waste, because the specialists at the press can intervene immediately should the system detect any anomalies.

    Inline quality control and high automation

    The Edelmann team in Norderstedt are delighted with the state-of-the-art equipment features that their new sheetfed offset press provides. Plant manager Simon Wallmann explains: “The sheet format of the Rapida 76 helps to increase our production options. Firstly by allowing more blanks to be printed on a single sheet, and secondly by permitting larger folding carton formats. Both these factors are in line with the sustainability goals that have already been firmly anchored in the corporate strategy of the Edelmann Group for a long time.”

    Shorter runs begin from around 500 cartons. Raising the press level to handle pile heights up to 1.65 metres accommodates the expected numbers of sheets per job, as does the incorporation of a non-stop roller rack for uninterrupted production at the delivery.

    Its successful installation left everyone smiling (left to right): CEO Dr Frank Hornung, plant manager Simon Wallmann, COO Christian Schumacher, and Ralf Engelhardt, sales manager at Koenig & Bauer Germany

    Sustainable folding carton production

    The Edelmann Group is also investing in a series of sustainability projects at its other locations. Technological processes are subjected to close scrutiny, and the innovative strength that characterises the group as a whole is capitalised on to develop sustainable packaging solutions for the health care, beauty care and consumer brands markets that contribute to resource efficiency and help achieve ecological goals.

    Interesting website: www.edelmann-group.com

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    news-2454 Thu, 23 Feb 2023 16:30:42 +0100 Koenig & Bauer with improved profitability in 2022 on the basis of its preliminary figures https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/koenig-bauer-with-improved-profitability-in-2022-on-the-basis-of-its-preliminary-figures/
  • Group earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of around €22m
  • EBIT margin of roughly 2%
  • Strong second half, driven by P24x and more efficient response to supply-chain and capacity challenges
  • Group revenue of €1,186m at the upper end of the forecast range of €1,160 - 1,190m
  • Forecast for 2023: Revenue of €1.3bn with an EBIT margin of around 3%
  • Order intake of €1.3bn, significant increase in order backlog to €950m
  • Koenig & Bauer AG, Würzburg (“Koenig & Bauer”, WKN: 719 350 / ISIN: DE0007193500) has announced that, on the basis of its preliminary and as yet unaudited figures, its preliminary Group earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) for 2022 have exceeded its own forecast as well as market expectations.

    Despite a challenging environment characterised by supply-chain constraints and an associated increase in material and energy costs, which it was not possible to pass on to customers in full, the EBIT of €22m exceeded the company’s own forecast of €15-20m. It was additionally spurred by the accelerated implementation of the P24x efficiency improvement programme. At €1,186m, Group revenue reached the upper end of the projected range of €1,160 - 1,190m. The operating EBIT margin therefore came to 2%. In the previous year, revenue had amounted to €1,115.8m, while EBIT, which had been favourably influenced by the adjustment to the P24x restructuring provisions of around €23m, reached €28.5m.

    As Chief Executive Officer Dr Andreas Pleßke stated, “it became clear from the third quarter in particular that we were able to make the right strategy adjustments very quickly in response to the changed market environment. In addition, we intensified our already successful P24x efficiency enhancement programme.”

    The massive rise in some raw material and energy prices also led to higher material costs in 2022, which it was only possible to pass on in part and with a delayed effect by increasing prices.

    In the fourth quarter of 2022 in particular, Koenig & Bauer achieved a significant increase over the same period in the previous year, with revenue coming to €380m (previous year: €328.4m) and EBIT to €25m (previous year: €11.8m).

    Segments: Digital & Webfed with substantially improved earnings

    Digital & Webfed reduced its negative earnings contribution substantially in 2022, posting EBIT of €–19m on revenue of €140m (previous year: €121.4m). By comparison, EBIT had stood at €–38.5m in 2021, reflecting the negative impact of the adjustments of roughly €6m to the P24x restructuring provisions. With its promising business in industrial digital printing, the versatile corrugated board sector and the growing market for flexible packaging, the segment thus achieved a significant improvement in earnings. Revenue in the Sheetfed segment climbed from €642.4m to €672m, with segment EBIT coming to €19m (previous year: €24.0m), meaning that it is still on a profitable growth trajectory. In the previous year, EBIT had been boosted by around €9m due to the adjustments to restructuring provisions for P24x. The Special segment generated revenue of €417m in 2022 (previous year: €390.2m), achieving EBIT of €23m (previous year: €34.9m). In the previous year, EBIT in this segment had been boosted by around €18m due to the adjustments to the P24x restructuring provisions.

