When Beyaert Sioen Printing in Waregem installs a five-colour KBA Rapida 205 at the turn of the year it will be the first printer in Belgium to move up into the 9B (81in) format. Established in 1882 in one of Europe's economic powerhouses – the area bordered by the Ruhr, northern France and the southern Netherlands – Beyaert sees huge potential in being the region's sole VLF print provider.
 
"In a radius of several hundred kilometres there is currently not one competitor capable of delivering this level of quality, so we are confident that the superlarge format will open up totally new markets. Since we are already well positioned in large format, the step up to VLF was an obvious move," explains company proprietor Bernard Ramboux.

Beyaert Printing evolved from three operations which have since been united under a single roof in Waregem. Its three five-colour 3B (41in) presses print packaging, while two Rapida 162a 7B (64in) coater presses with extended deliveries handle commercials as well as packaging. The most recent model was installed in summer 2007. In addition the company has a four-colour 3B press that mainly prints paper. Most of the presses have aqueous or aqueous/UV coaters. Two of Beyaert Printing's specialities are bronzing and blister packaging, but the finishing department can also die-cut, score, window-glue and convert folding cartons.
 
The new Rapida 205, which will print stock thicknesses of 0.1 to 0.8mm (4 - 32pt), will be fitted with heavy-duty pile boards in the feeder and delivery, and sheet-travel monitoring devices between the printing units. It will also have inking unit temperature control and DensiTronic networking with pre-press. Since sheets of this size are so unwieldy, automatic plate changing is a standard feature. Extensive preparations must be made prior to the Rapida's arrival because the press will be installed in what is at present the paper store. And since the maximum format the existing platesetting equipment can handle is 1200 x 1620mm (47.24 x 63.77in), Beyaert is also adding a new platesetter. Production start-up is scheduled for January next year following extensive training. "The decision in favour of KBA was influenced by the high level of support they provided. Having such a strong partner at my side naturally made the choice much easier. For me and my company, the Rapida 205 heralds a new era," declares Bernard Ramboux.