September 18, 2007 -- In the first six months KBA’s Czech subsidiary KBA-Grafitec in Dobruska posted a 20% year-on-year increase in sales of its small-format Performa presses to 620 million koruna (€22.6m), with exports accounting for some 70% of output.  
In the Czech Republic and Poland KBA-Grafitec is one of the leading providers to the SRA2 and B2 markets with its Performa 66 and Performa 74 presses (1)
According to sales and service manager Jan Korenc, these latest figures continue four years of dynamic growth. Last year KBA-Grafitec passed the billion koruna mark for the first time and is targeting sales of more than 1.2 billion koruna in 2007. “Over one-third of sales are generated in the Czech Republic and Poland, where KBA-Grafitec is the leading provider of SRA2 and B2 presses. But demand for the Performa 74 and 66 has also jumped in the rest of Europe and overseas. We now export to more than 50 countries.”
Targeting small printshops that demand intensive after-sales service, KBA-Grafitec has historically been strong in central Europe, driving up sales in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Italy. Now it is busy expanding in the Far East and China as well. In some countries (such as Germany) its Performa presses are sold via KBA’s global sales network, elsewhere KBA-Grafitec has built up its own dedicated small-format sales and service outlets. This year, for example, the firm opened an outlet in Spain with a view to boosting sales substantially by the end of the year. Says Jan Korenc: “The Spanish printing industry is one of the five biggest in western Europe and offers enormous growth potential for SRA2 and B2 presses.”
This year Czech press manufacturer KBA-Grafitec in Dobruska increased its payroll to almost 500 to support double-digit growth (2)
The success of KBA’s Czech subsidiary has generated a rising demand for skilled staff at the company’s production plant in Dobruska. Last year it created 30 new jobs and this year a further 50 staff will join the payroll, raising it to 498. Highly qualified CNC machine tool operators, technicians, CNC programmers and design engineers are in particular demand.