April 2, 2003 -- The founding of Kvadra Pak in 1993 was the start signal for one of the most successful packaging print operations in the Baltic region. Initial business was conducted with hired veteran Planeta presses in the formats 96 x 126 cm and 71 x 102 cm. Four years later, in 1997, the former state-owned printing plant was fully privatised. A young, committed team took up the challenges posed by the new market conditions in the Baltic states, Ukraine and Russia. The objective was to offer design services and top-quality production for packaging of all kinds. The older presses were complemented in 1997 by a high-performance six-colour Rapida 104 with additional coating facilities and by modern die-cutting and gluing systems from Bobst. This first investment step was the key to expansion into the Danish and Polish markets. Agent's offices in Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Denmark permit direct contact with the customers and secure a constant flow of new orders for Kvadra Pak. New technology for greater flexibility Presentations at packaging fairs and a number of international awards served to multiply awareness of the company and its reputation. "We were especially proud to receive certification to DIN/ISO ISO 9001 for our company in 2001," recalls Karlis Shenhofs, technical director at Kvadra Pak. "Our customers set high quality standards, and so a continuous quality management system is essential. At the same time, we must be able to react quickly and professionally to the demands of our customers." One more reason to purchase a further high-performance sheetfed press. The decision was made in favour of a six-colour KBA Rapida 105. By this time, a single coating tower was not going to be sufficient to handle the ever increasing demands placed on packaging finishing. Consequently, the new press was equipped with two coating towers and corresponding intermediate and final drying installations, giving it the facilities to produce packaging and labels with gold varnish elements or high-gloss UV finishes in an in-line process. The Rapida 105 was delivered together with a Densitronic S colour measurement and control system, which permits full quality monitoring of the printed sheets. It was important to Kvadra Pak that both Rapida presses should be able to use this highly effective system. KBA technicians solved the task. Another highlight for the company is the newly installed management system Logotronic professional. Logotronic professional in practice An interface is made available for the branch software (MIS) to transfer job data to Logotronic. The prepress department provides the corresponding CIP3 data, and these data are automatically converted into ink profile settings for the press concerned. In this way, the system offers the printer a complete set of job data with the relevant presetting values for the press (e.g. ink profiles, substrate data, powder settings, etc.). Both makeready times and waste rates are cut dramatically. On the management side, the PressWatch and SpeedWatch functions enable access to all production data from practically any computer connected to the network. At the end of a job, automatically generated operating data (times, counters, messages, material consumption) are returned to the management system as inputs for statistical cost accounting. With the introduction of these new technologies for print, finishing and printshop networking, Kvadra Pak is well equipped for the future and can now react even faster and even more flexibly to customer wishes.