    Explains CFO Dr Stephen M. Kimmich: “The successes, particularly in the last two quarters of 2022, confirm our strategic approach. Accordingly, we consider ourselves to be well and efficiently positioned for 2023 and beyond and are thus taking a major step forward in achieving our medium-term goals.”

    Order intake amounted to €1.3bn at the end of 2022 (previous year: €1.29bn), thus meeting expectations. The book-to-bill ratio of 0.8 in the fourth quarter was in line with the company’s own forecast. The order backlog was valued at around €950m at the end of 2022, equivalent to an increase of roughly €807m compared to the previous year.

    Forecast for 2023: EBIT margin of roughly 3% on substantially higher revenue

    For the current year 2023, the Management Board of Koenig & Bauer expects revenue of around €1.3bn, accompanied by an EBIT margin of roughly 3%. Koenig & Bauer will be publishing its audited financial statements and annual report for 2022 on 29 March 2023 and also adjusting the medium-term goals defined in 2020 to allow for inflation effects. On the same day, Koenig & Bauer will be holding a conference call (in English) for analysts and investors. The conference call will be subsequently available on the website.

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    news-2451 Fri, 17 Feb 2023 11:23:37 +0100 Koenig & Bauer strengthens market presence in Vietnam https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/koenig-bauer-strengthens-market-presence-in-vietnam/
  • Successful participation in the Print & Pack trade fair
  • Roadshow reaches out to almost 100 companies
  • Modern printing technologies already in use
  • Branch office opening in Hanoi
  • Kelly Tam, general manager of HH Dream Printing, offered important user insights at the roadshow event in Hanoi (1)

    Koenig & Bauer recently underlined its commitment to the Vietnamese market with its participation in the Print & Pack 2022 trade fair in Ho Chi Minh City, and with a dedicated roadshow. The scale of the two events reflects the strong growth of the local industry, which is characterised by an increasing number of international players. There are around 2,000 printing and packaging businesses in the country, among them companies from all over the world that have chosen to invest in Vietnam. Trade volumes and the national economy are expanding rapidly.

    Koenig & Bauer’s objectives are to tap into the Vietnamese market, which is enjoying a post-pandemic boom, and to establish a strong foundation for future market activities. Over the past two years, considerable progress has been achieved – primarily through the group’s Chinese subsidiary – in the provision of modern machinery and technologies, alongside professional services, to support printing and packaging companies in Vietnam. 

    The guests in Hanoi were eager to learn more about modern printing technologies from Koenig & Bauer (2)

    Roadshow linking both ends of the country

    At events held in Hanoi and Binh Duong, Koenig & Bauer presented future-oriented technologies and state-of-the-art equipment for print production and subsequent conversion to representatives of almost 100 printing companies. At the first event, HH Dream Printing, a joint venture founded by the Hong Kong-based Hung Hing Printing Group, was able to confirm its credentials as one of the leading companies in the local packaging and print industry. HH Dream Printing is primarily active in the field of toy packaging. Hung Hing has installed six medium- and large-format Rapida presses with related equipment since 2017 in order to boost its production capacities and efficiency. One of these modern presses is already in use in Vietnam, and a further installation is to follow in 2023.

    The speakers in Binh Duong included Nguyen Van Dong, president of the Vietnam Printing Association… (3)

    The second roadshow event took place at the end of December and was hosted by the print company Lập Thịnh in Binh Duong in the south of Vietnam. A six-colour Rapida 105 with inline coating facilities will be increasing the production capacities here in the near future. Both events served to boost the profile of Koenig & Bauer as a press manufacturer and partner. The visitors were especially impressed by the cooperation with the two local printing companies. 

    … and Nguyen Ngoc Sang, president of the Vietnam Packaging Association (4)

    New branch office to offer comprehensive service

    One item of good news announced during the roadshow was that Koenig & Bauer is in the final stages of opening a branch office in Hanoi. Establishing this office will help strengthen the company’s local presence, and will enable the provision of even more comprehensive and diverse services in future. It is hoped that a local representation will lend new impetus to the Vietnamese print industry by ensuring direct access to a first-class portfolio of products and services.

    The two Vietnamese trade associations representing the printing and packaging industries have welcomed the initiative and promised their support for the planned opening of an office and service centre for both the northern and southern regions of Vietnam.

