KBA North America, a leading sheetfed offset press manufacturer based in Williston, Vt., is announcing that Trojan Litho., a leading Seattle packaging/commercial printer, has agreed to purchase a large format Rapida 142 56-inch eight-color sheetfed press with coater and hybrid UV capabilities as well as the new KBA Qualitronic II inline sheet inspection system. The new press is due to be delivered and installed by July 2005. “We believe that our new KBA Rapida 142 56-inch press will bring us further efficiencies due to its larger sheet size and its increased automation,” says Wayne Millage, president of Trojan Litho. “Instead of running 100,000 sheets for a box design through our 40-inch presses one-up, we’ll be able to put through 50,000 sheets two-up. It is a press that is equipped with a variety of features that will differentiate us from our competition.” After researching a variety of sheetfed press manufacturers, Trojan Litho chose the KBA Rapida 142 press as the best press to produce jobs for its high-end brand-conscious customers. Presently the firm is utilizing five 40-inch six-color sheetfed presses with aqueous coating from other press manufacturers. This will be Trojan Litho’s first KBA press. New ability to produce oversize graphics Trojan chose the press because it could produce high-quality work for both its packaging and commercial work. The KBA Rapida 142 will allow Trojan to grow aggressively in both markets since it will be able to offer its customers superior options to help them be successful in the ever competitive market place. “We feel that the Rapida 142 will give us a new niche in the commercial market that we didn’t have before,” says Millage. “For example, we’ll now be able to produce oversize graphics with UV coatings and varnish and unique graphic effects. We’ll be able to offer our ad agency clients banners and oversize prints. We’ll be able to print on different substrates, such as plastic, on our new Rapida 142.” When Trojan Litho installs its Rapida 142 press, it will be the first commercial printer in the U.S. to have KBA’s new cutting-edge Qualitronic II inline sheet inspection system. Launched at Drupa 2004, the new Qualitronic II inline sheet inspection system cuts waste and flags imperfect sheets. The system utilizes a color camera that is mounted near the delivery area and aimed at the impression cylinder through a narrow slit in the floor plate. During the press run, each printed sheet is scanned at ultra-high resolution. Within this ultra-high resolution, the system can detect even the slightest color deviation, distinguishing over 16 million colors. In addition to segregating imperfect sheets from the run, the Qualitronic II system reduces waste by warning the operator of deviations in the press run, such as fading colors due to lack of ink. The operator is able to react before large quantities of waste sheets accumulate unnecessary costs. “We’re very excited to be getting the Qualitronic II,” says Millage. “It is a feature that will certainly differentiate us from our competition. By having the Qualitronic II, we will be able to guarantee the level of quality of each sheet for our customers. Think of it! Instead of having an employee pulling and checking sheets during a press run for color density and color management, we’ll be able to manage that process automatically on our Rapida 142. We’ll be able to program our press to check for defects and deviations on each sheet and automatically correct them. We will be able to go to our customers who are brand conscious and where color management is crucial and be the only printer that can completely guarantee the high quality of color they demand.” Differentiating itself from the competition Trojan Litho’s new KBA Rapida 142 will also be equipped with UV coating and UV interdeck lamps at each station. “This is another feature that will differentiate us from our competition,” says Millage. “By having an eight-color press with coating and UV, we’ll be able to design unique jobs for our customers with aqueous coating and hybrid UV inks that other printers aren’t able to offer. Our customers will be able to design jobs that are anti-counterfeit because we can print that job in a unique fashion that no one else can copy. We’ll be able to give our customers a security feature on their jobs that is not easily copied. We’ll be producing a top-quality job that is statistically-controlled and helping our customers protect their brands. We found that KBA’s extensive experience in producing presses for the security-conscious banknote industry helps us and our customers.” The new press is also equipped with a slitter on the delivery end of the press. “The slitter allows us to utilize a 56-inch sheet, put two different jobs on the same sheet but only burn one set of plates and cut the sheet in half into two 28x40-inch sheets,” explains Millage. “We’re using all of the efficiencies of a large format press but being able to produce short-run jobs.” A press that responds to customers’ needs Since the packaging market is more competitive than ever before, Millage believes his firm needed to invest in a new press to respond to its customers’ needs. “Our focus is to make sure that we are responding, pro-actively, to our customers needs and providing them with solutions and options that allow them to compete more effectively in the market place,” says Millage. “My job is to help our customers be successful by selling more product and reducing their total cost. Our customer’s success is our success. In today’s world that means unparalleled quality, consistency of color for brand managers, and flexibility, such as smaller quantities with shorter lead times at competitive prices. Our new KBA Rapida 142 is a key component of our philosophy. It will help us to reduce waste and be more efficient. This press, along with our other investments, allows us to be a better supplier to our customers.”