KBA North America, a global press manufacturer based in Dallas, Texas, announces that Pointsmith, an at-store point-of-purchase marketing management company based in Katy, Texas (Greater Houston), has increased its capacity with a new Rapida 106 41-inch six-color press with full UV capabilities. Pointsmith will be installing the new press in August 2011.
 
“Pointsmith is a solutions provider that manages the entire at-store promotional marketing process for large scale retail clients,” says Jared Bryant, Pointsmith’s Chief Operations Officer. “Data management and flexibility are key to our customers throughout North America. More and more retailers want to customize which signs are sent to each store so that they can advertise national campaigns as well as be flexible enough to allow stores to advertise locally and/or support the local community. Additionally, customers want to have access to the best options for production. We have made it a priority to be able to offer everything our customers will need under one roof. Our new KBA Rapida 106 is a major acquisition for our company to continue that priority.”
 
The KBA Rapida 106 41-inch high-performance sheetfed press, dubbed the “makeready champion” for its 18,000 sph output and cutting-edge automation, is equipped with a bevy of new technology, including the popular KBA Logotronic management system, the KBA Densitronic combined density and color measuring system for quality control, as well as the Drivetronic feeder, with its pre-setting capabilities that help to reduce waste and allow for rapid job changes. By being UV-equipped, the new Rapida 106 will allow Pointsmith to produce point-of-purchase signage on a variety of substrates including plastic.
 
Once the new KBA Rapida is installed this summer, Pointsmith will be able to offer its customers the ability to produce signage in offset, screen or digital formats. Prior to the installation, Pointsmith added a new computer-to-plate system to logistically work with the new KBA Rapida press and plans on adding more employees to operate the press.
 
“We began to look at all of the offset press manufacturers late last year,” recalls Bryant. “We were very impressed with all of the large-format models and especially the capability and capacity of the Rapida 205 81-inch press. KBA has an excellent reputation and we decided that the 41-inch model would accommodate our needs.”
 
The installation of the new KBA Rapida 106 41-inch sheetfed press will take place in Pointsmith’s new 180,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility in Katy. The 128-employee firm has room for another 60,000 sq ft of growth. More than 50,000 store-specific, custom point-of-purchase and advertising kits are assembled and shipped from this facility each month. Pointsmith had just relocated into this new facility from a 100,000 sq ft site in west Houston in 2010.
 
Founded in 1947, Pointsmith is an at-store point-of-purchase management company with a proven track record of streamlining complex retail marketing programs from conception through completion and program evaluation. With a 16:1 employee/client ratio and average client tenure of 16 years, Pointsmith takes pride in serving as an extension of its clients’ business. Occupying 180,000 square-feet of office and warehouse space in Katy, Texas (Greater Houston), Pointsmith’s services include dedicated account management, an in-house creative agency, custom data management, production, fulfillment, dedicated field level support, accounting support and digital signage technology. For more information, please call 877-261-0541 or visit www.pointsmith.com.
 
KBA North America is located in Dallas, Texas and a member of the KBA Group. Established 194 years ago in Wuerzburg, Germany, Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA), the parent of the KBA group, is the oldest and second largest press manufacturer worldwide. KBA's banner, 'People & Print', reflects its dual focus as a leading innovator for print entrepreneurs. The group's product range is the broadest in the industry; its portfolio includes commercial and newspaper web presses, sheetfed offset presses in all format classes, special presses for books, inserts, banknotes, securities, metal-decorating, smart cards; CDs and DVDs plus inkjet and other coding systems. For more information visit the company's web site at www.kba.com