Following a cracking start in 2008 as KBA's newly appointed web press agency for Brazil, in March this year Deltagraf Representações Comerciais had its remit expanded to include all sales and service activities for KBA's internationally popular Rapida sheetfed offset presses as well. On 2 December it held its first open house for sheetfed customers.

Managing director Luiz Cesar Dutra is sparing no effort to ensure that the high-performance B2 to VLF (29 - 80in) Rapidas enjoy the same level of popularity in Brazil as in other high-growth countries. He informed the gathering of print professionals from Sao Paulo and other parts of the country that he had already hired new technicians, a service manager, sales and support staff and had them trained at KBA's production plants in Germany. He is also planning to set up an on-site spare-parts store. In urgent cases any parts not in stock can be obtained from KBA within 24 hours.

Deltagraf has already re-ignited interest among Brazilian printers in KBA's innovative sheetfed offset presses, which were once widely popular in Brazil. Contacts to early Rapida users have been revived, service work carried out to their satisfaction and negotiations initiated with existing customers and prospects on new projects. Several contracts for medium and large-format presses are approaching completion. In the interim KBA has advanced to become the world's second-biggest manufacturer of sheetfed offset presses, and in the medium-term is targeting a similar position in Brazil. Practical training courses for press operators and new options for remote maintenance via the internet make it easier for prospects to switch to the acknowledged innovator in sheetfed offset technology.
 
Avowed commitment to key Brazilian market
KBA's commitment to Brazil, a major print market, was underscored by the presence at the open house in Sao Paulo of executive vice-president for sheetfed sales Ralf Sammeck and sales manager Mike Engelhardt. Thanking customers for their patience prior to the transfer of sales and service rights to Deltagraf, Ralf Sammeck outlined KBA's plans for improving customer relations still further. Mike Engelhardt provided a brief run-down of KBA's sheetfed offset presses and their exceptional technology, illustrating this with high-quality print samples featuring some stunning and unusual coating effects. Other topics included training, service and the supply of spare parts. The event concluded with a social gathering which afforded plenty of opportunity for talking shop and exchanging news and views on technological innovations and the current situation in the print media industry.

Deltagraf demonstrated its web press capabilities at Drupa 2008 by winning contracts from leading commercial printers in Brazil for a number of press lines. More recently it commissioned a 48pp KBA Compacta 618 installation at Grupo Abril, a media major.