July 20, 2007 -- KBA North America, a leading press manufacturer based in Williston, Vt., is announcing that Unicorn Graphics, a metropolitan New York City commercial and calendar printer, is preparing to further expand after the installation of its Rapida 105 41-inch six-color sheetfed press equipped with aqueous coating and hybrid UV in May 2007. The new press was installed at the firm’s newly-acquired and newly-renovated 30,000 sq ft facility in Garden City, Long Island, NY.
“One of the keys to our success is to continually invest in new highly-automated equipment that allows us to add more capabilities for our customers,” says Robert Lee, executive vice president of Unicorn Graphics. “The KBA Rapida 105 41-inch press is the fastest printing press in the industry running at 18,000 sph and is part of our $7 million in new investments over this year alone. The new press will give us faster turnaround, higher quality, and inline capability to print and coat our products.”
Unicorn’s Rapida 105 is a giant leap in technology and capability for the growing firm. The press is equipped with both inline aqueous coating and UV drying, technology that the firm has never possessed before. To cater to its growing demand in the commercial printing market, Unicorn found it necessary to add aqueous and UV to expand into posters, commercial work printed on specialty substrates, and new design jobs.
Quality, service and dependability – three good reasons to go with KBA
“Unicorn Graphics and KBA have similar aspirations,” says Ed Heffernan, KBA Sales Representative. “Both of our firms continue to re-invest in new technology and serve our customers with the utmost regard for quality and flexibility. We’re honored that Unicorn Graphics chose to install a new 41-inch from KBA after researching the market and choosing KBA for its quality, service, and dependability.”
When Unicorn Graphics entered the printing arena to start to produce calendars inhouse rather than outsource the work, the firm used a small-format 20-inch one- to four-color press. After establishing itself as a printer and taking on more commercial work, the firm installed a 40-inch four-color press from a different manufacturer. Today, the firm produces two million multi-color calendars for the US market.
“Our goal is to continually meet and surpass the needs of our customers, no matter how difficult the job,” says Lee. “We feel that KBA Rapida will help us move into new markets that we couldn’t serve before and broaden our reputation. Our customers already know us for our commitment and determination to serving them. We don’t have a sales force; we continue to gain new customers through good word-of-mouth and our excellent service.”