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Comet and Continent for Sweden, More KBA Newspaper Presses for Scandinavia

Press release from the issuing company

Swedish print enterprise VLT Press in Västerås, west of Stockholm, has ordered a Comet and Continent press from KBA. The key selection criteria - print quality, low waste figures and fast makeready times - were typically rigorous: last year VLT Print won the Swedish Award for the best Quality in Newspaper Printing. According to md Fredrik Hernnäs, the Comet and Continent installations inspected outperformed all the others. The two presses will be installed in an extension to the existing building. VLT Press, which employs around 140 people, prints up to 15 different titles a day, with circulations ranging from a couple of thousand to 1.5 million copies. Its broad product spectrum embraces seven dailies such as Vestmanlands Läns Tidning (VLT), which account for approximately 40% of production, commercial flyers and 50-odd periodicals. Last year the company generated 22m euros worth of sales. Inking the contract for the two KBA presses for Västerås: (standing, l-r) Håkan Rundén, RR Print Sweden; Bertram Bungartz, KBA sales manager; Svein Grødum, Grødum Consulting; Per Anderson, project manager of VLT Press; (seated) Jochen Schwab, KBA sales director; Fredrik Hernnäs, managing director of VLT Press Slated for shipping early next year, the 70,000cph Comet, will have a cylinder circumference of 1,120mm (44in) and a maximum web width of 795mm (31¼in). It will be configured with seven H-type units for 4 over 4 and two KF 3 folders (2:3:3 cylinder ratio). Seven Amal AR75 reelstands will be fed via a KBA Patras M reel-handling system. To support the company's diversified product range the press will feature a folder, folder superstructure with two formers, tabloid and skip slitters, a quarterfold facility, two length gluing units, three ribbon and two section stitchers. The press package for the Continent, which has a 560mm (22in) cut-off and maximum web width of 795mm (31¼in), encompasses eight Amal AR75 reelstands, also linked to the Patras M system, eight 4/4 printing towers and two KF 3 folders.   The KBA Comet and KBA Continent will each be controlled from four consoles. To streamline the production workflow and increase net output the installation will include EAE's Print 4 job-preparation and press presetting system, RIP interfaces, service and diagnostics PCs, automatic ink supply and automatic dust extractors. The order from VLT is the latest in a string of KBA sales to Sweden. Last year Borås Tidning (BT) and Eskilstuna Kuriren both opted for KBA newspaper presses and Nerikes Allehanda in Örebro is currently expanding its two KBA Commander press lines with three nine-cylinder satellite towers.

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