With the start of production in late November of two eight-colour Rapida 106 perfectors, both with DriveTronic SPC direct plate cylinder drives, Indonesian market leader PT Gramedia Printing Group in Jakarta is continuing the successful cooperation with Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) which started in 2001. The medium-format world makeready champion unveiled at Drupa in May is thus putting in an appearance in the high-growth Asian-Pacific region as well.

With the two highly automated Rapidas PT Gramedia is aiming to further improve its strong market position. The eight-colour perfectors are to be used at its Cikarang location for printing magazines and high-quality books – a sector in which PT Gramedia anticipates particularly high growth rates.

The Cikarang printing centre was opened in 2005, and its production floor space has been increased to 12,000m². With a total investment of €10 million in 2008 alone the Cikarang operation has further increased its significance within the PT Gramedia Printing Group. Despite the international financial crisis, which is also affecting Indonesian printing companies, PT Gramedia Printing Group intends to continue its investment programmes as planned. Gramedia managing director Hari Wardjono, who took over the management of the company from Johanes Brata Wardana just a few months ago, intends to maintain his predecessor's successful growth curve. 

Confidence is the best trump

Says Hari Wardjono: "In the decision in favour of the long perfectors, KBA had a certain bonus because the three Rapida presses that went into operation at the end of 2007 have fully met our expectations in terms of quality and improvement in productivity. Nevertheless, we travelled to Germany at the beginning of 2008 accompanied by KBA rep Intertek Sempana in order to check out the references of the leading printing press manufacturers. This point in time was chosen deliberately, because shortly before Drupa these manufacturers had to put their cards on the table and reveal the innovations that were to be expected. It was not only from a technical point of view that KBA held all the trumps in this selection procedure. The most important thing was the confidence that had developed during our long cooperation with KBA. Beside their technical competence we appreciate their first-class advice and exemplary service. We know we receive optimum support from KBA Asia-Pacific and regional representative Intertek Sempana. We want to continue to benefit from this and from the advantages of the new-generation Rapida 106." 

 Thinking in processes
 
Production manager Andy Budiman agrees: "For us, the new eight-colour perfectors mean significant technical progress, and they offer great potential for even more quality and productivity. Our previous four Rapidas were all four-colour presses. However, customers' wishes develop quickly and call for a new way of thinking. We think in processes, and besides printing these also include CTP pre-press and finishing. Our criteria were performance, quality and the highest level of automation possible. We did not skimp on our investment: on the contrary, we made use of all possible options. With the double solution of the KBA Rapida 106 we now have planning security for the future with respect to available capacity. The two presses offer us maximum efficiency in terms of set-up times and quality assurance." 

Complete with DriveTronic SPC and SID

In addition to fully automatic plate changing, DensiTronic S colorimetry, LogoTronic Basic and a lightweight paper printing package, PT Gramedia also opted for DriveTronic SPC direct plate-cylinder drives for the new presses. These allow all eight printing plates to be changed simultaneously in just one minute and, in conjunction with parallel processes, permit extremely fast job changes. Another innovative feature from KBA that Gramedia decided to include in the presses is the DriveTronic SIS sidelay-free infeed technology that further shortens makeready times.

Budiman continues: "As contractually agreed, the two machines were delivered, installed and put into operation by KBA printing instructors in September. From our team of printers we chose the twelve best employees for an initially theoretical, two-week instruction and training programme using the new Rapida 106 systems. The fact that we started production with the presses at the end of November without waiting for the Fogra test proves the great confidence we have in KBA. The presses had done a test run in Radebeul prior to delivery, and we received the relevant data material." 

Another intensive practical training course for the operators and an official Fogra test are to follow in December and January, to enable the Rapidas' enormous potential to be exploited to the full. Two-shift operation was introduced at the beginning of December, and in the New Year will be expanded to three shifts, 20 hours a day, seven days a week. "We are currently printing about 300 magazine titles, and together with book production have reached seven million copies a month. The new Rapida 106 presses will help us to increase these figures substantially," says Budiman.