8-Colour perfectors set medium format leadership

Gramedia is to enhance its production facilities by buying two KBA Rapida 106 presses.

Indonesia's PT Gramedia Printing Group, which already runs two medium-format Rapida 105 universals, one Rapida 105, as well as one half-size Rapida 74 press, has ordered from KBA Asia-Pacific two eight-colour perfector versions of the Rapida 106 that was exhibited at Drupa 2008.

KBA commented that whilst eight-colour perfector presses for four over four production are not new southeast Asia, it is unusual for them to have a high level of automation and performance as that specified for the two identical Rapida 106 press lines at Gramedia.

In addition to automatic plate changing Gramedia has opted for KBA's Densitronic S closed-loop densitometric colour measurement and control, a Logotronic Basic management information system, a lightweight print capability and Drivetronic SPC dedicated plate-cylinder drives, which are claimed to allow all eight plates to be changed simultaneously in 60 seconds.

In conjunction with various other contemporaneous processes that is said to create fast job changes, as KBA demonstrated at Drupa by printing 15 jobs of 520 good sheets apiece in less than 60 minutes.

The two presses are scheduled to be delivered in September.

After they have been commissioned, Gramedia believes the new presses will put it at the forefront of medium-format press technology, not just in Indonesia, where it is busy consolidating its market leadership, but in the region.

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