Koenig & Bauer has opened a new subsidiary, KBA-Polska in Warsaw, to address the high-growth Polish market, thus giving Poland a similar status to KBA's other major European markets (Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland and the UK), where the group has already established subsidiaries. With effect from 1 November KBA-Polska took over from KBA's previous agency, Deva-Print, all sales and service activities for Rapida sheetfed presses and all sales of KBA web presses. KBA-Polska also took over Deva-Print's premises in Okrezna street. Oliver Becker, KBA-Polska's German managing director, is an experienced print professional, as is his Polish wife Miroslawa, who works alongside him. Most of Deva-Print's sales and service staff have been kept on by the new subsidiary. They include Jacek Nieszczerzewicz and Grzegorz Szymczykowski (sales) and Leszek Wostowski (after-sales service). Oliver and Miroslawa Becker are planning to maintain close ties with KBA in Germany in order to offer customers and prospects the best possible service. KBA's customer base in Poland already includes such prominent names as Winkowski, the country's leading commercial printer, Graf Poz, ELLERT and the Agora media group (Gazeta Wyborcza). So far this year around thirty Rapida printing units and a number of Performa presses have been installed by KBA's Czech subsidiary, KBA-Grafitec. The proximity of KBA's big German sheetfed offset plant in Radebeul (near Dresden) and KBA-Grafitec's Czech production plant in Dobruska makes it easy for Polish printers to attend print tests and take advantage of KBA's wide-ranging customer services.