With over 200 printing units sold from all available series and a high influx of visitors to the 1,000m2 stand, Print China which ran from 7 to 12 April in Guangdong was a huge success for the KBA Group. Several KBA companies joined forces under the banner “KBA: Print Solutions for All” and the host of exhibits ranging from sheetfed and web offset, flexo, inkjet, metal, hollow container and glass decoration, and digital coding systems were met with great interest.

The Chinese print pundits were surprised and blown away by the breadth and variety of print solutions bearing the KBA logo. Many only previously knew of KBA’s Rapida sheetfed offset presses which are widespread in China. Despite the country’s recent somewhat sluggish economy, the string of new orders and projects booked by the end of the trade show clearly surpassed all expectations. KBA profited from its strong footing in packaging printing. In addition, high performance presses with extensive kit and automation are becoming increasingly popular given the rise in wage costs also in China. KBA Rapidas accommodate this trend.

Print Solutions for All banner hits home

Claus Bolza-Schünemann, president and CEO of Koenig & Bauer, summed up his visit to the trade show: “Print China shows us that our efforts concerning our Fit@All programme are on the right track and that we will be fit and well-positioned to move into the third century of our company’s long history in two years’ time.” Ralf Sammeck, executive vice-president for sheetfed offset presses, was also present and added: “Along with sheetfed offset, our exhibits here demonstrate that KBA specialises in nearly everything which can be printed and finished with colour or inks using various techniques. We can therefore fulfil all of our customers’ demands.”

Crowds flocked to watch live demos of a five-colour Rapida 105 with coater and a Rapida 75-4+L equipped with energy-saving and environmentally friendly LED-UV. The Rapida 105, which is based on the Rapida 106, can be found in printing companies across China and was again the most ordered press at the show. A raft of new users also snapped up the more highly automated Rapida 105 PRO, even though its official unveiling is scheduled for the end of June in Radebeul.

KBA profits from shift in Chinese print market

The string of orders placed during the trade show ranged from the Rapida 75, Rapida 105, Rapida 105 PRO, the high-tech Rapida 106 to the large-format Rapida 145. The second order for a Rapida 145 from internet printer Zhengzhou Shengda Color Printing Co. Ltd is an example of the shift in the Chinese print market. KBA sales director Dietmar Heyduck: “In the face of tough competition Chinese online printers are increasingly switching to large format. We are supporting this development with our automated large-format presses for fast job change, a higher level of productivity and shorter delivery times.” Walter Zehner, managing director of KBA China: “Gaining online printers as customers for our highly productive large Rapidas is a huge opportunity for us and means less staff costs for our clients, increased efficiency and greater competitiveness.”

The order for two Rapida 106 with DriveTronic SIS sidelay-free infeed and DriveTronic SPC direct plate-cylinder drives by Guangdong Jinguan Technology Co. Ltd. is a further example of the trend towards high tech in China. The company aims to offer packaging printing with this new high-performance technology online. Accordingly, signing the contract was celebrated officially in the presence of members of the KBA management board.

Good prospects in packaging printing

Dietmar Heyduck: “The Chinese packaging market continues to grow, especially with regard to consumer packaging. The majority of the orders placed here at the trade show came from packaging printers and their demands in terms of press equipment are also rising. Longer presses with more than four or five colours, inline coating and a higher level of automation are becoming increasingly more popular. KBA is the first choice for Chinese sheetfed offset printers in the packaging segment.”

Walter Zehner: “We hope that we can transfer our outstanding reputation with folding carton printers to the new flexo presses for flexible packaging soon. Many of the print experts visiting Print China were amazed by the film samples printed on presses from KBA-Flexotecnica and visitors flocked to our flexo seminar. There are also concrete projects for KBA-Flexotecnica’s EVO presses in the pipeline. The production of flexible packaging is still dominated by gravure in China, nevertheless flexo printing which is environmentally friendly and economical for small and medium-sized jobs has exceptional prospects for the future. This is also true of the printing systems from KBA-Kammann for the direct decoration of premium glass containers, the well-positioned metal-decorating lines from KBA-MetalPrint and KBA-Metronic’s marking and coding systems suited to packaging lines or coding industrial goods. KBA has a strong footing in the growing packaging market. We were pleased that we could bring this message to a raft of potential users at Print China.”