    Group photo with all roadshow participants during the visit to Lập Thịnh (5)
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    news-2439 Tue, 07 Feb 2023 13:12:08 +0100 A new milestone – First sale of Koenig & Bauer’s ChromaCUT X Pro to the British market https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/a-new-milestone-first-sale-of-koenig-bauers-chromacut-x-pro-to-the-british-market/
  • A new milestone in the corrugated market Great Britain
  • The innovative corrugated solutions provider purchases a ChromaCUT X Pro
  • Fully equipped with the latest technology and pre-settable rotary die-cutting unit 
  • Short delivery time – ChromaCUT X Pro starts production in summer 2023
  • The new ChromaCUT X Pro High-Board Line Rotary Die-Cutter from Koenig & Bauer gives a considerable boost to productivity

    The British company Cepac is renowned in its market for its pioneering spirit and innovative drive. To support its successful growth trajectory, the company is now investing in a ChromaCUT X Pro from Koenig & Bauer. Steve Moss, Managing Director of Cepac, says, “After extensive discussions, a virtual live demonstration of the ChromaCUT X Pro and a tour of a pre-existing installation won our full confidence, we took the decision to invest in the machinery made by Koenig & Bauer. Koenig & Bauer shares out innovative focus and the ChromaCUT X Pro will allow us to raise the possibilities for our customers to a whole new level.”

    “The effective use of good synergies within Koenig & Bauer Group and its streamlined processes mean that the machine will be commissioned at Cepac’s Rawcliffe Bridge facility in early summer.” says Hannah Potrawa, Director Corrugated at Koenig & Bauer.

    The latest technology and pre-settable die-cutting unit for ultimate productivity and automation

    Koenig & Bauer is assuming responsibility for the supply and installation of the entire line, including full integration of the associated third-party peripherals such as the pre-feeder and palletiser, into the control system of the ChromaCUT X Pro. As customary for the ChromaCUT X Pro and Chroma X Pro from Koenig & Bauer, the feeder rollers otherwise standard in the industry have not been installed in the press for Cepac, thereby eliminating a source of faults. Along with the active air management system at the dryer, which allows higher production speeds to be achieved when printing coated sheets, the machine is also equipped with the patented die-cutting contour control. This allows any waste sheets to be ejected, and makes zero-defect production possible. Quality reports that can be generated for each pallet are a way to monitor the production performance of the machine. The pre-settable die-cutting unit rounds off the machine – a feature that allows makeready of an additional die-cutting forme during production. Cepac will be using the fully equipped and highly automated RDC machine to give its productivity a further boost.

    Market leader due to pioneering work

    Since its foundation in 1999, Cepac has pioneered innovation, performance packaging and corrugated print solutions, becoming the independent UK market leader in the sector. Regular investment programmes across the company’s four facilities ensure that its market position is sustained and enhanced. The company’s guiding principle is encapsulated by “Together we achieve more” - partnering with its employees, customers, suppliers and all stakeholders to provide the best quality and service in the market.

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    news-2427 Fri, 27 Jan 2023 09:37:16 +0100 New leadership duo for the marking and coding segment at Koenig & Bauer https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/new-leadership-duo-for-the-marking-and-coding-segment-at-koenig-bauer/
  • Double spearhead of coding specialists complete once more
  • Steady growth and dynamic developments in the branch
  • Focus on operations, product development and IT
  • Dr Stefan Balling was appointed new joint managing director at Koenig & Bauer Coding in January 2023

    Dr Stefan Balling has been appointed new joint managing director of Koenig & Bauer Coding with effect from the beginning of the year, and together with German Stuis now forms the leadership duo at the helm of the company. In this role, he is following in the footsteps of Oliver Volland, who passed away unexpectedly in April 2022.

    As an electrical engineering expert, Dr Balling has held various managerial positions in the field of industrial coding since 2011 and possesses a wealth of experience in the industry. He joined Koenig & Bauer Coding in April 2016 and soon took on VP responsibilities within product development. This remit was later expanded to include assembly operations. Over the last few years, Dr Balling has been a driver of continuous optimisation in production processes and has demonstrated particular agility in employee leadership and development. Together with Oliver Volland, he advanced numerous key technological developments.

    Two professionals – one team

    “With the appointment of Dr Balling as joint managing director of Koenig & Bauer Coding, we have secured the services of an experienced and dependable colleague with a deep understanding of our corporate structures,” says German Stuis. “Steady growth and dynamic development have also broadened the scope of management tasks. With his specific background, Dr Balling will prove to be an enormous asset for the management team.” Areas that form the focus of his new responsibilities include operations, product development and IT.

