April 8, 2005 -- Drupa-model Rapida 105 41-inch press boasts highest automation, fastest in class, optional perfecting, and superior productivity prompting strong sales from commercial printers KBA North America, a leading sheetfed offset press manufacturer based in Williston, Vt., is announcing that its new generation Drupa-model Rapida 105 41-inch sheetfed press, the fastest in its class at 18,000 sph, is seeing a tremendous sales surge from its introduction last May to the commercial printing market. The Rapida 105 was instrumental in enabling KBA to post double-digit growth in sheetfed offset order bookings and sales in 2004 – a trend that continued in the first quarter of the current year. Since Drupa 2004, 54 new-generation Rapida 105 press lines with 305 printing units and 32 coaters have been shipped to sheetfed offset operations across Europe, the Americas, North Africa and the Far East. The shipments include twelve presses boasting KBA’s unique sidelay-free infeed as well as more than ten with a perfecting capability for up to 5 over 5. Commercial printers are drawn to its 20% faster automation and being the first 18,000 sph 41-inch press among its competition to feature a perfecting option. Sales have also surged due to the increased popularity of the new-generation Rapida 105’s long perfecting capabilities and its inline finishing systems that bring cost efficiency and productivity. The new Rapida 105, which targets the high end of the market, went into serial production in the summer of 2004. Within a few months of its world debut at Drupa, diverse press configurations, including long perfectors, were up and running at a string of print operations, meeting the rigorous expectations of users and developers alike. Unlike other 18,000sph 41-inch presses unveiled at Drupa, which did not go into serial production until April this year, the Rapida 105 is a mature product in widespread operation and with proven flexibility. KBA North America is a leading supplier of sheetfed offset and digital presses located in Williston, VT. It is a member of the KBA Group, a leader in the manufacture of sheetfed offset, digital offset, web offset, rotogravure directory, security, and newspaper presses.