Four new KBA sheetfed offset presses in five years go to printshop in North Carolina

Thursday, July 09, 2015

Press release from the issuing company

Meredith-Webb stands out with super-sized Rapida 205

In October 2015 Meredith-Webb Printing Company in Burlington/North Carolina (USA) will be installing a six-colour KBA Rapida 205 with coater and dryer in sheet format 151 x 205cm (59.4 x 80.7in). It will be their fourth KBA press in five years. This installation shows that there is still a market, especially in display and poster printing but also other markets, for high-performance jumbo sheetfed offset in the age of wide-format digital printing.

Due to strong growth, in recent years Meredith-Webb has invested $20m in printing kit and the new Rapida 205 will offer the firm a unique position in the superlarge-format market. The press produces extra-large format, high-quality products in a highly cost-efficient manner. Its extensive automation delivers short makeready times and the economic production of smaller jobs.

“We’re eagerly anticipating the arrival of this giant press from KBA,” says Kelly Webb, executive vice president at Meredith-Webb. “Currently, our company's capabilities are limited to printing products up to 165cm (65in). The new Rapida 205 will be able to print displays and packaging, point-of-sale signage for retail, and sublimation materials for the clothing and fashion industries. With six printing units and inter-station drying combined with end-of-press aqueous/UV coating facilities, we plan to introduce our unique printing capabilities to an even larger portion of the sheetfed market. Our customer base is looking forward to having Meredith-Webb’s high-end graphics and coating capabilities at a much larger sheet size.”

Meredith-Webb president G. Travers Webb: “We are excited to combine the new press with our production activities. With CAD design and pre-press in the same location, we have built a company that is committed to providing the fastest speed-to-market service in the industry. The flexibility of four different press sizes from medium, large and superlarge-format in one location will be crucial to meeting those requirements.” Currently Meredith-Webb’s pressroom is equipped with three high-performance KBA presses: a six-colour Rapida 106 with twin coaters, a Rapida 162a with seven inking units and a coater as well as a six-colour Rapida 164 with two coater and two dryers. When the new Rapida 205 arrives, the pressroom will have a total of 36 printing and finishing units.

“We have formed a strong partnership with KBA over the last five years,” says G. Travers Webb. “This unique large-format press from KBA will provide us with an unprecedented level of speed and capacity, and will set us apart in the marketplace.”

The 105-employee firm has proudly earned the chain-of-custody certifications endorsed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) as part of the company’s commitment to achieve its environmental initiatives. Meredith-Webb also earned the G7 Master qualification, the “seal of approval” from the IDEAlliance as a G7 Master Printer, which proves that the firm possesses the technology and tools to consistently deliver the highest quality printing in the world, based on the most stringent international standards.