Another Rapida Press For Leading Thailand Printer

The latest stage of a 20-year partnership between the Thai Watana Panich Press and KBA has seen the Bangkok (Thailand) printer take delivery a four-colour Rapida 105 universal press.

The start-up for the new Rapida 105 universal also coincided with a move from the city centre of Bangkok to a new, 20,000 square metre facility on the Bangpoo Industrial Estate.

Given the product range handled by Thai Watana Panich Press (TWPP) and in tandem with its predecessor press, the new Rapida 105 universal will play a role in the production of catalogues, calendars, diaries and directories, as well as the long-run posters, magazines, brochures, hardback and softcover books that Thai Watana produces.

TWP managing director Danai T Suwan, commented: "Speed is not the sole criterion in the print business.

We are perfectly happy with the 15,000sph output of the Rapida 105 universal and can rely on its top quality and ease of operation.

KBA is a strong and innovative partner and we will continue to place our confidence in its abilities in the future, too - for example, we have a planned investment in a six-colour coater press, with which we hope to respond even better to the wishes of our clients." And he added: "Thai Watana Panich Press is one of the most important KBA customers in Thailand and KBA sheetfed and web offset presses form the technical backbone of our production set-up.

We are always on the watch for technology and systems to further enhance our production efficiency.

The high quality, performance and reliability of the KBA presses have here made a decisive contribution to TWP's success." TWP was founded in 1935 under the name Siam Watana Panich Co .

and has since developed into one of the largest and strongest printing companies in Thailand.

Over 20 years, TWP has operated a Rapida SR0, three Rapida 104s in four and five-colour versions, a Rapida 105 from the previous series and now its new Rapida 105 universal.

Its web offset operations are also centred around technology from KBA.

Three coldset and heatset presses from the KBA commercial web division in Frankenthal have been in reliable service for many years printing school books and telephone directories, said the company.

Thai Watana Panich Press's order books reveal not only domestic clients, such as the Grand Palace and Thai International Airways, but also publishers from Singapore, Europe, the USA, Latin America and Australia.

Oxford University Press, Macmillan, Longman, Simon and Schuster, Falcon Books, Franklin Watts and BLA Publishing are also clients.

The export quota has in the meantime reached 67 per cent of total business.

Thai Watana Panich Press stands under the patronage of the Thai royal family and employs a staff of over 400 people.

It began 72 years ago with the printing of school books.

The company has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification and a series of investments in pre-press, print and finishing represent benchmarks for the Thai market, added KBA.

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