KBA's US Sales Success Led By 41-Inch Press

KBA North America increased sales in 2006 for its Rapida 105 41-inch sheetfed press, which helped to propel it to double-digit growth in sheetfed offset presses during the year.

KBA North America increased sales in 2006 for its Rapida 105 41-inch sheetfed press, which helped to propel it to double-digit growth in sheetfed offset presses during the year.

Ralf Sammeck, president and chief executive officer of KBA North America, said: "Our sales figures from 2006 are extremely positive.

An underlying trend to this growth is that so many of our customers are buying a second, third and fourth KBA press from us, which are signs that are indicative of their high satisfaction in our presses, technology and service." He added that since the introduction of a streamlined new model of the Rapida 105 41-inch sheetfed press at Drupa 2004, KBA has seen its popularity grow.

North American commercial printers that have just invested in the Rapida 105 are Imagine Print Solutions, a US$100 million company in Minneapolis serving five national print segments - commercial, point of purchase, packaging, UV print and pressure sensitive labels.

Another buyer of the Rapida 105 was Cedar Graphics, a general commercial printer in Hiawatha, Iowa, together with Lange Graphics, a general commercial printer in Denver.

Bolger Vision Beyond Print, a 220-employee, US$30 million printer in Minneapolis and BL Litho, in Montreal, (Canada) have also invested in the press.

KBA said that the continuing popularity and growth of its large format models - from 51" to 81" - is also benefiting the firm's upward sales growth.

The firm's Rapida 205 - claimed to be the largest press in the world measuring 81" - has shown its customers why it deserved to win the GATF Intertech technology award in 2005, added the company.

During the past year packaging and commercial printers have been drawn to the large-format size to take advantage of its flexibility and automation, claimed KBA.

Those customers include Graphic Packaging, a large multi-plant manufacturer of folding paperboard boxes in Bow, New Hampshire, Motivating Graphics, a full-service printer in Fort Worth, Texas and Deerfield Beach, in Florida, as well as Park Printing, a full-service, multi-colour printer in Minneapolis.

Sammeck said: "Customers are switching to KBA press models to be increase their profitability.

They are looking to expand their print capabilities to become more diverse, more flexible and more automated.

They see our success and our many accolades, such as our back-to-back GATF Intertech technology awards in 2005 and 2006, as definitive proof of what our presses can do for them.".

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