Koenig & Bauer at Expográfica: Investment boom driven by end-to-end solutions

• Investment boom in Guadalajara: The demand for automation and integrated workflows at Expográfica significantly exceeds expectations 
• End-to-end pays off: Trade visitors reward the solution-oriented focus on profitability with numerous contract signings for Rapida presses and post-press equipment 
• Transregional appeal: The trade fair appearance attracted high-caliber decision-makers from Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, and Uruguay 
• Live demo as a magnet: The OMEGA Intro 110 folder gluer showed concrete ways to drastically reduce make-ready times 

As a global growth market, the Latin American printing and packaging industry is confronted with substantial hurdles: In addition to a pronounced shortage of skilled workers, profitability must be ensured despite declining print runs and growing quality demands. From May 6 to 9, 2026, Koenig & Bauer presented itself as a strategic partner for exactly these challenges. The focus was on a seamless end-to-end workflow from prepress to the post-press area for folding carton, label, and commercial applications. This approach is used by the market as a lever to reduce costs and actively expand gross margins.

One focus was on the post-press area, which traditionally represents a bottleneck in production. The live demo of the OMEGA Intro 110 folder gluer demonstrated measurable P&L advantages through accelerated, automated job changes:

• Belt speeds of up to 300 m/min ensure maximum productivity
• The equipment offers enormous material and format flexibility, ranging from 200 g/m² to B-flute and 96 to 1,650 mm
• Motorized adjustment processes ensure seamless process integration for the shortest make-ready times

• VariJET 106 future technology: As a groundbreaking innovation for digital folding carton production, the VariJET 106 took center stage. Koenig & Bauer demonstrated this new future technology tangibly at the exhibition booth via a detailed model of the press and exclusive print samples
• Integrated product protection: The samples shown simultaneously provided practical proof of modern brand protection: The invisible security features of "Protected at Print" were already directly integrated into them. Print shops can thus offer brand owners unique differentiation and maximum security – and do so extremely flexibly, as the feature can be seamlessly integrated into any standard printing process
• Digital ecosystem: The presentation was rounded out with the introduction of myKyana. This Koenig & Bauer ecosystem provides users with a fully digital ecosystem for AI-powered services

The busy trade fair business culminated in concrete investments across the entire portfolio, including the Rapida 76 as well as Rapida medium-format presses, flatbed die-cutters, and folder gluers of the OMEGA Allpro series. 

The commercial and packaging printer Impresos Tecnográficos in Monterrey relies on Koenig & Bauer technology. In 12 years of successful collaboration, three large-format Rapida systems (Rapida 145 and Rapida 164) were installed. With the purchase of a Rapida 105, the company is now also relying on Koenig & Bauer for the first time for modernization in the medium format. 

This positive momentum continues beyond the days of the fair: Further negotiations are currently underway in Mexico and the Mercosur countries regarding additional Koenig & Bauer flatbed die-cutters, Koenig & Bauer folder gluer and Rapida offset presses.