Josef Haltmaier, an apprentice at Fuchs-Druck in Miesbach, Germany, recently carried off the title of state and national best in his final exams to qualify as an offset printer. He was presented with his certificate by the Bavarian minister-president, Horst Seehofer, and the president of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts, Otto Kentzler. Josef Haltmaier trained in-house on a two-colour KBA Rapida B1 (41in) perfector press. He is planning to remain with the firm and take a master's certificate later on.

Fuchs-Druck is a family business founded in 1968 by Erich Fuchs. His son Klaus, who took over as managing director in 2005, believes that regular investment in new production kit is essential to stay abreast of customer demand. He is delighted with the public exposure his company has now received. Since there are only 26 staff, training is not a part of the established routine, so he is particularly proud of the fact that Josef Haltmaier achieved such an outstanding result. For Fuchs, the company's focus on quality is bearing fruit.

New Rapida 105 for broad product spectrum

One reason for Haltmaier's decision to stay was the installation at the turn of the year of the company's fourth medium-format KBA press in total but the second in the present fleet. It is a five-colour Rapida 105 with coater and delivery extension plus capabilities for printing substrates ranging from 40gsm (>30lb book) LW paper to covers and 1.2mm (48pt) board. Such flexibility is vital: Fuchs-Druck prints packaging and patient information leaflets along with commercials, books, brochures, financial reports and calendars. The new press boasts inking-unit temperature control, washing units for the blankets, rollers and impression cylinders, and a nonstop roller facility. The coater has quick-action plate clamps plus a pumping and cleaning system controllable from the console. Quality is monitored and controlled via DensiTronic Professional, while a KBA LogoTronic network connects all the Rapidas with each other and with the in-house MIS.
 
A qualified printer who has operated a lot of different presses, Klaus Fuchs is a longstanding and enthusiastic user of Rapidas. "In my experience KBA's high-performance B1 presses are built to last and are much more reliable than other models. Our first Rapida, a 104, printed more than 200 million sheets – with not a single misregister or other problem."