(September 23, 2008) On 19 September, KBA celebrated the official opening of the new extension to its training centre at the Radebeul location. The modern, 1,300 sq.m. annex has doubled the space available to the company for customer seminars and product training.

Around 1,000 participants from all over the world attend training courses at the centre in Radebeul each year, spending an average seven days at KBA. The existing training centre, which was itself opened only in summer 2001, was fast approaching its capacity limits. With the new extension, which comprises a second press hall and further seminar and meeting rooms, KBA is ideally positioned to answer the growing demand for training opportunities. Two new presses have been installed: A five-colour Rapida 105 in a coater configuration and an eight-colour Rapida 106 perfector for 4-over-4 production with direct DriveTronic SPC plate cylinder drives for simultaneous plate changing and countless further automation features geared to faster makeready and quality control. Together with the existing medium and large-format Rapida presses, they enable practical training to be given for all typical print and finishing applications. Console and printing tower simulators, as well as specially equipped seminar rooms for service technicians, are further guarantees for the practical orientation of the courses offered. 

In addition to a programme of basic and advanced courses on operation and servicing of the modern range of KBA sheetfed offset presses, the training centre also offers special seminars on a broad spectrum of topics of interest to the graphic arts industry as a whole. This could mean inline finishing technologies or the integration of an MIS into an existing production environment, or special meetings for managers seeking to extend their technical knowledge or learn more about business process and workflow organisation. Colleges and other educational facilities are similarly able to take advantage of a diverse range of offers.

Company employees and building workers met in the new training centre press hall to open the extension in fitting style. In his festive address, KBA president Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann recalled some of the many milestones which had characterised the dynamic growth of the training centre. He thanked the planners, builders and all those involved in the project for their successful efforts: “The training centre now boasts a fine equipment base. Our coming task is to bring this new home to life.” At the same time, he did not fail to draw attention to the difficult times for press manufacturers and to the cooling of the general investment climate. It was thus an imperative objective to use the new resources cost-effectively. Christian Müller, architect from IPRO in Dresden, praised the sophisticated cooperation with KBA, “through which the continuously expanding site has become an expression of a common design language.” KBA, he said, is a company which plans with an eye for the future, placing high demands also on the quality and execution of its buildings. 

During a subsequent tour, the company management, representatives of the building contractors and staff of the training centre as the future users were able to witness the excellent construction work and the enhanced facilities for training for themselves.