Aggressive growth prompts the addition of two new presses with faster speeds and new UV

KBA North America announces that Allied Printing Services, a full service commercial/financial printing firm located in Manchester, CT, is expanding its capacity with the addition of two new KBA Rapida 106 41-inch six-color high-speed presses equipped with UV and conventional coating to its already extensive array of print capabilities. The two new presses are due to be delivered in June 2014.

“We believe strongly in consistently reinvesting in our company and maintaining the most up-to-date equipment in all departments,” says John Sommers, president and CEO of Allied Printing Services. “After installing a new KBA Rapida 106 41-inch eight-color press in late 2012 and experiencing the success we’ve had with that press, we decided to add two new KBA Rapida 106 presses. These capital expenditures will increase our capacity and make Allied more efficient and productive for our customers. Our relationship with KBA has grown in these past two years and we believe that these two new presses will give us a boost in automation and productivity and allow us to continue our healthy growth and further enhance our product offerings and capabilities.”

The new KBA presses can print sheet sizes up to 29x41" in six colors plus aqueous coating, at speeds up to 20,000 sheets per hour. One of the new machines is a hybrid UV press, with the ability to run and cure UV inks in any unit with overall and spot UV coating. Both presses will have inline color management and register control to ensure consistent quality. They can handle a wide range of printing substrates from lightweight plastics to heavy board. The first press is scheduled to arrive from Germany and should be producing work for Allied’s clients in July.

Allied’s two new KBA presses will join a newly-installed (2012) KBA Rapida 106 41-inch eight-color press at Allied’s 285,000 sq ft facility where it is providing Allied with the ability to print on a wide range of substrates, from 40 lb text to 48 PT board; faster turnarounds with automated inline systems such as color control, automatic register, and auto plate changing; and a direct pro-environmental impact.

“Having the Rapida 106’s ability to run a wide spectrum of substrates is critical for us,” says Sommers. “On a typical day at Allied, we can be printing financial work on lightweight offset and then need to quickly changeover to point-of-purchase and packaging work on thick board. Our Rapida 106 allows us to do so with ease. The Rapida 106 also provides us with the ability to deliver fast turnarounds. Having the unique KBA automation on our press is crucial, especially the inline color control and auto-register. We’re really looking forward to having all three KBA Rapida presses running side-by-side in our facility.”

Established in 1949, Allied Printing Services, Inc. is a full service commercial/financial printing services company located in Manchester, CT serving a national customer base of pharmaceutical, educational financial, retail, point-of-purchase, manufacturing, agency, and direct mailers. Allied offers a turnkey solution to its customers by providing a comprehensive mix of resources, solutions and capabilities. The firm has robust sheetfed, web, and digital press capabilities and its bindery/finishing area is the largest in all of New England. Allied’s mailing, fulfillment, kitting, Print-On-Demand, and variable data capabilities give it a unique value-proposition. Allied is a third- generation family-owned business. Its sales growth places Allied among the top printers in the United States and it is the largest family-owned commercial printer located in New England.