October 14, 2003 -- KBA has won a contract from Italian newspaper publishing house Rizzoli Corriere della Sera (RCS) in Milan for nine Commander satellite presses and two Comet tower presses totalling 312 printing couples. All eleven presses are engineered for 96 pages tabloid. The first of four Commanders for Pessano (near Milan) will be shipped next summer, while two are destined for Rome and Padua and one for Bari. The two Comets are earmarked for Catania and Genoa. When the contract is completed in early 2005 KBA will have more new installations of newspaper presses on stream in Italy than any other manufacturer. Market leader in Italy Last year the RCS media group’s 5,400 staff generated sales worth more than €2bn ($2.3bn). The company’s title daily, the Corriere della Sera, is the biggest in Italy. Founded in 1876, it has a current circulation of some 900,000 copies and a readership of 2.8 million. Gazzetta dello Sport, another RCS title and Italy’s most popular sports newspaper, has a circulation of more than 500,000 and is read by some 3.2 million people. RCS also has a majority stake in Spain’s no. 2 newspaper, El Mundo. Its other activities span magazines, books and new media. High-tech giants for Milan, Rome, Padua and Bari The nine identical Commander presses will have a cylinder circumference of 1,400mm (55”), a maximum web width of 2,000mm (78¾”) and a rated output of 35,000 96-page full-colour copies per hour. The package for each press includes - 3 Pastomat RC automated reelstands with Patras A automated reel handling, - 3 nine-cylinder satellite towers, - 3 turner bars and 1 folder superstructure with 2 formers, - 1 ribbon stitcher for tabloid inserts, - 1 KF 5 jaw folder with a 2:5:5 cylinder ratio. Other features include Drivetronic shaftless drives, Webtronic self-regulating web-tension control systems, pneumatic plate clamps with continuous lock-up slots for faster edition changes, and the new automatically adjustable roller locks unveiled at IfraExpo, which KBA claims minimise maintenance and promote an optimum print quality. The Commanders’ advanced level of automation embraces ink pumping for black and process inks, cut-off register, web alignment, inking unit and blanket washing, dust extraction and new-generation control technology with job scheduling and press presetting, RIP interfaces and diagnostics PCs. In tandem with the satellite configuration these promote precise colour registration, a superior print quality, minimum waste and easy operation. One-across Comets for Catania and Genoa The two single-width Comet presses for Catania and Genoa will also have a cylinder circumference of 1,400mm but standard web widths of 500mm (19¾”) and 1,000mm (39½”). Their maximum rated output will be 30,000 96-page full-colour tabloids per hour. Each press will comprise six 4/4 towers fed by six Pastoline reelstands, with automatic ink pumping, colour and cut-off register controls plus inking unit and blanket washing, a folder superstructure with two formers, a ribbon stitcher, KF 3 jaw folder (2:3:3) and a control console with a job scheduling and presetting system, RIP interface and diagnostics PC. The Comet for Genoa will be erected as a single-floor press configured with three double 90° turners plus four single turners for diverting ribbons to the second former. Provision has been made to expand capacity to 128 tabloid pages.