KBA North America announces that Marshall & Bruce Printing Company, a specialist in general commercial printing, packaging, and fulfillment services, has made a critical move into the large format arena by adding a new KBA Rapida 145 57-inch six-color press with coater and UV capabilities at its facility in Nashville, Tennessee. The new press - installed in late summer - joins an existing KBA Genius 52 20-inch press and a KBA Rapida 105 41-inch seven-color press. 

“Our decision to move into the large format market with the Rapida 145 57-inch press will help to separate ourselves from the highly-competitive general commercial printing industry and bring value-added services to our existing customer base,” says Chip Smith, president of Marshall & Bruce. “We’re seeing great interest in having this amazing press at our fingertips and able to offer even more capabilities to our customers. We’re using the new Rapida 145 to more efficiently print our high-end point-of-purchase and packaging work on a variety of substrates and allow the Genius to focus on short-run jobs and our KBA Rapida 105 press to focus on high-end commercial work.”

Since making its official debut at Drupa 2012, the KBA Rapida 145 57-inch press has found widespread success. The press features new, never-before-seen automation such as the KBA SIS Sensoric sidelay-free infeed,the CleanTronic Synchro system (two washing beams) for simultaneous washing of ink rollers, blankets and impression cylinders parallel to plate changing, and additional parallel makeready processes that contribute to significantly higher net production output compared to the predecessor series and presses from other manufacturers. Convenient operation is guaranteed at the new ErgoTronic console with wall screen, picture-in-picture function.

In the few short months of operating the new press, Smith is impressed with the many advantages on the Rapida 145. “When KBA touted the technological ingenuities of this press, they were correct,” he says. “We were attracted to the redesign of the feeder as well as the new delivery extension and delivery. We’re seeing positive advantages to our business due to these features. This press is a key investment for our firm due to its fast run speeds and its quick changeovers.”

Smith continues, “Over the years, we have developed a deep partnership with KBA. We find that its press automation and print production has contributed to the success of our company and satisfied the demands of our high-end customers. KBA’s sales, training, and support staff are extremely helpful and its on-site training has been superb. Every press installation has gone very smoothly.”

Marshall & Bruce Printing Company was founded in 1865 by Andrew Marshall and James Bruce with the goal of rendering a “greater measure of service than was necessary on any given occasion to study, strive, and to advance in the interests of its clientele.” Today the family-owned firm is one of the most modern and efficient printing firms in the region. Its 55,000 sq ft facility houses its KBA Rapida 105 41-inch sheetfed press as well as the latest in prepress equipment, die-making and die-cutting, a complete bindery, and quality control program.