(July 24, 2003 Rolling Meadows, IL) The Lithrone S40 from Komori has been awarded a 2003 GATF InterTech Technology Award. Stephan Carter, President and COO of Komori America states, ” We are very pleased to have received this award. The LS has been receiving recognition around the world for its state of the art technology, and we are honored to add the InterTech award to the list of accolades.” The Komori Lithrone S40 was previously awarded the prestigious 2002 Mechanical Engineering Design Award from the Japanese Minister of Economy and Trade and Germany’s 2003 iF Design Award, one of the world’s highest honors for exemplary design quality. The Lithrone S40 from Komori provides a systems approach to high quality printing by offering the highest level of press automation and open systems architecture. The new design features of the Lithrone S40 provides flexibility and versatility in the pressroom, allows printers to expand their business into new market segments, integrates and automates their workflow and provides the fastest makeready available on a sheetfed press. The Lithrone S40 comes equipped with Komori’s Color Connection software suite, the breakthrough productivity tool that streamlines the entire production workflow from design through production. These software tools, coupled with Komori’s CIP4 compliant K-Station, provide the crucial link in the evolution to Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) in the pressroom environment. Color Connection demonstrates Komori’s commitment to full connectivity and seamless compatibility through an open architecture of industry standard digital systems. Several features on the LS allow it to provide the fastest makeready available on a sheetfed press, speeding productivity and improving quality and profitability. The LS40 features the world’s fastest completely automatic platechanging system, changing six plates in under three minutes—a 50% increase over other platechanging systems. Advanced automatic makeready functions allow operators to program current job makeready, washup and subsequent makereadies from the press console, virtually eliminating downtime between jobs. The LS is equipped with skeleton type transfer cylinders with venturi air pans that reduce marking and maintain perfect sheet control through the press. The inking system on the Lithrone S40 comes with oscillating form rollers in each printing unit to maximize print quality on tough ghosting jobs. All four form rollers can be quickly and easily activated in approximately two minutes. The LS runs at a top speed of 16,000 sph, and can print on substrates from onionskin to 40 pt. board, allowing printers to satisfy a wider range of customer needs. “Since introducing the LS in North America at Graph Expo 2002, sales have exceeded our expectations. We think this proves that even in a troubled economy, printers recognize the value of advanced technology in the pressroom,” says Carter. “The Lithrone S40 is becoming our flagship press, and the features and benefits associated with this new machine will drive the Komori Lithrone product line of the future.”