Members of the Transylvanian printing trade association were welcomed to the sheetfed offset manufacturing facility of Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) in Radebeul from 3rd to 6th June. The 15-strong delegation, comprising above all the general directors of printing companies from the region, was visiting the world's oldest printing press manufacturer for the first time at the invitation of KBA's Rumanian sales partner Prosystem Print. 

Following a few words of greeting from KBA sales director Sven Strzelczyk, the guests were on Thursday given an interesting overview of the history of the KBA Group, tracing the development from relatively humble beginnings in the former Oberzell Monastery near Würzburg to its becoming a veritable global player with the broadest product range of any press manufacturer. Sales engineer Jörg Henkel then presented some of the highlights of the KBA sheetfed offset portfolio, before taking the party on a comprehensive tour of the company. Demonstrations of high-quality hybrid finishing on a five-colour Rapida 105 with inline coater rounded off the first day's programme. The motto for the second day was "Reliable mastering of high productivity", for which Jörg Henkel introduced various automation solutions developed by KBA to relieve operators of routine tasks, to accelerate job changeovers and production sequences, and to facilitate quality assurance. The corresponding systems, e.g. simultaneous plate changing with DriveTronic SPC, the various levels of the DensiTronic quality control system and QualiTronic professional for inline colour density control and sheet inspection, were subsequently to be seen in action. The visit ended with an excursion to some of the most important tourist attractions in and around Dresden, which was applauded as a pleasurable conclusion to the event, despite the various changes of plan arising from a clash of dates with the official visit of US president Barack Obama to the city. 

Over the past few years, and especially since the country's integration into the European Union, the Rumanian print industry has at last shrugged off the effects of earlier state intervention, and is now treading a path of stronger growth. Foreign print enterprises are also beginning to invest in Rumania. KBA has been present on the local market for many decades and, together with its sales partner Prosystem Print, is recognised as a reliable supplier for both standard and diverse special applications. At the beginning of the year, for example, KBA delivered a six-colour Rapida 105 with coater and extended delivery to the print company Novis in Cluj, where several Rapida presses are already installed. The visit to Radebeul was an ideal opportunity to establish new contacts and to further intensify existing relationships. All concerned were confident that further print companies in Rumania will soon be producing with the latest technology from KBA.