    Successor to the late Oliver Volland

    The appointment of Dr Stefan Balling helps to fill the gap left at Koenig & Bauer Coding by the unexpected death of Oliver Volland in April 2022. With his motivational spirit and innovative ideas, Oliver Volland shaped the sustained further development and modernisation of Koenig & Bauer Coding for over 14 years – initially as head of sales, later as managing director. It was under his auspices that the company established its meanwhile well-established guiding principle, ‘Coding stands for trust’. 

    Further information can be found at coding.koenig-bauer.com

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    news-2424 Wed, 25 Jan 2023 11:24:08 +0100 Printer Trento – high quality standards in book production https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/printer-trento-high-quality-standards-in-book-production/
  • Book production for renowned publishers
  • Latest generation Rapida 164 in daily use
  • Significantly more detailed colour information at a glance
  • Traffic light function for an immediate overview
  • Dario Martinelli (left), owner and managing director of Printer Trento, and his fellow managing director and co-founder Gianni Girardi invest regularly in innovative technologies and have grown their company into one of the largest book printers in Europe (1)

    For decades now, Printer Trento in the northern Italian city of the same name has been one of the largest and most cutting-edge book producers in Central Europe. Its five Rapida large-format presses from Koenig & Bauer produce 15 million books every year. Over 150 employees handle work for renowned publishers from home and abroad in the company’s two print centres, bookbinding shop and logistics centre.

    Two of a total of five large-format Rapidas in use at Printer Trento (2)

    Owner Dario Martinelli and his team invest regularly in new printing technologies as the basis for excellent performance and the fastest possible production times. The latest Rapida 164 started operation at the end of 2020. To secure consistently high print quality, all the presses are equipped with dynamic measuring and control systems from Koenig & Bauer. The aim is to reduce substrate waste and significantly shorten the makeready times between individual jobs.

    Console of an eight-colour Rapida with its wallscreen, console monitor and an additional expert monitor displaying detailed colour information and traffic lights to indicate overall quality (3)

    Expert monitor for additional colour control tasks

    To keep pace with the growing quality demands made by both publishing houses and consumers, Printer Trento is highly active when it comes to testing and installing innovative technologies – most recently new facilities for colour control. In spring 2022, Printer Trento began tests with the new expert monitor from Koenig & Bauer, which adds a separate display screen – in this case on a colour inspection desk next to the console of a Rapida 164 – to present colour values measured by the inline QualiTronic process at a single glance. The following information is provided:

    • Visual delta-E, with immediate indication of the difference between one printed sheet and the next, as determined by the inline measuring system
    • Dot gain for the 40 and 80 per cent half-tones at different sampling points
    • Traffic lights for an immediate overview of whether colour values are being reproduced exactly
    • Basic settings for densitometric measurements, together with the corresponding minimum and maximum densities
    • Diagram showing the colour profile of the last printed sheet, to enable assessment of the dynamic response to colour corrections

    Separate colour inspection desk with expert monitor for customer approval of the print production (4)

    The expert monitor also permits greater flexibility with regard to the console wallscreen. The three display areas can all now be used for camera images (e.g. QualiTronic ColorControl, sheet travel monitoring) or other preferred functions.

    Inline colour control with QualiTronic ColorControl: all traffic lights show green when the trend is constant. Print production can continue (5)

    Colour quality cockpit as an option

    At Printer Trento, the colour settings on the presses are assessed together with in-house experts, and in many cases also with the individual customers. To accommodate this, a separate colour inspection desk has been installed alongside the console and set up as a complex colour quality cockpit with the expert monitor. An alternative solution that is already in use in a number of cases is the addition of an extra monitor to the Rapida console itself. Regardless of the chosen configuration, the expert monitor offers the following benefits:

    • Significantly enhanced colour information at a glance, without additional mouse clicks
    • Traffic lights for a clear overall evaluation
    • Colour quality can also be discussed in a larger group without blocking access to the console

    The expert monitor is, above all, designed for those printers who must work to high quality standards, for example in the production of illustrated books for clients in art and architecture. It is the perfect option wherever detailed information on the colour and colour quality must be surveyed and evaluated at a glance.

    Colour control on the console using ErgoTronic ColorControl: the colour quality in the third unit (magenta) must be improved (6)

    Available for Rapida presses made in 2018 or later

    After the successful completion of industrial trials, including the testing done at Printer Trento, the expert monitor was released for general sale in autumn 2022. It can be retrofitted to all Rapida presses manufactured in 2018 or later. The only prerequisite is a current measuring and control system such as QualiTronic ColorControl or ErgoTronic ColorControl.

