The many attractions at the Gulf Print trade fair from 6 to 9 April in Dubai included live demos on the 500m² (5,400ft²) stand taken by KBA dealer Giffin Graphics. Up to five times a day a Rapida 75 five-colour coater press with extended delivery demonstrated its technical prowess by producing special effects such as metallic and high-gloss aqueous coatings. Visitors to the stand hailed not just from the UAE but also from all over the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iran and Egypt.

Although Dubai and the other oil-producing states have not escaped the global economic and financial crisis, Gulf Print showed that it is easier at present to book sales in the Middle East than in many other parts of the world. The Rapida 75 exhibited was sold straight from the stand to a local printer, Tellurian. A similar press will ship to Dar Al-Sharq in Doha (Qatar) at the beginning of May. Al Watan in Muscat (Oman) signed a contract at the show for the same configuration, with shipment scheduled for July. Two other Dubai printers also placed orders: Sir Speedy will take delivery of a four-colour B2 (29in) press in the summer, while Express opted for a speed-enhanced (16,500sph) KBA Rapida 105 five-colour coater press with extended delivery, ACR video register and a package for printing board up to 1.2mm (48pt) thick.

Recent press deliveries to the Middle East

In the weeks leading up to Gulf Print KBA booked a number of orders from the Middle East. These included a contract from Syria for a four-colour Rapida 105 for the Syrian Police Academy and an order from the Turkish navy’s Cartographical and Oceanological Institute in Istanbul for a large-format Rapida 130a four-colour press with ErgoTronic ACR, CIPLink, automatic plate punch, inking-unit cooling and IR dryer. The press, which is slated to ship in May, will mainly print nautical charts. Obeikan from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia signed up for three Rapida 106 presses, each with six printing units, coater, extended delivery and UV capability. So in less than a year Obeikan has ordered a total of four Rapidas.