    For the future, there are already plans to integrate additional quality features that are especially interesting and useful for quality management in print production.

    Interesting website: www.printertrento.it 

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    news-2412 Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:39:09 +0100 Koenig & Bauer equips Rapida sheetfed offset presses with fully automatic plate logistics https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/koenig-bauer-equips-rapida-sheetfed-offset-presses-with-fully-automatic-plate-logistics/
  • Integration into medium- and large-format sheetfed offset presses
  • No manual operations necessary
  • Modular system design for maximum flexibility
  • Economical production of increasingly short print jobs
  • More and more sheetfed offset presses, like this eight-colour Rapida 106 X for 4-over-4 perfecting, are being integrated into modular plate logistics systems (1)

    More and more commercial printers are equipping their Rapida sheetfed offset presses with fully automatic plate logistics systems. Web-to-print providers are being particularly active when it comes to doing so. Several Koenig & Bauer systems are already in use in daily practice and further installations are expected to follow. 

    To date, both medium-format Rapida 106 X presses (max. sheet format 750 × 1,060 mm, production speeds up to 20,000 sheets per hour – including perfecting mode) and large-format models of the Rapida 145 series (max. sheet format 1,060 × 1,450 mm, production speeds up to 18,000 sheets per hour) have been integrated into fully automatic plate logistics solutions. Depending on the particular system and location, they convey up to 1,280 printing plates to the changers on the printing units of an eight-colour press per shift. This number alone illustrates the strengths and potential of plate logistics on modern sheetfed offset presses.

    Individual plates are taken from the plate trolley (2)

    Short print jobs without additional waiting times

    In commercial printing with its many short and medium runs in particular, fully automatic plate logistics helps operators to harness the full potential of their highly automated presses. Makeready times are noticeably shorter and the printshop personnel can concentrate on the decisive aspects of the production process and on print quality. An eight-colour perfector press exhibits the accustomed efficiency with fast makeready and 4-over-4 production at maximum speed even when presented with a succession of short-run jobs requiring just 300 sheets each. All plates are in the corresponding printing units right when they need to be. The transfer from the plate logistics module to the simultaneous plate changing system DriveTronic SPC is so precise that manual interventions in operations become a thing of the past.

    Chain conveyor with plate holders at a buffer point ahead of the loading station (3)

    Modular system enables individual solutions

    Thanks to the modular design of its logistics systems, Koenig & Bauer is able to offer practically every conceivable solution for fully automatic plate transport to the plate changers on the press (including subsequently fully automatic plate changing). The following standard modules can be selected to suit the existing printshop installations and the desired level of automation:

    • Separation of individual plates and transfer to the transport system
    • Plate identification (data matrix)
    • Transport to the printing unit
    • Plate changing
    • Transport to the disposal station
    • Disposal of the used plates

    In addition, there are various components that cater for special circumstances, for example for the integration of several presses into a single logistics system.

    The individual modules are either installed above the press or outside the immediate press area, so as not to hinder the press operators. This means that the Rapida remains fully accessible during plate changes. The printing units are only placed off limits for a few moments by light barriers during vertical plate loading and changing motions.

    Lowering of the plates directly into the mounting channel of the plate changer on an individual printing unit (4)

    The transport systems (chain conveyors) can be tailored to the particular requirements of the customer’s printshop. As the plates take different routes during transport to and from the printing units, there is no risk of interference or assignment errors.

    To enable uninterrupted production at maximum speed and with short runs, the system holds the plates for the next job right at the printing units. The job sequence is otherwise determined by the order in which the plates are placed on the plate trolley. Any necessary amendments can be realised on the trolley before the individual plates are separated and passed on to the transport system. Before transfer to the chain conveyors, the plates are identified by scanning a data matrix code added to the plate image at the time of exposure. The job list communicated to the console using LogoTronic can be adapted at any time to reflect the actual order of the plates.

    Used plates are collected on a pallet at the plate ejection station (5)

    Enormous performance capabilities

    Few human operators would be in a position to match the performance of a plate logistics system for sheetfed offset presses. They would need to carry plates weighing 110 kg over a distance of 3.2 km over the course of each shift. What’s more, with a run length of 300 sheets, they have barely 3 minutes to remove all the old plates from the eight changers on the press and to replace them with the correct new plates. This workload would soon push even experienced operators to their limits.

    The automation of plate loading and then removal to a disposal station permits optimum utilisation of the performance capabilities of the press, especially where very short runs are involved. Short-run production, as is characteristic in the web-to-print segment, can be implemented much more profitably.

    Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V82eUHt168 

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    news-2410 Fri, 13 Jan 2023 10:43:45 +0100 Tlačiareň Bardejov opts for print and packaging technologies from Koenig & Bauer https://www.koenig-bauer.com/en/news/details/article/tlaciaren-bardejov-opts-for-print-and-packaging-technologies-from-koenig-bauer/
  • High-quality services covering all aspects of packaging
  • Up to fourfold increase in production capacity
  • Networked production with LogoTronic MES
  • The Rapida 76 is the new centrepiece in the printshop at Tlačiareň Bardejov (1)

    The Slovakian print company Tlačiareň Bardejov was founded 25 years ago. It started out – like so many other print companies – as a small private business. Over the years it has grown to become a mid-size packaging specialist with in-house operations catering to all phases of the production process. Tlačiareň Bardejov has always attached particular importance to customer satisfaction. High printing and finishing quality is the focus of all the company’s activities.

    By investing in a five-colour Rapida 76 with inline coater, together with an Omega Allpro 90 folder-gluer, the company has boosted its production capacities in preparation for new and future market demands.

    Production is primarily on solid and corrugated board substrates. All the presses in use were purchased in recent years in order to stay abreast of the growing challenges in terms of quality, delivery times and packaging design. Tlačiareň Bardejov is committed to providing high-quality services and product finishing options, including both striking coating effects and complex cut-outs.

    The company today boasts two sheetfed offset presses, including the Rapida 76, a CtP platesetter, an Omega Allpro 90 line for carton folding and gluing, automatic die-cutters and embossing presses, hot-stamping, laminating and gluing machines, and a whole host of other equipment to round off packaging production.

    Owner Karol Dvorčák attaches great importance to modern, high-performance equipment, which he views as the key to fast deliveries, top quality and therefore maximum customer satisfaction (2)

    Perfect for printing on board

    The highly automated Rapida 76 in B2 half format was configured specifically for the product portfolio of Tlačiareň Bardejov. It prints board up to a thickness of 0.8 mm and has allowed the company to expand into the production of packaging for wines and spirits, as well as for e-commerce. The fifth printing unit permits the incorporation of spot colours (Pantone, HKS, metallic inks). This ensures most products can be printed and finished in a single pass, which reduces production costs significantly.

    When it comes to finishing, the Rapida 76 also shines in the truest sense of the word. The integrated high-flow coater unit handles straightforward inline dispersion coatings and in combination with the last printing unit special multiple finishes as well. The latter option is used to produce matt-gloss refinements and add other visual effects to substrates. The Rapida 76 is equipped with IR and hot-air drying in its extended delivery. This provides for reliable drying even at high production speeds, enabling fast further processing of the printed sheets and correspondingly shorter throughput times for the individual jobs.

    The Omega Allpro 90 scores with high production speeds and exceptional variability (3)

    Maximising production potential in folding and gluing

    Another key element of Tlačiareň Bardejov’s innovation and investment plan was the purchase of an Omega Allpro 90. This folder-gluer maximises production potential – encompassing four- and six-corner cartons, for example, which are two gluing variants that are otherwise difficult to find in Slovakia. Compared to its previous set-up, the company has increased its production capacities for straight-line, crash-lock and double-wall cartons up to fourfold. The LogoTronic system assists Tlačiareň Bardejov with production planning and control, both on the Rapida 76 and on the Allpro 90. Owner Karol Dvorčák: “We recognised that it is currently essential to identify production reserves and to utilise savings potential. That is why we decided to network our production with production planning software.” LogoTronic provides support with planning and control, and supplies reliable data for retrospective evaluation, for example for product costing.

    Packaging for domestic and international customers

    Tlačiareň Bardejov is based in the town of Bardejov, a location that enables it to supply folding cartons and other print products to customers both all over Slovakia and its neighbouring countries. Numerous jobs are handled for customers from Poland, and in particular from Kraków. Further long-standing business partners are to be found in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Belgium.

    The packaging market has undergone a dynamic development and change over the past few years. Many manufacturers use their packaging as a marketing tool and instrument for communication with their customers. Tlačiareň Bardejov is profiting from this growth. Even so, packaging production is by no means an easy industry, especially when faced with an energy crisis, increasing prices for raw materials, and strict environment protection regulations. “We are very fortunate in that we have been able to attract many new customers,” says Karol Dvorčák, summing up the nevertheless positive situation for his company.

    Interesting Website: www.tlaciarenbardejov.sk

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